A Japanese Chef Restaurant by design studio Baranowitz & Goldberg Architects is located on the second floor of azrieli-Sarona Tower in Tel Aviv. Yuval Ben-Neriah, the chef, imagined it as a culinary academy. It is destined to be a place that offers experiential richness and timeless knowledge, and a good blend of chef's personal instructions and bold culinary innovations. The idea was to meld Japanese and Western cultures in a flexible, lively way in an elegant setting, which prompted the studio to borrow classic architectural idioms about form and substance from both cultures and reshape them to create a calm and confident experience space.

The entrance is constructed with the idea in mind of Japanese ceremonies and the experience of discovery. As the main entrance to the restaurant is through the tower’s mall, Baranowitz & Goldberg Architects wished to create an opportunity that allows the guests to leave the hustle & bustle of the crowds behind and focus upon the new experience that lies beyond the door. A curving wall greets A’s guests and gently directs them to the door located at the end of an elongated vestibule.

The straight wall becomes the main architectural feature and assumes the role of defining and sculpting the main dining hall. It is the partition separating the kitchen from the restaurant and it stretches all along the hall. It is the base of the halved-arch that governs the entire space with one single brush stroke. This classic architectural form was drawn directly from the existing proportions of the given space. Being long, narrow and tall, it evoked the associations of classic colonnades and churches. The fact that a long narrow terrace is stretched all along it, offering a beautiful view of Sarona-Park, made it imperative to direct the view in that direction and establish a strong connection between the indoor and outdoor.

This main partition that defined the dining hall is horizontally divided in three, where each part fulfils a different role: A graphic composition in the language of the half-arch realized in turquoise copper patina cladding embellishes the base of the partition. The patina recalls classic domed edifices and sculptures adorning western cities and elegantly expressing the passage of time.  The space is essentially monochromatic in shades of light warm grey and draws its inspiration from modern Japanese architecture that is sculpted in concrete. The copper patina and wood of the dining chairs endow the space with accents of color, and the terrazzo grey floor introduces a sprinkle of green and recalls European materiality while also referencing local Israeli heritage. It is essentially a delightful expression of a modernist interpretation served on a plate of classic inspiration.