Inside Outside [Asparagus]

What could be more appropriate for a theatre restaurant than a name and theme from one of the most dramatic and amusing short stories ever written: Somerset Maugham’s ‘The Luncheon’. It’s what inspired architect EnamulkarimNirjhar to create Bangladesh’s first theatre restaurant. Maugham conjures up a fastidious woman who shudders at the mere mention of anything so mundane as food, but is persuaded to just try a little asparagus…and gradually a succession of delicacies which finally leave her young host broke. But, fortunately, a meal at Asparagus won’t leave you penniless- it will be an evening of professional drama combined with fine dining. Explaining the background to the concept, Nirjhar says that Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, has only two private organizations with stage facilities for the performing arts, though drama features prominently on the curriculum of both Dhaka University on the city’s central zone as well as Jahangir Nagar University on the city’s outskirts. Realizing the need for another venue for professional drama Nirjhar had long dreamt of establishing a theatre restaurant since he had already designed several successful restaurants in both Dhaka and Chittagong.

When he was able to bring enthusiasm among the promoters of a restaurant project to invest in the innovative concept of a theatre restaurant, Asparagus came into being. The entire environment of Asparagus conveys the theme, which evokes both drama and food, expressed through graphics, abstract paintings and meticulous interior detailing. The site was originally a two storeyed residential bungalow with a front lawn in Gulshan Avenue, one of the city’s upmarket areas. Its main entrance was to one side, leading to a portico which game access to the interior. There was a kitchen garden at the back. The ground floor consisted of the usual living room, dining room, two bedrooms, kitchen, garage and driver’s quarters. However, the bungalow had earlier been converted into a restaurant which had closed down. The client planned to use this same ground floor space and transform it into a new restaurant. Although the exterior of a building -  its architectural style; form and materials – receives the most critical attention, it is the interior, that ultimately determine its success or failure, It practice, the interior dictates whether the occupants respond to the building as a satisfactory or unsatisfactory environment. Since the site was originally a residence, both its exterior and interior had to be remodeled, with several extensions and modifications, the original facade is transformed and your see snazzy graphics and signage. From a step up platform a man dressed in the costume of traditional folk drama welcomes visitors. The drama continues as your step in. From the front garden, a column wall and beam structure forms a large triangular mass (erected at the boundary wall level) heralding the facade of the restaurant. The constructed slab allows a lofty, double height space in the interior. This area houses the reception and a dining area in front of the performance space. The side wall has a window in the shape of a triangle in conformity with the mass of the facade. The front wall, which used to be a load bearing wall, has been remodeled into a column and beam structure. A step now provides access from the front to the central dining area. The existing side window has been replaced by the stairway which leads to the mezzanine level. To create another dining space and a passageway to the banquet hall, another load-bearing interior wall has been dismantled and remodeled from the foundation level. One obvious essential was and unobstructed dining area, so a beam was added to provide structural support to the existing wall. The existing stairway has now been concealed from the main restaurant and tis accessed from the rear service area. Restrooms have been enlarged to suit the requirements of a restaurant.
A part from the main restaurant, Asparagus also has a banquet hall for parties and conferences. This new construction was shoe-horned onto the former kitchen garden. A setback from the boundary wall has been ingeniously landscaped with plants so that the banquet hall with its generous glass windows gets a vista of greenery.
A total service zone has been created and spaces designated for as office, a store, a pantry, a dishwashing area - and of course a greenroom for visiting performers. The original kitchen, servants’ quarters and garage have been transformed into a large main kitchen suitable for a restaurant. When you enter Asparagus you first see a double – height lobby and reception, leading into a lounge area with a water body at one side, and the exclusive dining area overlooking the stage. Performance facilities include and central lighting and music control booth, a waiting space for performers, and a makeup and changing room. Thought the stage is not large, its irregular shape makes for an unusual arena. Some guests in the mezzanine dining area also have a view of the stage. An elevated dinging hall and an exclusive salad and juice bar have replaced the original living, guest, family and dining rooms, and the verandah. A triangular aquarium with colorful fish attracts visitors as they step up here. Even an enthusiast like Nirjhar relished that all guests may not wish to watch a play while dining out, so he planned three dining areas; one for guests who would like to enjoy both food and performance, a mezzanine level for guests who may want to watch the performance while they dine, and a third for guests who do not wish to see the performance at all.
Nirjhar has given Asparagus and up to the minute ambience – right from the partition façade behind the welcome desk, with its abstract sculptures of wrought- iron tress set in a panel of mirrored glass and wood. Elsewhere design details fabricated with wrought – iron elements lend a contemporary air and snazzy feel to the ambience of the entire restaurant.
A dramatic skylight illuminates the café theatre, while a handsome interplay of finishes creates a sense of excited expectation, light tones of wood, glass surfaces with screen prints of extracts taken from the story which gave Asparagus its name green landscaped areas, the story which gave Asparagus its name, green landscaped areas, the lighting, the paintings, the wrought-iron details… all highlighted by a skylight which illuminates this one of a kind café theatre.