Project Team

interior design: Mima Design Pty Ltd
lighting consultant: Tim Barry Lighting
graphics: Bang Creative

Suppliers

Photographer: Anson Smart

Mark McConnell creative director of Mima Design, first began his culinary journey with award winning chef Justin North in 2008, with the successful opening of Etch, a new restaurant within the Intercontinental Hotel Sydney. It was the start of a burgeoning relationship with culinary duo Justin and Georgia North, that would see the launch of a burger joint Charlie & Co. A new location for their award winning restaurant Bécasse, a new 70-seater restaurant named Quarter Twenty One, with an associated cooking school plus retail shop, and to complete the North’s food providore the Bécasse Bakery, all located in the premier Westfield Sydney shopping precinct.

The seed for Justin North’s innovative food providore was sown in late 2009, when Westfield were on the hunt for a well known chef to create the world’s best food destination in Westfield Sydney. Charlie & Co. was first off the rank, a homage to .Hamburger Charlie’ of Seymour, Wisconsin. Justin North designed a menu showcasing premium
fresh produce, all locally sourced to create a burger like no other. The open kitchen was a vital design element, with chefs on view cooking freshly made gourmet burgers. Cow hide barstools, natural materials, organic formed Lotus pendant lights by David Knott and Tasmanian Oak half-round timber cladding to the columns and open kitchen,
created a warm and earthy ambience. Take-away orders were positioned to the front facing section of the burger bar, to service clients wanting a quick bite to eat. For those who enjoy a beer or glass of wine with their meal, a licensed section with table service and an articulated sunlight screen enhanced the dine-in experience. The North’s knew they were onto a winner, when the opening day had them selling over 600 burgers.

Bécasse Bakery was designed and built in two stages, as the back-of-house kitchen had to be operational in October last year to produce the freshly baked burger rolls for Charlie & Co. Six months later it opened to the public with a mouth watering patisserie selection, showcased on stone bench tops under glass cabinets. A viewing
window gives an insight into the daily life of a baker, as customers enjoy a fresh coffee and croissant seated at the stone counter. The commercial bakery is kept busy producing fresh bread for Charlie & Co. and Bécasse Bakery with locations in Westfield Sydney and the Opera Kitchen on the forecourt of the Opera House, it also supplies
Justin’s three restaurants Etch, Bécasse, and Quarter Twenty One, his Le Grand Cafe in Clarence Street, in addition to select city restaurants.

Once Charlie & Co. and the bakery operations were up and running, the design focus turned to the empty 600sqm site at the northern end of the Westfield Sydney food court. The main challenge for Mima Design was to successfully accommodate four distinct food offerings and services into one space, integrating three separate kitchens with shared services. Mima Design wanted to develop a unique venue that offered a fine dine and high caliber food providore experience, never before seen within a shopping centre in Australia. It was important to
capture the values and aspirations of entrepreneurs Justin and Georgia North, and design an inspiring environment that would exemplify quality, knowledge and expertise, traditions and reinvention.

The 20 meter long entrance corridor to Bécasse has a wonderful .Alice in Wonderland’ effect, created with a handmade arbor of foliage climbing along the walls and ceiling, gradually changing colours to echo the four seasons. It sets the mood for the unique dining experience created by Bécasse. Heritage Sandstone walls and
arched windows create a distinctive feature within the intimate Bécasse dining room. Oval dining tables covered in Ostrich leather are hugged by curved banquettes in plush velvet. A unique artwork by Studio Ham celebrating taste buds, with peep holes looking into the chef’s table, adds whimsy and surprise. The elegant private dining room, perfect for special events has a playful light installation by lighting designer Tim Barry.

Quarter Twenty One restaurant has a dark ambience, with a rustic wine display and a pressed metal ceiling. Custom designed pendant lights are scattered across the ceiling, creating tonal shades of copper, adding warmth and accentuating the bronze hand printed wallpaper and Spotted Gum timber walls. Clients can also shop at
Quarter Twenty One with a select range of quality wines, premium ingredients and ready-made gourmet meals, or expand their culinary skills with guest chefs, at the state of the art cooking school, all in the heart of Sydney’s CBD.

Bécasse, Quarter Twenty One, Bécasse Bakery and Charlie & Co. successfully caters for every food enthusiast’s needs, with a celebration of the senses through its gastronomic menus and interior design.