Sushi chef in action

Nordhavnen in Copenhagen has a new sushi restaurant - of the exclusive kind. The chef, Mads Battefeld, is known for his skills and dedication, and after studying in Japan he now serves exclusive sushi in Tokyo’s traditional Edomae style at Sandkaj on the Copenhagen waterfront.

While the exterior of the Sushi Anaba restaurant is fairly unassuming, inside awaits a much more dramatic experience. Surfaces play an important role due to the smallness of the rooms and the minimalistic furnishings. Floors and walls are in concrete or painted white, creating an appealing contrast with the more textural Troldtekt line acoustic panels on the ceilings.

The black-painted Troldtekt line acoustic panels form a homogeneous ceiling surface, with the milled grooves as a unifying visual element. Given the contrast between hard and soft surfaces, the Troldtekt ceiling has an important sound-absorbing role to play in the restaurant. The interior has been carefully designed to create a dynamic interplay between the lighting and the objects.

Focused attention

In the restaurant, you sit either side by side along the counter – which has room for a maximum of eight diners – and with a full view of the chef at work, or in a separate tatami room behind rice paper walls. The chairs along the  counter are from J L Møllers Møbelfabrik, and the countertop is Oregon pine sourced from Langeskov forest on Funen with beautiful, well-defined wood grain.  The tatami room has been specially designed and crafted by Stokholm Normark using the same warm wood type.

The restaurant is centred around the chef’s focused attention on preparing and serving the fresh ingredients. A round light object in the window, beautifully crafted in wood, highlights the centre of the room. The interior design by BAUNarchitecture in collaboration with Mads Battefeld delicately balances Danish and Japanese design, raw and soft, saturating all the senses and giving the place a wholly individual identity.