Does the interior of an eatery affect its business or success?

Not entirely.

If anyone has ever visited the SaltBae restaurant in the Istanbul suburban area, one can definitely attest to the fact that good – correction - great food can make one forget their surroundings altogether. My family and I are not ‘foodies’. We eat to live. But at Nusret, we devoured the food, just meat, cut up and sliced with the famous salt sprinkled on top.

This place has the tackiest interior I’ve ever laid eyes upon. It defies all rules of interior design with respect to colour, lighting, and use of material. The seating is a garish juxtaposition of red and green velour. Jet-black table tops, shiny floors and a glittering ceiling with shimmery chandeliers. The staircase, of course, has been lined with bathroom tiles. At every interval, there is a patch of thick velvet drapes with crystal trims.

But the delectable steaks surpassed all that was gaudy and tasteless.

Having said all the above, the architecture of a place does lend a hand in the entire experience. The people of Turkey are a happy nation, and a meal at Nusret was a big deal. The music was loud, and the positive energy really bounced off the shiny interior finishes. There were mini Marlon Brandos walking about arm in arm with questionably-dressed women sporting peroxide blonde hair. The table behind us had the Godfather being served a golden steak.

It was lively, it was loud. And it worked.

However, one formula does not work for all. There are definite do’s and don’ts of restaurant interiors, but while some rules are meant to be broken, it is best to adhere to most.

Lighting is another important aspect. On a recent night out to PF Changs, we complained about not being able to read the menu as it was too dark to see. Their solution was to turn on all the lights, half of which were fluorescents. People nowadays are always looking for a photo opportunity, therefore the restaurant must provide overhead lighting for guests to capture a picture of their plate before - or after - they consume it. Overhead lighting also works well for artwork on walls and thus Instagram-worthy clicks.

Speaking of local places and lighting, I do find myself constantly illuminating the menu with my phone in order to read it properly. The ambience of the place might be great though, for instance, at places like Colette, where the food is also more than decent. Colette is a good example of how well an indoor and outdoor space can be combined. It specifically helped during Covid-related restrictions, when people had to eat outdoors but still wanted a comfortable temperature. Their glass screens open up and make the space one. The layout is minimalistic without feeling sterile. This they have achieved with the use of foliage and the sparse tree branching out of one of the tables always speckled with lights.

Let’s talk about space. Everyone wants ‘airy and open’. Surprise, surprise, it doesn’t always work to advantage. Prime examples to state here are Café Aylanto and Cocochan.

Lots of us might think that if the food is good, who cares about ambience or décor, right? That’s mostly true, but while fantastic food can make us forgive bad décor, badly utilized space or terrible lighting may dull our moods and cause us to not enjoy good food.

Café Aylanto started off as a sandwich stop catering mostly to the office crowd during lunch hours. It opened in the late ‘90s with just one sandwich counter to its credit, offering a wide variety of hors d’oeurves. Popularity kicked in, and Aylanto expanded, extra tables were added and about 100 square feet of the first floor was bought. The food was tasty, simple, reasonable and the waiters recognized you. To talk about the interior would be like talking about the side dish complementing a steak. In other words, it didn’t take much away from the restaurant nor did it contribute to its success. If I remember correctly, there was a bit of orange or peach on the walls and the door was mint or pistachio green. It was a very comfortable café. It was a ‘café’. One didn’t feel intimidated by the menu or the English speaking waiters or an opulent setting.

Fast forward 10 years, and Aylanto moves to its new premises. An old house converted into an indoor and outdoor space which is the same concept as in Lahore but didn’t come with the same warmth. In the Karachi restaurant, all one can see are grey tiles running the length of walls and when that stops, there is lots of mirror. Aylanto in Lahore is lots of colour, intimate corners and a lovely outdoor space tucked away from the sounds and smells of main M.M. Alam Road. The outdoor space in Karachi lacks inspiration, it’s a lot of different levels and bridges and mindless murals on the wall.

It was refreshing when a branch of Aylanto opened up at Port Grand and the same designer had done that one. Now that was an interior to rave about. The best ‘Pakistani’ way to describe it was to say it didn’t look like a restaurant in Pakistan! Truth be told, it actually didn’t. The place was not more than 200 square feet. It had a slanting glass front with a very simple glass door in the center. The floor was a waxed concrete and the walls a rustic brick finish which had been washed in white paint. There were black and white pictures hanging off the walls and the simplest window treatments. I write in the past tense because like all good things in this city, it is sadly no more.

‘Do not despair!’ in the words of Gaddafi, for we do have options that provide good food, ambience and an overall great experience. Not surprisingly, at the top of my list is Loco. Loco also did move from smaller to bigger like Aylanto, but in terms of interiors it definitely improved by 200 percent. Although the earlier space was also much loved by many, I just remember banging my chair into other tables. It was small and far too crowded. The new premises have a very exotic South American feel to it. I find myself waiting for a flamenco dancer or Frida Kahlo to emerge from the other side of the wall. And that is their cuisine, a fusion of Spanish and Mexican palates.

Next on my list is Cote Rotie. I remember my first visit there, I wondered why they had a cycle hanging off ceiling. I still haven’t been able to figure that one out, but visually it works well with the white washed brick and wrought iron fitting. They have the advantage of an already beautiful outdoor space with string lights and lanterns adding a whimsical flair to the Mediterranean setting where one can enjoy their own choice of beverage.

Last but not least is Okra. Not much needs to be said about this place as it is so hard to get a table there and when one does, you appreciate everything that has won you that esteemed place in life. Not being sarcastic here, the interior of Okra is eclectic at best, but all in all always an enjoyable experience.

To sum up, lots of us might think that if the food is good, who cares about ambience or décor, right? That’s mostly true, but while fantastic food can make us forgive bad décor, badly utilized space or terrible lighting that may dull our moods and cause us to not enjoy good food? That’s just unforgivable.

– The writer is an architect & interior designer.