Roong
Brief
Roong curates street food from Thailand and brings it to Malaysia.
We worked with Roong’s owner to take the restaurant from concept through to interior fit out.
Roong’s approach is big, bold and hearty. Utmost attention is paid to sourcing the best ingredients and they serve a small menu that’s done extremely well; three types of noodles, a couple of rice dishes, and a small but punchy drink list. Roong’s goal is suitably assertive: to create an iconic experience that sets the standard for contemporary dining in Malaysia.
We worked with Roong’s owner to take the restaurant from concept through to interior fit out.
Roong’s approach is big, bold and hearty. Utmost attention is paid to sourcing the best ingredients and they serve a small menu that’s done extremely well; three types of noodles, a couple of rice dishes, and a small but punchy drink list. Roong’s goal is suitably assertive: to create an iconic experience that sets the standard for contemporary dining in Malaysia.
Scope
Branding & Strategy
Creative Direction
Illustration
Naming
Creative Direction
Illustration
Naming
Copywriting
Social Media Design
Interior Art Direction
Signage Design
Social Media Design
Interior Art Direction
Signage Design
food that
breaks through barriers.
The dishes derive from a transborder region near Northern Thailand cooked by a diaspora of Burmese chefs in Malaysia. Through our branding process, we stewed on this complex but compelling mix of cultures and landed on a concept called ‘Suvarṇabhūmi’– which means “Golden Land”.
Suvarṇabhūmi is a term that was coined by ancient Indian traders to refer to large parts of coastal Southeast Asia stretching from lower Myanmar (hereafter, Burma), central Thailand (Siam), the Mekong Delta, and the Malay Peninsula. Our brand concept leans into these ancient links, and questions about who ‘owns’ authenticity in today’s complex age. Moreover, when it comes to culture, food matters. We think what we eat defines cultural ‘authenticity’ more than any line on a map could hope for.
Suvarṇabhūmi is a term that was coined by ancient Indian traders to refer to large parts of coastal Southeast Asia stretching from lower Myanmar (hereafter, Burma), central Thailand (Siam), the Mekong Delta, and the Malay Peninsula. Our brand concept leans into these ancient links, and questions about who ‘owns’ authenticity in today’s complex age. Moreover, when it comes to culture, food matters. We think what we eat defines cultural ‘authenticity’ more than any line on a map could hope for.
The brand uses design devices that hark back to the folklore roots that are shared across the region, from Burma through to Bali. Our aim was to create a visual language that many will take as ‘pure Thai’ but Roong’s cooks (for example) will see as ‘home’. We wanted Roong to be an expression of home-style tastes that don’t lie; a folkloric visual language that’s nostaligic but also modern; and a reflection of the food on offer– all of which is done in a way that breaks through barriers by delivering ‘authentic’ food that sits in its complexity.
Roong, which means rainbow, has a compelling form and sound. Illustrations are deliberately unrefined and hand drawn, building a stylish folk aesthetic. Motifs of animals are joined with references to three hands- to represent Thailand, Malaysia and Burma and also reflect the Gyana Mudra, a gesture that brings in the threads of Indian influence and across the region.
We worked with the local interior design firm in Malaysia and creative directed the concept and direction of the restaurant fit out, as well as the signage, material finishing and furniture styling.
