Located on Cadogan Gardens in Chelsea, Meat the Fish is a new London restaurant that impresses as much by its Mediter-Asian gastronomic offerings as its artfully designed and beautifully crafted interiors. The work of MARIAGROUP, the Beirut, London and Dubai-based design studio led by the brother and sister duo Georges and Michèle Maria, the space was conceived as a “land and sea-inspired scape” in reflection of the restaurant’s seamless fusion of Mediterranean, Asian and Middle Eastern culinary influences. Immersing guests into a wood-panelled haven animated by marine-inspired sculptural elements and striking graphic patterns, the restaurant’s eclectic contrasts are a nod to its origins—Meat the Fish began in 2011 as a premium meat and fish delivery service in Beirut (hence the name) before evolving into a restaurant and grocers with three locations in Lebanon. Open for lunch and dinner through to cocktails, the all-day venue’s bespoke interior masterfully marries contemporary design with Lebanese hospitality.

The venue unfolds across three consecutive zones, a dining area in the front, the bar in the middle, and an intimate lounge in the back. Having to contend with an elongated footprint, the designers applied the same floor tiling and ceiling treatment across the space to visually unify the three zones. Encaustic black and white tiles custom-made by BlattChaya, a Lebanese manufacturer founded in 1881, introduce a geological-inspired floor pattern that leads guests around the space while a wooden grid stretching across the ceiling offers an orderly counterpoint. In combination with the wood-panelled walls, these elements imbue the space with a soothing, earthy sensibility in juxtaposition with the gleaming bar counter in the heart of the space.

Based on the cross-section of a crab and made of mirror polished stainless-steel, the sinuous, wave-like bar counter is bathed in natural light thanks to a skylight above, zanily reflecting its more sombre surroundings. Alabaster wall lights by French-Egyptian-Lebanese designer Chakil Omar echo the bar’s organic shape as do the flowing fabric light pendants in the dining area. The aquatic theme is further enhanced by a bespoke bas relief ceramic installation that Souraya Haddad created for the venue’s fireplace which consists of an array of unique sculptural tiles that form giant interlacing octopus-like tentacles.

Marine references continue in the lounge area with a coral-hued, patterned carpet by Tai Ping inspired by coral reefs and matching armchair upholstery. Sinuous banquettes in burnt orange and sleek chrome and marble tables by Beirut-based design studio Spockdesign enhance the scheme’s elegance, while a five-panel embroidered mural custom-made by Beirut-based design studio Bokja adds playful touches depicting a whimsical wildlife scene complete with sprouting florals, a floating crab, the head of a donkey and a cow jumping over the moon.

Downstairs, a circular mosaic pattern of encaustic floor tiles introduces sheen and colour to the restroom area while sea-urchin-like ceiling lamps and wood-panelling soften the mood further enhancing the scheme’s dreamy ambience.