Beluga Sushi Sensation

On Friday evening I truly had one of the best dining experiences of my life. It was my mothers birthday so I decided to take her and the family to one of the most talked about sushi spots in Cape Town, Beluga. I had high expectations for their quality of food and service and all my expectations were exceeded. You either have the option to sit inside or outside in their lovely terrace. I booked an inside table but when I arrived I was quite disappointed as I made the wrong decision, the outside terrace is absolutely breathtaking and the vibe was amazing.

Inside was a little more intimate though, we were lucky enough to get a window seat. Their decor is very classy, I love the combination of large black and white photographs against a brown face-brick wall. It really ties in with the corporate identity of the restaurant.

Our waiter was probably one of the best waiters I have ever been served by. He was friendly and had a great knowledge about every single item on the menu, he even gave his recommendations on what we should order. We all started off with some lovely cocktails, and then came the main course. I decided to try the duck and sweet BBQ sauce Dim Sim as I have heard some great things about this dish. That Dim Sim was without a doubt the most tastiest dish I have ever eaten! Prawn California Rolls, Prawn Maki and Tuna Crunch was among the sushi dishes we order. The presentation of the food was also beautiful.

The waiter was kind enough to bring my mom a beautifully decorated desert plate wishing her a happy birthday as well as a cocktail on the house. I felt like this made her evening extra special and she deserves nothing less. A perfect night for the perfect mom.

Now on to the good stuff. The corporate branding of Beluga is exactly what I would expect from such a fine restaurant.  I couldn't get my hands on their business card but I did however download thier menu from their website. Their logo is simplistic and easy to read which is exactly what you want when it comes to logo design for an elegant restaurant. Their menu makes use of sans-serif fonts, bold colours (red, black and white) and large images to really sell the product. The layout is clean cut (geometric) and the content of the menu really explains each and every dish perfectly.



I also love their website design, it feels like you are viewing a magazine, once again large images are used which is great as people are more inclined to remember images rather than "boring" text. All their design elements have continuity, even the sister restaurants match the overall branding of the Caviar Group (Beluga forms part of this restaurant group) take a look at their website for yourself: http://www.beluga.co.za/
The Caviar Resturant group website: http://www.caviar.co.za/

Although I didn't get a business card with Beluga branding, I did however manage to get my hands on the Caviar Group and Seruga Restaurant business cards. I love the Seruga logo the most out of all the logo's for the Caviar Group. It is creative and distinguished all at the same time, the black and white also works stunning together. I like that the logo is big on the front and that the contact details are on the back, as you are trying to sell the brand not the contact numbers.

Once again their branding proves that less is more "Keep It Simple Stupid" (KISS) is a great motto to live by when designing elements for restaurants. I applaud the graphic designer who worked on the Caviar Group's branding, a job well done. Beluga will be seeing a lot more of me in the future, and I can't wait to try the rest of their food on their menu.

The Burger Joint

Yesterday Dreamsmiths, The Creative Agency I am currently working for, officially launched as a separate entity from the Louis Group. Our boss decided to treat us to a day out, I suggested Hudson’s would be a great place to go to as the setting is amazing and they make the best burgers in Cape Town. I made a convincing plea to go there and everyone naturally agreed.

One of the reasons why I secretly love Hudsons is because I am infatuated with the simplicity of their corporate identity!  Even though their logo is extremely plain and didn’t take much creativity to think of I still enjoy looking at it for long lengths of time, and I am pretty sure they used one of my favourite fonts called Miso. The combination of browns really adds to the rustic feel of the brand and the décor of the restaurant.

Their menu is just as amazing, very simple but the names and descriptions of the burgers sell itself. There are no photos of the burgers in the menu which I think is a great idea, it allows the clients to use their imagination and visualize what the burger will look or taste like, especially first time visitors. Their menu is printed on a 350gram cardboard brown paper. I took extra-long to decide which meal I wanted to order so that I could carefully go through each item on the menu, they even sell Bashews there! I finally went with The Works, which is one of their better known burgers, it is a beef patty with mustard mayo, tomato relish, cheese, lettuce, onions and pickle. I am not very adventurous when it comes to food so I decided to go with what I know.

Their website is amazing, the design is current, and the content is easy to find and read. They really pulled through with the retro feel through their layout, image and font selection. The images are also large which really creates an ambiance of what to expect when you go and eat there. Take a look for yourselves. http://www.theburgerjoint.co.za/

I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of their business cards, it has the same feel as their menu.

I know it is crazy to love a place purely because of their branding and décor but I do, it feels like I am at a retro American burger bar when I go there. Their branding truly proves that less is more and their amazing burgers is what sells them and ensures that people will continue to come back time and time again!

This is the amazing view from Hudsons on Somerset