OPENUU designs and cooks mean noodles in hong kong

run by the OPENUU design duo caroline chou and kevin lim, mean noodles reflects their love of good design and their passion for delicious food. hidden in plain sight, mean noodles is not hard to find once you enter the alley from new market street in sheung wan, hong kong. the spot was created as a casual noodle shop that specializes in traditional southeast asian cuisine with contemporary style.

the designers created a memorable entrance with green stainless steel window frames and the graphic black logo placed on rough concrete. the vintage metal look and concrete finish allows the noodle shop to blend seamlessly with its surrounding neighborhood. as a trained architect and professionally certified chef from le cordon bleu, lim worked closely with chef ming tsai of blue ginger in wellesley, ma, where he discovered his love of exotic ingredients.

chou and lim, both enthusiastic about the strong and intense flavors found in southeast asian cuisine, wanted to bring their past experiences and travels to the hip noodle restaurant. after discovering the not so well known thai pink noodles dish, thai yen ta fo heng, chou and lim were inspired to conceive their own restaurant. the name mean noodles is part nod to western slang and part play on the chinese word for noodles, inviting guests in to have a ‘mean bowl of noodles’.

as both the design team and chef-owners of the restaurant, chou and lim faced the challenge of coming up with a consistent concept from logo, branding, noodle recipes, all the way to the interior and facade. they took their cue for the interior of mean noodles from malaysian ‘batik’, a popular textile art in leaves and floral motifs. the colors are light and vibrant, with carefully crafted lines and floral patterns on the fabrics.

the open kitchen fosters interactions between the customers and the chef, giving diners an opportunity to watch as their food is prepared. the hanging cabinets above the bar have custom “MEAN” lighting to emphasize the attitude and taste of the noodles. the kitchen subway tiles have been finished with green grout, emphasizing the line motif from the dining room. the standing bar across the seating area allows customers to grab a quick bite or an informal happy hour drink. the marble tabletops and marble mosaic tiles compliment the mean green tiles, complementing the mustard seat fabric.

mean noodles also takes advantage of the high ceilings to provide a comfortable and airy atmosphere for diners to enjoy. customer comfort was also a major consideration in the design process; diners can use the USB outlets provided to recharge their electronics when dining, while bags and purses can be hung below the marble tabletops to allow customers to sit comfortably.

project info:

project name: mean noodles

design studio: OPENUU (www.openuu.com)

designers: caroline chou, kevin lim project

location: sheung wan, hong kong

date of completion: 2017

project area: 70 m2

photography: nirut benjabanpot

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: cristina gomez | designboom