Bo's Table is a fine dining restaurant located in Beijing. Its menu is named after small stories from the chef’s life, and it presents a Chef's Table experience that showcases the world’s culinary delights as understood by the chefs. The restaurant, which opened in 2024, is located on the 48th floor of the Zhongguojin Building in Wangjing, covering an area of 200 square meters. Designer Chen Chao sought to create a space that feels more like a home, eliminating the divide between the restaurant's owners and guests.

The concept of the Chef’s Table has long been embraced within the fine dining circle, as people have grown weary of the corporate atmosphere often tied to gourmet dining and instead are seeking emotional connections through food. This shift has driven me to break free from conventional thinking in restaurant design, reducing the focus on business logic and instead allowing the chef to express their ideas and thoughts more freely.

The result of this collaboration is a return to the origins of cooking. The concept evokes ancient traditions of cooking over fire in caves, a raw and simple approach. By utilizing natural materials, we’ve created a primitive cave-like space suspended in the clouds on the 48th floor of the Zhongguojin Building.

The entrance corridor is wrapped in cave stone, and at the end of the corridor, there’s a patch of moss-covered green space that gives the feeling of a Zen garden, reminiscent of a hidden cave or a secret garden. The owners have planted herbs used in the kitchen here, such as lemon, citron, and Buddha’s hand, fully embracing the farm-to-table philosophy.

The ground is paved with gravel stones, reinforcing the tactile texture of the space. The walls are made of handcrafted ceramic tiles and natural wood panels, and the handwork’s traces form rich textures that allow light to flow through the space.

Upon turning the corner into the main dining area, one cannot overlook the lighting installation hanging above the dining table. The intricate network of wooden branches resembles the roots of a giant tree buried deep underground. Spotlight beams filter through the branches, casting patterns of light and shadow that highlight the raw essence of the ingredients.

The chef's dishes are presented on a long dining table made of cave stone, which serves not only as a base for the plates but also as a vessel for creativity. Flames are lit directly on the table, igniting at both ends, and coming together in the center, opening the curtain for the banquet.

The chef’s workstation is also made from cave stone. Positioned facing the guests, the workstation features the seasonal menu, frequently used kitchen tools, and ingredients, all suspended in a metal frame in an organized manner. Storage shelves in front display utensils and containers with a natural, primal beauty.

At the far end of the dining table is a lounge area, made of handcrafted, natural wooden furniture. On one side, beside the maturing cabinet, a wooden display rack showcases the chef's collection of cookbooks and glass jars used for pickling ingredients.

Behind the lounge area’s sofa, we have created eight grooves in a display rack, resembling squirrels storing spices that represent the flavors of Chinese cuisine, symbolizing the fusion of culinary cultures from all directions.

Above the wine-tasting area, the lighting fixture is modeled after a tree burl. To adjust the suspension weight, we replicated its natural structure, customizing an interlocking design.

Next to the wine-tasting area is a temperature-controlled wine cellar. Its design is intentionally distinct from the traditional European underground wine cellars, with a clean and bright style that transports guests into a cozy, rural-style cabin as if stepping onto a new continent.

Above the bar stools near the window, four rattan lights, shaped like inverted bird’s nests, hang overhead. The solid wood bar stools evoke thoughts of Hawaiian beaches. As night falls, the lights of the surrounding skyscrapers illuminate, with neon lights flickering like a gathering of cruise ships on the sea—a perfect backdrop for selfies after the meal.

"High-quality ingredients often only need the simplest cooking methods." Just as dining follows the principle of simplicity, Chen Chao has applied the same "simple" rule in his treatment of this space. Natural materials are presented in what seems like a "natural" way, intentionally concealing the design traces, allowing the true essence of the space to shine through.

By using the "truth" of nature, the space takes on its own meaning, echoing the theme of Bo’s Table: showcasing the real lives of the creative team through their dishes, allowing diners to experience the world that the team has personally encountered through these authentic creations.