BAKU, AZERBAIJAN—Named after the Italian word for “black gold,” OroNero Bar & Ristorante, an Italian dining experience at the JW Marriott Absheron Baku here, takes its visual inspiration from the mineral wealth of Azerbaijan.
“The concept of this restaurant attempts to re-imagine Italian fine dining,” said Henry Chebaane, founder of London-based Blue Sky Hospitality, which oversaw the interior design. “It transcends fashion yet takes all its energy and glamour from the essence of the Milanese luxury industries: luxury cars, clothing and accessories.”
Owned by Pasha Construction LLC, OroNero Bar & Ristorante is one of the new F&B design concepts delivered by Blue Sky Hospitality within a refurbishment program at the JW Marriott Absheron Baku, which was completed in May 2015.
The hotel’s other F&B establishments include Razzmatazz Cocktail Bar & Lounge, open during the evenings; Zest Lifestyle Cafe, an all-day dining venue with classic dishes from Azerbaijan and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine; Fireworks Urban Kitchen, a steakhouse restaurant; and The Tea Lounge, which serves pastries and chocolate, specialty soft drinks and tea cocktails.
“The goal was to provide the hotel with a set of signature F&B concepts,” said Chebaane. “The expectations from the public, the hotel operations team and the investors were particularly high.”
The hotel’s location on the Absheron Peninsula shaped the conceptual design of OroNero Bar & Ristorante. “This area of the Caspian Sea with vast oil reserves has influenced landscape, culture, history, art and socio-economics for at least two millennia,” explained Chebaane. “This wealth has led to the appreciation and consumption of vast amount of Italian luxury goods, and the design concept intertwines aspects of both Italy and Azerbaijan within a cosmopolitan space that is both post-modern and avant-garde.”
For the JW Marriott Absheron Baku’s Italian dining establishment, Blue Sky Hospitality chose oil, gold and jewels as central elements. “Oil is often colloquially dubbed ‘black gold,’ so the two colors become the foundation for the interplay between them and get extrapolated further within a contrasting aesthetic dichotomy: gold-black, olio-balsamico, chiaroscuro, light-dark, cool-warm, feminine-masculine, soft-strong, fashion-technology,” said Chebaane.
OroNero Bar & Ristorante’s lounge is styled to replicate the look of a luxurious private jet with burnished gold buffalo leather panels, pink gold snake upholstery, black-gold leather seats and fretwork panels in ebonized timber. It also includes a prosecco bar, grappa library and salumi kitchen clad in black marble with amber veins.
Additionally, the restaurant is anchored by a walk-in wine cellar and a signature interpretation of the show kitchen concept, in which the cooking area is fully enclosed by translucent golden mosaic screens. This design ensures that the diners can only see the shadows and movements of the chefs working in the kitchen.
Further continuing the establishment’s black-gold theme, the timber flooring, developed by Blue Sky Hospitality’s design studio, showcases amber with black veins. Also custom-designed for the restaurant, the bespoke wool carpet suggests shades of coffee, prosecco, olive oil and fine balsamico.
OroNero Bar & Ristorante exhibits a number of conceptual art installations that play upon the black-gold theme, including Golden Beluga, a sturgeon sculpture made of carbon-fiber, 24-carat-gold plated steel and Titanium F1 car parts. EVOO (Extra Volatile Organic Object) is an installation of mouth-blown, drop-shaped glass bottles—some filled with extra virgin oil and others with crude oil. And, two-dozen, life-sized black rabbits act as side lamps throughout the space.
“Our creative aim is to provide more than sensory satisfaction and pampering to customers,” said Chebaane. “Art is an integral part of every project. The space becomes a gallery of various set pieces specially created for storytelling related to the brand concept. EVOO is a play on the volatility of commodity markets and an introspection about luxury goods consumption fueling oil prospection.”
According to General Manager Martin Kleinmann, OroNero Bar & Ristorante has received acclaim among guests. “Henry has created and designed for our hotel five amazing dining concepts that are the talk of the town,” he said. “Thanks to his contribution, our business and reputation have developed noticeably. He thinks of commercial solutions that are trendsetting in every way. He is a born storyteller with an amazing ability to turn his imagination into reality.”
The designer’s storytelling also extends to the restaurant’s Italian menu, which includes pizza, antipasti and risotto, along with a wine list that features red and white wines from Italy, France and Spain. As a nod to the restaurant’s theme, the signature dish, Risotto OroNero, features a squid-ink risotto and octopus ragout, topped with a gold leaf. HB