August 25, 2016 by CallisonRTKL

Designing Dongpo Kitchen: A Recipe for Sichuan Success

At CallisonRTKL, we’re used to complicated design challenges. But one of our latest jobs started with a list of unexpected ingredients:

A famous 11th century Chinese poet who loved to cook
A wildly successful Beijing restauranteur with a taste for US expansion
An L.A.-based theme park icon

…and the key to it all:

Roast Duck Sichuan style!

What to cook… what to cook? How do we come up with an architectural recipe for a new, authentic Sichuan restaurant at Universal’s famed CityWalk?

THE BACKSTORY

In 2013, renowned restaurant owners Chef Wang Gang and his wife Liang Li decided to bring their celebrated, upscale Meizhou Dongpo restaurant to the States. They dipped their toe in the pool of L.A. trendy eateries, opening their first restaurant at Century City—all to rave reviews.

But Gang and Li were ready to try something new and expand into a new market.

They wanted to serve up their real—not Americanized—Sichuan food in a casual setting, and they chose the iconic Universal CityWalk as the perfect location.

In China, the MDP empire had grown to more than 100 restaurants, trading on a great reputation and the theory that, “If you build it, they will come.” But L.A. is another world entirely and CityWalk an even more unusual microcosm within that. MDP needed to proceed with caution and know that what worked in China may not work in L.A. Together with the Wangs and Universal’s food experts, we agreed that the solution to this problem was to design a restaurant that would blend East and West.

THE RECIPE

So the recipe began to emerge.

Los Angeles is often known as the city of food fusion, an edible mash-up of weird and wonderful flavors. Maybe this restaurant design could be its own version of L.A. Fusion, we thought. We pictured a place where the flavors of China would blend with the style of L.A., creating a unique amalgamation of cultural concepts in one space. Even our team was a diverse mix: interior designers, brand strategists, graphic designers, architects, U.S. natives, Chinese-born designers who now call LA home and more. This professional fusion has been key in helping us translate a Chinese concept to the U.S. market.

COOKING IT UP

We strategized with the owners and Universal to create a new sub-brand for Meizhou Dongpo, starting with the idea that guests to Universal are in a different mindset. They want to be entertained, to have a great meal and enjoy a unique experience.

And they want all this delivered fast and in a cool L.A.-style setting that makes them feel like part of the local food scene.

Now back to our ingredients. Our team always begins the design process with the story, the brand and the reason for being. For us, that starting base was Dongpo himself. He was known as a preeminent personality of the 11^th Century Song Dynasty and was one of the “4 gastronomes” of his time. As a fusion-style artist ahead of his time, he was also a poet, painter and calligrapher. Chef Wang told us about the inspiration he felt from Dongpo and the connection between calligraphy and the art of preparing a great meal. And so Dongpo’s brushes greet guests as they enter, and his calligraphic strokes decorate the walls.

THE MEAL

Dongpo Kitchen opened to the public on August 8^th with great response. People are enjoying the authentic food, which is said to be some of the best at CityWalk. The restaurant design has also been well-received and described as a cozy, upscale ambience that delivers on our desire to tell an inspiring Chinese tale in a hip L.A. way. The design took its time to cook to perfection, maybe more like a lovely simmering stew than a speedy stir-fry. We loved working with this wonderful combination of ingredients, and hope to be cooking up more architectural dishes soon.

The lead designer on this project was Yuwen Peng.

Yuwen Peng’s expertise in hospitality, retail and entertainment design have contributed to the development of dynamic projects around the globe. Based in CallisonRTKL’s Los Angeles office, her well-rounded approach and experience with a wide variety of prestigious clients have been an integral part of numerous award-winning designs. Her projects include Wolfgang Puck Restaurants, Lucky Strike Lanes and The Hub in Shanghai.

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CallisonRTKL

For more than five decades, Callison and RTKL have created some of the world’s most memorable and successful environments for developers, retailers, investors, institutions and public entities. In 2015, our two practices came together under the Arcadis umbrella, expanding our sphere of influence and the depth and breadth of our resources. Our team is comprised of nearly 2,000 creative, innovative professionals throughout the world who are committed to advancing our client’s businesses and enhancing quality of life.