Iron Chic

Morimoto Restaurant in Philadelphia has consistently been recognized as one of the top 10 restaurants in the city since 2001. If the name sounds familiar, then you’ve probably watched the Iron Chef TV show on the Food Network. Masaharu Morimoto was featured on that show and also the original Japanese version so it’s no surprise that the self-named restaurant features his signature Japanese and western fusion cuisine.

 

Although most diners go for the food, I’m sure that some leave talking about the design. Having a fond adoration for architecture I’ve always enjoyed the contradiction between the curvy wall sculptures and the geometric lines of the glass booths. The walls and tables have a changing LED light pattern and if that’s not enough each table has an illuminated egg sculpture as a centerpiece...or maybe it’s a battery operated toy that one might find in a night table drawer....cough...cough...

 

Anyway, my take on the style is that it’s a cross between a Frank Gehry building and a chic 60’s nightclub. I always thought that the clash of styles would make an interesting photograph, the only problem was convincing my wife since she only wanted a romantic dinner. After a little begging and even more concealing, that involved stashing my camera under my jacket and hiding my tabletop tripod in my pants, I finally ventured up to the 2nd floor lounge to take some photos. I only had a few minutes before an employee caught me hanging from the overlook snapping away so I didn’t capture the lighting scheme that I had wanted...oh well.

 

Either way, I hope those of you around the world can now see and appreciate the unique and interesting interior and in case you were wondering the food was pretty good too.

Done