Take your time at MANZO

Manzo Japanese Restaurant in Beijing's Tian Shui Yuan residential neighborhood is renovated by UNFOLDESIGN from an existing restaurant into a lighter Japanese bistro sake bar. The design takes sake culture as its starting point, using a nearly three-meter custom metal-and-acrylic sake cabinet to divide the space into two dining areas, simultaneously displaying the owner's sake collection from both sides. Since water is the blood of sake and rice its bone, the design abstracts water and rice into spatial elements. Rice-husk plaster, a raw, warm wall material, is scraped across exterior and interior walls, showing a texture like the rice-core layer of the polishing process. An entry lantern wall uses triangular frames holding paper lanterns printed with Manzo's partner breweries' labels, combining modern fabrication with traditional custom. A heavenly bamboo near the entrance extends the clean entry atmosphere into a dim, quiet east-side dining area. When weather permits, folding facade doors fully open to bring outside air in. The brighter west side features a refined display cabinet of craftsman sake vessels from different periods, with translucent washi backing that diffuses soft light. Upstairs private rooms accommodate parties of 2 to 30. A wall installation by floral artist Guan Yue evokes rice-ear forms, while the second-floor corridor combines masu boxes, rice ears, sake scoops and burdock for a playful display.