IN THE SPOTLIGHT: lebua Hotels and Resorts Café Breeze Coming to Philadelphia

Quick T&T Interview with lebua CEO Deepak Ohri

Early Sketch Rendering of Café Breeze Philadelphia

Mayor Nutter met Ohri by chance while visiting Frankfurt to establish the sister-city relationship and took the opportunity to introduce Ohri to Philadelphia and the unique opportunities presented by the city. A series of following conversations led to Ohri choosing to launch Café Breeze, in Philly rather than New York!
Café Breeze is lebua’s first venture in the United States. This will be Breeze’s third location around the world – following the opening of Breeze Frankfurt earlier this year, and the original location in Bangkok. At its home in Thailand, Breeze Bangkok was named one of the world’s “top 10 most cutting-edge restaurants” by USA Today and one of the global “Hot Tables” by Condé Nast Traveler.

T&T got a chance to ask Ohri  What are the top 3 points made by Mayor Nutter which persuaded you to bring Café Breeze to Philadelphia? 

Deepak Ohri responded:

“Mayor Nutter took the opportunity to introduce me to Philadelphia and the unique opportunities presented by the city. I was impressed that Philadelphia has the second largest downtown population in the United States, second only to Midtown Manhattan. Mayor Nutter discussed how people are moving here to experience the new vibrant public spaces along Philadelphia’s waterfront and across the city, a thriving restaurant scene which includes chefs such as Marc Vetri, Jose Garces, and Stephen Starr, and a revived retail environment with major brands such as Century 21 and Bloomingdales opening up downtown.

He also mentioned that the New York Times named Philadelphia 3rd on the list of 52 places in the world to visit in 2015, and that the city has experienced the largest growth in millennial population of any major city in the United States. Café Breeze will be an exciting addition to the innovative and expanding fine-dining scene in Philadelphia.”

The location for Philadelphia’s Café Breeze is TBA
but here’s what we do know:

The Menu: Café Breeze will serve authentic Asian cuisine interpreted in a modern way, with strong influences from China and Southeast-Asian countries [sample menus and plating].

The Bar at Café Breeze:  will bring a new cocktail culture to Philadelphia with its crafted seasonal cocktails radiant with tantalizing new flavors, textures and visuals. A wide selection of premium authentic malt whiskies, vodkas and brandies will be offered together with the finest wines and champagnes from around the world.

The Design: Taking inspiration from circular waves and ripples that carry across a still plane of water, Café Breeze will feature a large elliptical bar in the centre of the space. Shallow depressions and concentric grooves on its top will be filled with water and delicate flowers floating on the surface. A back-lit ceiling canopy will change throughout the course of the day; at night, large projections across the bar and floor will transform the room into an ever-changing, energetic space.

Tinsel & Tine is looking forward to following this project hopefully being invited to what I’m certain will be a breathtaking opening!

The Café Breeze experience will be designed by Eight Inc., whose projects include Breeze Bangkok, Breeze Frankfurt, the Apple retail experience, and projects for Citibank, Virgin Atlantic and Tesla.

· About lebua: lebua Hotels and Resorts is a growing international luxury brand that operates distinctive hotels, fine restaurants and bars. Led by visionary CEO Deepak Ohri, lebua takes a unique approach to hospitality that aspires to tap into a deeper level of luxury experience with guests from its locations in Thailand, India, New Zealand and Germany.

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