Bambino Saigon

Located in the heart of Saigon’s District One, Bambino caters for eighty guests, with plenty more room for its after-dinner supper club service. Anchored by a large central void topping out two floors below, the kitchen is separated from the main Restaurant, Bar, Private Dining Room and outdoor Terrace.

In keeping with a brief that required an Italian dining experience that could seamlessly transition to a late-night music venue, Looks Generous honed in on their Client’s future minded values to drive the venue narrative.

As a data-driven, narrative-led design office, Looks Generous explored how one might imagine a future today by referencing the artistic values of two contrasting Italian luminaries. Leaning towards the cutting edge and a rejection of the classically ornate – a philosophy employed by mid-century architect Carlo Scarpa – informed spatial planning and detailing.

In parallel with this, DJ and producer Daniele Baldelli, who’s 1980’s nightclub ‘Cosmic’ on the shores of Lake Garda led the rise of the ‘Cosmic-Italo’ sound defines the venues aural and atmospheric attitude during their dinner, bar and late-night service.

Their forward-thinking spirit to evolve their craft – especially from within a country where history and tradition is everything – offered the perfect metaphor from which to reflect their clients values into the Bambino experience.

Highlights of the space included the aluminum waffle ceiling light feature, a 14 person private dining room, a 10 meter long claret hued oak paneled bar and feature wine wall all jostling for attention.

Wright notes, a good example of data driven design is understanding consumer psychology and how choices are made. ‘To unlock revenue, we designed a wine wall so guests would select their bottles from the label’s visual cues rather than a barrage of text found in today’s wine lists, which aid’s the upselling process. In today’s digital world, for better or worse, images sell everything.’

Design: Looks Generous
Photography: Phu Dao