Slice of Life is designed as a fusion of the old kopitiam and warung in Malaysia; carrying a hope that all the races could sit and dine in together at one table. In other states of Malaysia, various races are often seen to dine in together in a Kopitiam / Warung or Mamak stalls, while in Klang Valley, it is seldom to see this phenomenon. Hence, Slice of Life is a restaurant that welcomes and embraces the fusion of various Malaysian cultures.
The building is separated into 3 sections that resembles the kopi making process, which are the roasting & grinding, the filtering and lastly the complete cup of kopi. The metal materials are used as a delegate of the roasting & grinding process. As the filtration process is represented by the materials and the design in the and lastly the kopi is represented by the color schemes.
Starting from the roasting and grinding, then the pouring to the filtration. Every step is unique and help paves the way to a perfect cup of “Malaysian Kopi”.
At the first stage, the coffee strainer was chosen as the concept but as times goes by the concept slowly changed into the coffee making process as variety and new directions are needed.
After confirming the concept, the rough ambience and mood is slowly formed.
A short journey searching for pleasant fragments in our forgotten memories; The fragments that Malaysians will resonate with.
#AhNehTapaoOneNasiLemak #KopiBengIkatTepi
#Nostalgic #Vintage #Retro #Good Old Times
Numbers of sketches and case studies were done before final confirming the floorplans.
The building consists 2 floors, the ground floor are mainly designed into dining and cooking spaces that serves main courses; considering the target audiences could easily find their desired delicacies without travelling upstairs. Supporting spaces like the staff area, surau and also washrooms are also located at this floor.
The first floor carries a more chill vibe compared to the ground floor. The seats are placed in a more loose arrangement to allow the customers to chit-chat in a more relaxed manner and also to promote social distancing. Besides dining area, this floor also contains a Childhood Snack and Games area that could evoke the forgotten memories of childhood times. Supporting spaces like Staff Areas and Store Rooms are also located at this floor.
Upon entering, the customers are greeted with a vintage-designed reception; hoping to bring back the tiny fragments of memories they used to have during the old days. The main activities that are carried out in this area is the exchanging of food tokens, therefore 2 methods are prepared to allow the customers to obtain their food tokens; which is through counter payment or self-serve payment. After that, customers could get their tiffin carriers at the tableware area. Metal elements like metal grill, metal roofing and are utilized to resemble the roasting and grinding process of the coffee beans.
The close up façade view.
After obtaining the tableware, the customers will be entering the kopitiam area. Like any other restaurant, they could sit down comfortably and start searching for their desired delicacies. The materials in this area are carefully chosen to represent the filtration process of the kopi, in example, the rattan weaving on the chairs and bar table, the wall tiles and also the lampshade of the pendant lights.
A detail view of the Ground Floor Kopitiam Dining Area.
Located at the corner, this dining area could hold bigger pax compared to the other dining areas. This area is inspired by the Chinese tradition of eating Reunion Dinner; hoping that Malaysians could unite at one table. As this area is close to the kitchen, glass partitions are placed to allow the viewing of food preparations. 2 four-seaters tables are also prepared at the one corner for customers that preferred a more quiet and private dining environment.
Behind the kopitiam, exists another Warung dining area. A raised platform is designed as the highlight of this area and also to create a ambience of having meals at a old Kampung House. The concept is represented by the color scheme in this area. The half height wood fences, timber carvings and louvre windows are also elements extracted from Malay Kampung Houses. The timber grid ceiling and vintage floor tiles are continued from the kopitiam to represent the flow of water/ kopi.
Elements from a Kampung House is extracted and added into the space.
A special area at the first floor to enhance the retro ambience; at the same time could be use for the youngsters as an “instagrammable” spot. Bicycles, radios and old school soft drinks glass bottles are placed as decorations and accessories.
Once entering the first floor, the customers will be greeted with a dining area and also some food stalls. This floor is mainly to serve lighter foods like kuihs and street foods. The vendors are welcomed to sell their foods here as there’s a freight elevator that could transport their kiosk up to this floor.
The ceiling is specially designed with some traditional fabrics from each ethnics.
In this area, the customers could sit comfortably and chit chat/ read newspapers; this area is created hoping to let the customers temporarily travel back to the time where smart phones were not yet invented and people would sit together just to listen to radio and have a talk. A shared kitchen is also available for the vendors if space or specific kitchen equipment are needed. A small staff area is also prepared near the kitchen.
A small area that sells childhood snacks. The counter is specially designed to recreate an old candy/ grocery store feel. The Malaysian "Roti Man" or "Ice Cream Man" are also welcome to drop by and sell their goods in this area. A small table is prepared for the children to enjoy analog games like Congkak and Batu Seremban.
