Chi-Q is situated on Shanghai’s famous waterfront, The Bund, for centuries a symbol of the city. Chi-Q is the first restaurant opened by the renowned chef duo of Jean-Georges and Marja Vongerichten. Dedicated to Korean cuisine, the restaurant takes its name from ‘Chi’ – an abbreviation for Kimchi – a Korean specialty consisting of pickled vegetables, and ‘Q’, which stands for the classic barbecue cooking style. The restaurant’s menus combine traditional Korean recipes with a 

modern interpretation of Asian variants. Chi-Q is dedicated to celebrating a culture that honors the age-old practice of taking something simple and turning it into something extraordinary. It’s about ingredients that take time to store and ferment, about grilling over an open flame built into the dining table, and – above all – it is about eating together with family and friends in surroundings that stimulate the aesthetic sense.

At Chi-Q, designer company Neri & Hu have created a universe where all the elements – room, materials, colors and lighting – are designed and treated to comprise a coherent whole. Chi-Q is situated in an historic building with an extremely high atrium, which the designers have used to create a dramatic effect. The room features wood in a variety of different shades on the floors, walls and ceilings which are used as constructive, decorative elements in – among other places – the high atrium. The warm, cozy atmosphere owes much to the lighting which, generally speaking, is subdued. 

Above the tables, however, pendants with clear or opal glass shades suspended at different heights intensify the illumination. Guests sit at the periphery of the room in small booths delineated by pillars. Here, the furnishings are dark wood tables and wooden benches with dark brown leather cushions. Guests can also choose to dine at the long table in the atrium seated on Elbow Chairs CH20 in oak – a lighter shade than the wood-dominated surroundings – featuring leather upholstered seats in an attractive gray-green hue that offer a fine contrast to the wooden interior.