When it comes to Japanese sake, there is one place that aficionados regard above all others – Nadagogo near Kobe city in Hyogo Prefecture. So when Hong Kong studio Design East was asked to design a sake-focused Japanese restaurant for the Wyndham Grand in Shenzhen, Nadagogo soon emerged as the name and theme.

Design East’s Interior designer Yuki Yasukagawa was also uniquely placed to take on the task of designing a Japanese restaurant for Chinese patrons – she herself is half-Japanese and half-Chinese.

She says the client wanted to tap into the growing popularity of sake. “It had become quite a trendy drink although the local clientele didn’t know a lot about it.” So Yuki created a relaxed sake tasting zone, lined with sake vending machines and carved wooden plaques suspended above each machine to explain more about the regions in which the sake was produced.

Casual street-style food is also served in the zone from a lantern-lit counter, so that patrons can snack while sampling the sake.

Beyond this zone, there are more traditional rooms, each with a different theme and aesthetic in mind. The copper red room is designed with metal work and a marble counter for Teppanyaki, whilst the traditional Kaiseki room features a sand painted finish on the walls with wooden carving details. Bamboo lined corridors are detailed with black slate and white pebbles, which Yuki fashioned in the style of side streets found in older Japanese cities.

The biggest area is the robatayaki zone which has a large ebony timber counter, with gold handles and draped noren, as its focal point. Twenty seats around the counter give diners a front-row seat to the chefs in action. There are also individual tables and bench seating, and stunning bamboo feature wall.