Restaurant Morimoto

The Morimoto restaurant in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood is a joint project of American restaurateur Stephen Starr and Japanese chef Masaharu Morimoto, who has risen to stardom with his culinary art and his own television show called “Iron Chef.” Patrons and guests at Morimoto’s restaurant particularly appreciate his ability to incorporate Western ingredients into traditional Japanese dishes such as tempura, sushi, or sashimi, offering unique modern creations.
The restaurant welcomed its first guests on January 31, 2006. The interior was designed by Tadao Ando, making it the first New York realization by this significant Japanese architect. Ando is known for his fondness for exposed concrete. However, according to Mr. Morimoto, customers wouldn’t flock to such a restaurant (and spend $120 on his specialties), so the architect had to take a different approach.
A low entrance arch with a red curtain was cut into the metal facade. On the ground floor, there are a total of 160 seats for guests, and in the basement, there is a hall for an additional 40 people. The pride of the restaurant is a 140 m² kitchen surrounded by a bar with 24 seats, where barefoot (as tradition dictates) guests can observe Master Morimoto as he prepares sushi for them.
Despite being "just" an interior modification, the budget rose to a final $12 million. One of the special features is a canopy made of fiberglass. The staircase leading to the basement is lined with a nine-ton installation created from 17,400 bottles of mineral water Tynant, illuminated by LED lights. The interior lighting was managed by Isometrix director Arnold Chan, the furniture was designed by Ross Lovegrove and produced by the Italian company Poltrona Frau.
In the end, Ando managed to incorporate several exposed concrete columns into the design. However, they are here more for aesthetic reasons than structural ones.