Station to degustation

A tricky heritage rail station is transformed into a dramatic restaurant by Greymatters, the design evoking the celebrity chef's roots and memories

Restaurant Born, Singapore – designed by Greymatters

The Peter Gentenaar’s sculpture suspended from the ceiling

Looking up at the Peter Gentenaar’s sculpture with

Peter Gentenaar’s sculpture is a feature amongst features

The understated (not) restaurant reception.

Dining at Restaurant Born. - Station to degustation

What was once the station’s ticket hall is

Private dining at the 'out there' Singapore restaurant.

The restaurant bar is also something of a

There's nothing like your very own 'at-table' cutlery

Designed by Alan Barr, Greymatters

From the interior designer:

The design brief by owners and chef Zor Tan was to create and design Singapore's Restaurant Born as ‘the best restaurant in town’.

The space also needs to showcase the chef's roots and memories from around the world.

From the family roots, to the techniques he learnt around the world, to the ingredients, textures and aromas he discovered, it is a sensory journey to find harmony and balance – the culinary karma.

In total, it seeks to capture all the adventures, challenges and passions that have shaped and transformed him both personally and professionally.

Through a guest's experience of this space, Greymatters needed to convey this sense of discovery around the overall journey.

Project challenges

Preserving and repurposing any old building into a commercial use is always a challenge.

Add to the fact that the heritage building, the iconic Jinrikisha Station, has a triangular shaped footprint with its strict building codes and measures that really tested the team with the spatial planning & design process.

Overcoming challenges

Instead of going against it, Greymatters embraced the architecture and the space it presented to us.

What was once the station’s ticket hall is now the main dining room with its expansive double volume space surrounded by beautiful arches.

The Peter Gentenaar’s sculpture suspended from the ceiling not only highlights the contrast between the old and new, but it manifests the chef’s circle-of-life journey.