Omar Shabaan comes from a long line of restaurateurs and hoteliers. In his homeland of Egypt, the Andrea Marioutey hospitality brand has been in his family for 60 years, and today, Omar co-presides over a mini-empire of restaurants, bars and a boutique hotel. His long-standing dream, however, has been to bring the best of the Mediterranean to London, where he spends much of his life, and now he’s done exactly that, as he officially opens the doors of his own restaurant, Omar’s Place in Pimlico.
Twelve months ago, Omar was stood in a disused pub on the corner of Hugh and Cambridge Street, fantasising about a buzzing Mediterranean restaurant and bar with a creative tapas kitchen, a contemporary cocktail bar and a convivial, local-hangout atmosphere. He had a building, a Grade-II listed, four-storey Victorian corner property; and a chef, the Mallorcan-born Michelin-kitchen veteran Vincente Fortea; he just needed a design and a brand identity that would bring his dream to life.
Omar turned to Sella Concept – aka design duo Tatjana von Stein and Gayle Noonan – and gave them an open brief to shape the space and establish a graphic identity for the brand. The only stipulation was that the design should respond to the ‘sophisticated Mediterranean' character of the menu; the ‘neighbourhood haunt’ status he wanted to create, and the lively, welcoming warmth from its atmosphere.