The Restaurant: San Francisco-raised, Italy inspired and
India-settled, Chef Alex Sanchez's culinary vision for
Americano brings a casual-chic Californian approach to
Italian food, in a cheeky-fun Mumbai vocabulary. After
blazing several trails at The Table (named India's Best
Restaurant in 2014), Sanchez felt ready to create
something that is closer to his own heart.
The Inspiration: For the restaurant's identity, Alex and
his partner Mallyeka turned to QBF, who had previously
also designed the identity for The Table. The Americano
identity and graphics complement the restaurant's
cuisine and sit right in to its Kala Ghoda Art District
location. As a tribute to this historic area and the
masterpieces that are Alex's food, the logo takes the
form of an artist's signature.
The Art: We filled dozens of sheets of paper with hand
drawn letters to achieve the perfect 'accidental and
spontaneous' character it needed. A system of logo
versions keeps the identity flexible in use. The
recognisable collection of letters is hot-embossed onto
menu covers, etched into custom-designed crockery, cut
in brass on the restaurant facade and printed on
packaging.
Always in Motion
Americano's concept of 'food in motion' is expressed in
its menu of small plates and pizzas to be shared at the
table, and an interactive bar where a mix of cocktails
and friendly Mumbai folk ensure plenty of movement.
Simultaneously, there is the concept of balance — of
flavour, texture, aroma, and experience. Our expression
of these ideas took the form of a mobile — a kinetic
sculpture of letters and visual elements in perpetual
motion. The playfulness of the works of Kandinsky,
Calder and Duchamp inspire the restaurant's menu
design, illustrations, signage and interiors.
Do you speak Americano?
We often found ourselves humming the tune to the
popular song Tu Vuò Fà L'Americano (Do you speak
Americano?) as we worked on this project. As a cheeky
interpretation of what 'speaking Americano' could mean
for the restaurant, we unearthed traditional Italian idioms
around food, combined them with whimsical sketch-
montages of Italian classical / Renaissance sculptures
and represented them on a set of coasters for the bar. A
tiny surprise and a chuckle to accompany your cocktail.
At Home
When Americano had to shut its doors during the
pandemic, diners were left craving not just great food
but also its attentive dining experience. Starting delivery
services was an obvious move, but Chef Sanchez and
Mallyeka went farther and embraced the opportunity to
develop recipes and methods to work well for the new
paradigm. Delivery logistics, packaging and handling,
reheating and preparation methods were all thought
through. QBF was invited into this process, to
brainstorm together on customer experience, to explore
how it could become as joyful as the recognised
Americano promise.
Prev