Sala Sala was a very popular Japanese restaurant located in the CBD of Christchurch prior to the February 2011 earthquake. The desire to return to business as quickly as possible was facilitated by the Christchurch City Council‘s temporary accommodation policy, limited to a five year occupation of a site. The choice of a suburban house to accommodate the restaurant was determined by available space on the edge of the CBD and with an obvious link to the suburb of Merivale on the busy Papanui Road already occupied by a number of motels and restaurants.

The conversion of the small two storey house involved a part demolition of the existing ground floor living room and an extension to the northwest to provide more adequate open dining space. These additions have been designed to reinforce the residential aesthetic and scale but with some clear contemporary interventions by way of the black stained plant deck screen and entry element that references the Japanese craft aesthetic and defines the commercial activity within. Inside, the focus is all about the theatre of cooking with the kitchen, tepanyaki and sushi bars stretched along the east wall. A simple palette of bamboo flooring and cabinetry together with a steel privacy screen and a deep black acoustic ceiling focus your attention on the chefs and the rich experience that is Sala Sala.

Photos by Russell Kleyn.