The new 220sqm Extra Virgin Pizza (EVP) outlet occupies the outside corner of United Square Novena shopping mall and from its exterior, the restaurant’s warm and casual vibe is clear.

The existing glass shopfront has been replaced with a one-metre high painted brick wall and timber-framed windows.

Inside, the restaurant covers the same key elements, colours and materials as the first outlet at Asia Square, though these have been further developed in the new and bigger space.

“We were very limited with EVP at Asia Square as we had a much smaller internal area which housed the pizza ovens and kitchen; all the seating was outside in the covered lobby of the building,” says Marc Webb of Takenouchi Webb design studio, adding, “At United Square we had much more opportunity to integrate the dining experience with the open kitchen.”

The client’s brief for this project was to design a flagship restaurant that could be further replicated in several other planned outlets.

Here, the proposed self-service system led to the development of two counters across a divided space: the double-height space at the entrance features a 7-metre long ordering station, while the lower-height adjacent area has a 9-metre long counter seating facing an open kitchen.

The restaurant features dark green hand-made ceramic tiles on the existing columns and red ones on the counters. Pine veneer panels line the ceiling while a protruding red band of colour divides the lower and upper levels of the space. The floor is covered with concrete-tile panels, separated by rough sawn-cut planks of solid timber that run through both areas of the restaurant.

Webb says that the colour palette was chosen for its “immediate association with Italian food”. He adds that the materials were not only chosen to inject “a warm atmosphere” into the space, but that the use of pine veneer and concrete tiles were to “further emphasise the natural artisanal nature of the food at EVP”.

EVP United Square Novena has a seating capacity for 80 pax. Banquette seating line the perimeter wall of both spaces, while loose chairs and tables add to the restaurant’s relaxed and informal atmosphere.

Takenouchi Webb
takenouchiwebb.com