THE first thing that strikes you about Uma Nota Manila, the Brazilian-Japanese restaurant that opened a few months ago at the Shangri-La The Fort, Manila is the sense of privacy that it provides its guests.
The discreet entrance and exit doors are apart from each other; guests can quietly enter one way and leave another, without heralding their presence and departure, or disturbing the other people by inadvertently ushering the outside noise in through a restaurant’s traditional wide doors.
The second is the unmissable sculpture of a tree seemingly gliding from the ceiling. It does allow for a sense of nature and the peace that it brings, which are all too rare in the busy world of the Central Business Districts. Without losing its impact or jarring the dining experience, its seamless integration into the design seems to transport the guests into another dimension, where something unique can happen.
Floral outlines on the table
The bar for Brazilian-like celebration
Expansive space that allows intimate conversations
The Dubai-based The Odd Duck, the designer of Uma Nota Manila, would not have it any other way. In an interview with The Manila Times, founder and renowned interior designer Asmaa Said said that they always look for the “unpredictable and differentiated” in a project.
“… What we will provide to the client is not common,” she said. The design has to be “research-heavy and is organized chaos. We will not be unpredictable for its own sake, but think of a lot of solutions until we arrive at the right one.”
In that sense, Said’s philosophy is aligned with that of Uma Nota founders, siblings Alex and Laura Offe, who had first established the first Uma Nota restaurants in Hong Kong and Paris. Their concept was a celebration of the merging of Japanese and Brazilian cultures, based on a time in history when Japanese immigrants settled in Brazil, initially Sao Paolo, in the early part of the 20th century. While bringing the best of both cultures, in terms of cuisine and design to the Philippines, the last thing that the brother-and-sister partnership wanted was a set franchise look that copied the previously established restaurants.
This was where The Odd Duck came in. Specializing in Food and Beverage in the international Hospitality sector, it aims to bring out the human connection and the cultural relevance in its projects. Its design of the Li Long specialty restaurant in Waldorf Astoria Maldives evoked ancient Chinese nobility while nestled comfortably near the comfortably blue oceans of the Ithafushi Island. The Fairmont Fujairah Beach Resort merged the offbeat Bohemian lifestyle with classic Arabic elements, creating an Arabic Bohemian art hotel.
Expansion and intimacy
For Uma Nota Manila, Said wanted an expansive living room space where guests can relax comfortably and stretch their legs, while enjoying an intimate floor. That accounts for the massive and yet not too intimidating height at the center space. The tree reflects the rawness of the Amazon forest, without having to resort to the usual “jungle patterns which you would expect in a Brazilian restaurant,” she said.
The lush greenery in Uma Nota Manila, complemented by the softly glowing lights, is meant to bring the “living room vibe where you can stay a long time,” she added. The artwork of local artists on the wall, the tables’ floral outlines, and the distance between the tables all create an urban sanctuary with the serenity that the Japanese are known for.
The black-clad waiters do not just take the usual orders and serve them. They take time to explain the best of each menu, the ingredients, and the taste, all without being obtrusive or pushy.
The overall result is a classy, vibrant dining and conversational experience where time seems to stand still. Yet the place is never clustered, nor is the music too loud. The celebration happens while the space and privacy of each and every guest is respected.
Uma Nota Manila is Said’s first project in the Philippines. Her design wish list for the future includes creating a “beautiful boutique resort in Palawan — one of the most stunning seascapes in the world — where we merge the outside, nature, with the interiors.”
Another reason that entices this Odd Duck to return is that her sense of unpredictability has a lot of room to move around. During her first visit to Metro Manila, she saw that “… you can push the boundary space … [There is] a lot of potential, unlike other cities where everything has been tried and tested.”
Uma Nota Manila is located at Shangri-La The Fort 30th Street, corner 5th Avenue, Taguig, 1634 Metro Manila.
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