This November, a brand new arrival on Soho’s Frith Avenue is ready to shake up London’s eating scene. Tangra, a brand new Indo-Chinese language restaurant named after the Kolkata neighbourhood often known as the birthplace of the delicacies, guarantees fiery flavours, late nights and a multi-sensory expertise that blends fable, popular culture, and up to date design.
Behind the restaurant lies a uncommon inventive collaboration that has redefined how model identities in hospitality are constructed. Jelly, Kuba&Associates, Mumbai-based Boomranng Studio and inside specialists Quadrant Design got here collectively not as remoted companions working in sequence, however as an embedded crew concerned from preliminary market perception proper by way of to remaining supply. The result’s a model expertise that feels unified, layered and alive, very similar to the delicacies it celebrates.
“In contrast to typical inter-agency relationships the place technique, inventive and execution function in isolation, the Tangra venture was totally collaborative,” explains the crew at Jelly. “We had been all embedded within the course of from day one, which meant concepts flowed freely and each component, from the interiors to the menu design, was constructed on shared foundations.”
That built-in strategy has produced a model world that extends far past the standard restaurant identification. Each component—from a hand-drawn brand and bespoke typography path to hero illustrations, menu and social media templates, workers uniforms, and even sticker designs—has been rigorously crafted not only for Tangra’s personal use but in addition with prospects in thoughts. The intention is for individuals to share, personalise, and love the model in their very own manner, making it a part of their expertise fairly than simply the backdrop to it.
Tangra’s story begins with its namesake: the Tangra district of Kolkata, the historic coronary heart of Indo-Chinese language cooking. The restaurant’s menu, led by Govt Chef Nikesh Sawant, pays homage to that heritage whereas embracing the evolution of the delicacies throughout the area. Dishes nod to Kolkata’s bustling road stalls, Mumbai’s night time markets, and the influences of Tibet and Nepal, capturing a hybrid cooking type that is as comforting as it’s addictive.
Simply because the meals celebrates cultural fusion, the design thrives on distinction. As diners transfer by way of the house, they’re greeted by heat, tactile timber alongside jolts of neon gentle; matte finishes in opposition to shiny reflections; and uncooked supplies colliding with hand-drawn illustrations. Perforated panels, patterned flooring, glowing signage and vibrant graphic overlays layer texture and rhythm all through the inside, making a setting that feels without delay nostalgic and resolutely trendy.
Boomranng Studio’s contribution brings a lot of that spirit to life. Identified for mixing Indian mythology, retrofuturist imagery and joyful maximalism, the studio has infused Tangra’s partitions with daring graphic posters impressed by Mumbai’s nightfall skies, Kolkata’s silk markets and the saturated hues of Indian spices. These will not be ornamental afterthoughts – they’re woven into the very material of the design language, creating moments of discovery that reveal themselves the longer you look.
“Layers of storytelling are constructed into each element,” say Boomranng’s founders. “We needed to create an area that feels alive – the place the color, illustration and kind aren’t simply surface-level ornament however a part of the expertise itself.”
The palette displays that philosophy, too. Bursts of vibrant color punctuate earthy tones, lifting the temper and sparking dialog. In the meantime, references to Chinese language calligraphy, retro Indian cinema, and classic audio tradition add depth and texture to the storytelling. The result’s an atmosphere designed to be felt as a lot as seen – one which echoes the vitality and bustle of Indo-Chinese language road meals tradition.
This eclectic vitality extends past the visuals, as Tangra is designed for movement, for sound, for tales. Whether or not you are perched on the bar with small plates and a cocktail, tucked right into a neon-lit sales space for dinner, or gathered at a communal desk deep into the night time, the restaurant is constructed to hum with exercise.
Strategically, Tangra additionally marks a shift in how eating places in London place themselves. Fairly than leaning on nostalgia, authenticity or heritage as many Asian eating ideas do, the crew embraced an experience-first philosophy that acknowledges how trendy diners more and more select eating places primarily based on environment and story, not simply style.
For Jelly and its companions, that meant constructing a model designed for interplay, not remark. It is a model that invitations participation and sparks curiosity. It lives as a lot within the stickers prospects take dwelling because it does on the menu or the signal above the door. It is also a model that feels distinctly of now, even because it nods to generations of cultural alternate.
“The whole lot about Tangra is designed to be shared,” says Kuba from Kuba&Associates. “Not simply shared on social media, however shared bodily – in conversations, in keepsakes, in the best way individuals keep in mind the expertise. That is how we predict eating places construct actual cultural relevance right this moment.”
With its layered storytelling, unapologetic design and deeply collaborative inventive strategy, Tangra is excess of one other addition to Soho’s crowded restaurant scene. It is a love letter to a delicacies born from cultural fusion, and a glimpse at how restaurant branding can evolve when silos are damaged down and creativity is shared.
