Premier Hospitality South West

Cau Bristol

Cau Bristol
Written by Roma Publications

Cau Bristol

In the heart of Bristol’s vibrant and lively Triangle, Cau Bristol restaurant has been welcomed by locals and foodies alike.

The project began on site in November 2013 and is now fully complete and open to the public. The Triangle is a very popular area in the city, full of various restaurants and bars, and attracts many customers.

Speaking to Grant White, an Interior Designer at design agency Conceptualise, Premier Hospitality found out more about the new site. Grant said:

“The whole spirit of the design was to capture urban street food and young vibrant culture that is prevalent in Buenos Aires, which is where the inspiration derives from. The space we were dealing with was quite large; it meant we were able to create an exciting venue set on different levels to make it more intriguing.”

The restaurant evokes a dynamic energy and a contemporary chic feel to it. The Conceptualise team took elements from South African culture and presented them in a more contemporary way to fit the venues theme. Corrugated iron was utilised by the design team in the venue evoking a feel of the Buenos Aires ‘barrios’, or neighbourhoods. The team used glossy white paint to portray the original barrios in a state-of-the-art way.

Cau Bristol

Additionally, several high gloss images of grass have been carefully placed around the building to reflect the idea of grass fed cattle; which is the design concept of the restaurant. The theme of cattle links back to the venue’s beef-related name; Cau.

Design features incorporated in the venue include a resin floor which covers the whole of the building; this type of flooring is excellent for acoustics and delivers the feel that the interior designer’s and client required. There was a plentiful use of white gloss to deliver a modern and stylish feel, along with lots of corrugated materials on the walls to give an edgy feel. An array of various types of lighting was also utilised to provide the venue’s distinctive character.

An assortment of seating has been distributed around the diner, including bright white vinyl seating to match the white gloss, booth seating for a more intimate option, plush banquettes and individual chairs. There is seating at the bar for those who are waiting for a table during busy times or those socialising at the bar prior to a sit down meal.

Grant said:

“It was a great project it was exactly what we wanted to work with because Cau is a brand which is rapidly developing; so for us it was a fantastic opportunity to be a part of that. The site was a good example of a restaurant space where we could really produce everything we wanted from the outset – we weren’t limited by a small or tricky space.

Cau Bristol

“We integrated a full open plan kitchen directly in the heart of the restaurant, acting as the main centrepiece as well as providing a sense of theatre. Customers are able to observe the delightful cooking processes that take place, giving a further sense of energy to the place.”

 

 Resintek Services Ltd

Resintek Services Ltd are specialist installers of resin flooring and have over 20 years’ experience in the industry. Resintek teamed up with the designers on this project to provide a solution to the flooring in the front and back of house of the newly opened CAU restaurant in Bristol.

For the Back of House kitchen it was important that the new solution was aesthetically pleasing, but at the same time offered an improvement from a health and safety view, providing a hygienic, slip resistant floor finish. Contractor Resintek’s director Grant Machen chose to use a Heavy duty Polyurethane resin screed product to ensure the client’s specification was met and to allow a quick installation.

The resin system used proves ideal for a food environment as it is classed as a non-taint product and approved by Campden BRI, allowing for installation around food products and production. The material is a water based polyurethane screed system that is formulated to be easy to apply and provide a durable floor surface capable of withstanding heavy wear. It is ideally suited for use in food and drink environments such as restaurants, where high standards of hygiene are required.

With regard to the front of house it was important to provide a finish that was cosmetically pleasing but also easy to maintain. On this basis Resintek suggested a bespoke flake system. The advantage of this system was that the company were able to install this seamless resin system (ie no joints) throughout the entire 230 square metres.  In addition Resintek were able to apply the resin system to stair treads to provide a uniform matching finish.

Cau Bristol

The planning process for the front of house involved Resintek’s director Grant Machen giving the client the option to choose a flake design mix from samples that were prepared.  Thereafter, the seal application was then adjusted to include a fine aggregate to provide the require slip resistance. Again with this attention to detail Resintek provided a bespoke system that met that clients’ specification and expectations.

The installation for an area of over 300 square metres and associated skirting for both the front and back of house took just over 2 weeks to complete and this met the client and contractor’s installation timetable.

Resintek have gained a reputation as a contractor who is prepared to work with designers, architects and contractors to provide solutions that will be tailored to their needs. As a result, Resintek have installed resin floors in a number of well know restaurants and chains over the years. Resintek are very happy to be working with CAU restaurants and have now completed a number of installations for the company.

 

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Roma Publications