The Well Spa Resort

The Well Spa Resort

Project: The Well Spa Resort – Restaurant Mori
Category: Restaurant
Where: Oslo – Norway
Line: System 850
Partner: Metos AS

The Well Spa and Bathhouse Resort in Kolbotn is a sanctuary for the soul a few kilometers outside Oslo. At 10,500 Sq M it is the largest Spa resort in the Nordic countries comprising of 11 swimming pools and ice baths, 15 saunas and Turkish baths, 7 shower experiences, a Japanese style Onsen hot springs bath and an oriental Hammam.  Complemented by relaxation rooms, a beautiful restaurant and several bars in idyllic surroundings this makes The Well a genuine paradise for mind and body.

 

The requirement

 

  • Metos installed a 4.5m long Ambach System 850 line in the main kitchen 2020. The next phase of the development was the design and installation of an open kitchen for the 8th floor Restaurant Mori, an Asian themed restaurant with references to the traditional Japanese Kaiseki style. Situated in the 8th floor the Asian specialties can be enjoyed with a spectacular view over the nearby countryside.
  • The kitchen had to meet the requirements for this specific type of cuisine and being open to the guests, needed to have a clean, aesthetic design, in keeping with the restaurant. Located at the top of the building, the cooking island also needed to have a compact design to both simplify access and to save space in a compact kitchen.

 

The solution

 

  • A cooking island of System 850 appliances with a 1-piece hygienic top was chosen, in order to have powerful equipment in a modern design.
  • The cooking suite includes 6 induction cooking zones and 1 induction wok for maximum flexibility and power, designed with the restaurant menu in mind.
  • For ease of installation, Ambach pre-wired the suite at the factory and included an MCB Board in order to have only 1 single electrical connection and isolators for each machine integrated within the cooking island.
  • The MCB Board was integrated at the back of the suite in order to maintain a clean design at the front. The top and the sides of the cooking block are welded in 1-piece for maximum hygiene.
  • Away from the main cooking block is an Ambach Electric Lava Stone grill. A fantastic alternative to Charcoal grills, especially in places where solid fuel cooking is not allowed due to local regulations.

 

Progress

PROGRESS Headquarter

Project: PROGRESS Headquarters
Category: Company canteen
Where: Bressanone – Italy
Line: System 900
Partner: Niederbacher GmbH

PROGRESS is the market leader in the production of precast and reinforced concrete elements and is a provider of efficient and sustainable turnkey building solutions.  Their new headquarters in Bressanone was designed and built utilising the latest scientific research into workplace environmental studies.  Both the shape of the building and the arrangement of the interiors follow these principles to create a high-quality workplaces for the employees.  The movement flows between the individual work areas, meeting rooms and connecting areas.  The impressive 29.99 meter high main façade was also designed to take internal movement sequences into account and incorporates a regular sequence of windows and precast concrete walls. The prefabricated façade was refined with Lasa marble aggregates using a PROGRESS system specially developed for this requirement. Like the flush windows, it is intended to reflect the surroundings and look like a white grid framing the dark windows. The headquarters of PROGRESS has 8 above-ground floors and a volume of 24,500 m3, designed entirely in BIM. From planning to completion, over 80 companies were involved in the construction of the building.

The requirement

  • For its headquarters in Brixen, the company has designed a meeting place for its employees that is different from the classic canteen; a real restaurant with high-quality catering and a wide selection of dishes. A relaxing place to consume the lunch break surrounded by an ambience of refined design.
  • About 160 seats and 500 meals – the restaurant undoubtedly needed a high-performance catering equipment.
  • In keeping with the architectural principles, a solution was sought that combined all cooking processes in one suite, with a continuous surface.

The solution

  • Taking into account the form and architectural elements of the structure, an individual solution was developed: A single cooking island that integrated all cooking appliances (including bulk and traditional cooking appliances) as well as two Ambach IQ (Touch-screen controlled, Electric, tilting, pressure bratt-pans).
  • The work-top was manufactured as a continuous, one-piece hygienic top. The high-performance Ambach System 900 product line for the most demanding environments was chosen, suited into an appealing, minimalistic design.
  • Cement, a material closely linked to the core business of PROGRESS, was utilised for special elements in the kitchen alongside more traditional materials such as stainless steel in the kitchen along with marble and wood finishes in the buffet area.
  • The positioning and installation of such a large and heavy cooking suite was well thought out and executed perfectly, combining precise functional requirements with an appealing design during the construction process. This was made possible by the close collaboration between Ambach, Niederbacher (Thomas Krismer, Armin Romen), PROGRESS and the architectural firm Dearstudio (Arch. Manuel Gschnell).

 

The Londoner

THE LONDONER

Project:  The Londoner
Category: Hotel
Where: Leicester Square – London – UK
Line: System 700, 850 & 900
Partner: Berkeley Projects Ltd

Located in the heart of London’s West End, The Londoner is a major new development on the World renowned Leicester Square.  Maximising the value of the location whilst complying with strict planning laws required innovative design solutions and resulted in a spectacular development with the deepest habitable grade commercial grade basement in London.  Amongst the deepest in the world, there are 6 levels below ground totalling some 30 meters in depth and with 9 levels above, housing 350 rooms, 35 suites, an underground pool & spa, cinema and a ballroom capable of seating 850 guests.  As you would expect there is also a variety of restaurant and bar options to choose from in this luxurious “super-boutique” 5 star hotel.
Inaugurated in September 2021, The Londoner has attracted great interest from the outset, hosting many well-known events, including London Fashion Week.

The requirement

  • It was necessary to make the best use of available space and maximize production through high-performance and flexible solutions with both gas and electric equipment.
  • The design needed to incorporate one-piece top suites, modular back to back islands and also included counter-top appliances for the finishing kitchens.

The solution

  • Thanks to the great flexibility of across the Ambach range, design consultant Humble Arnold Associates developed a solution that ensured compliance with the highest hygiene standards and that harmoniously incorporates the structural columns within the cooking areas of the building.
  • The selected equipment from the Ambach System 700, 850 and 900 lines supplied by the kitchen contractor Berkeley Projects is installed over 5 floors and includes the banqueting and staff kitchen, fine dining front of house as well as satellite kitchens, each with their own unique requirements for bulk cooking, a la carte and finishing.
  • ” Ambach have been nothing but consistent, from design intent, through to design development & delivery. A robust, honest, transparent approach from concept through to completion, inclusive of client handover. An absolute joy & credit to the Berkeley team” – Phil Denne, Managing Director – Berkeley Projects.
  • “Ambach were a pleasure to work with, the attention to detail and approach to coordination were fantastic, the quality of the suites were brilliant. Very hard wearing and easy to use. The chefs are over the moon” – Connor White, Lead Project Manager – Berkeley Projects

 

One & Only Portonovi

ONE & ONLY PORTONOVI

Project : One&Only Portonovi
Category : Hotel
Where : Montenegro
Line : Chef 850
Partner : Gastro-Tim

In May 2021 Kerzner International Group opened in Montenegro, the first European super luxury resort of One&Only Portonovi. Positioned at the entrance of Boka Bay, a fjord-like idyll on Montenegro’s Adriatic Sea, One&Only Portonovi is the jewel of Europe’s most fashionable new riviera. In addition to the hotel complex consisting of 113 rooms, suites and swimming pools, the resort has also a residential district of sumptuous villas, each with a private beach and pool. Perfectly in balance with the chic, waterfront location, World-class dining is offered by the à la carte restaurant ‘Sabia’, which bears the signature of Giorgio Locatelli, offering a refined and contemporary menu. In addition, the guest has opportunities to appraise the choices offered by ‘Tapasake Club’, Japanese restaurant, and ‘La Veranda’ with its authentic Montenegrin cuisine.

The requirement

  • High-performance kitchens were needed to meet the needs of the various restaurants: 116 indoor and 84 outdoor seats for ‘La Veranda’, 81 indoor, 64 outdoor and another 100 covered by the pool for ‘Tapasake Club’. Finally, another 15 seats inside and 28 outside for the bar.
  • Versatility – It was essential to combine the needs of very different kitchens by integrating multipurpose equipment.

The solution

  • Ambach proposed the Chef 850 line, capable of combining the demand for high performance
    and customization with exclusive finishes and unique details.
  • As required, to meet the different needs, Ambach integrated some special equipment: from pasta cookers to induction ranges, from multifunction bratt-pan to griddles and fryers, to name just a few.
  • In the kitchens of restaurant ‘Tapasake’, the modules of both islands are connected utilising the exclusive Ambach junction system, providing a waterproof junction between appliances and work-tables.
  • The unique solid and robust hygienic tops are able to withstand sudden changes in temperature and adapt perfectly to any type of configuration.
  • Thanks to the smooth surfaces, rounded edges and neutral bases in full H3 standards, Ambach kitchens have also proved to be the optimal choice in terms of ease of cleaning and hygiene

  • For the design and construction of the kitchens, Ambach worked together with the consulting company Gastro-Tim. Work began in 2019 and ended at the beginning of 2021. The total area occupied by the kitchens is more than 2000 square meters and also includes open kitchens with live cooking stations.

  • The communication between the partners involved was excellent. The overall result met the required delivery times and achieved the high level of customer expectations in terms of the quality and performance of both the Ambach product and the punctuality in the installation.

Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus

MANDARIN ORIENTAL BOSPHORUS

Project : Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus
Category : Hotel
Where : Istanbul – Turkey
Line : System 700, System 850 & System 900
Partner : Makpa

The 5-star luxury hotel, Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus is located in a strategic position for visiting lively Istanbul and at the same time represents an urban oasis in which to relax among swimming pools and spas, surrounded by the lush greenery of gardens and parks. Only two external floors are above ground, with seven others located below sea level, offering a decidedly unique stay experience.
The two restaurants within the hotel, Novikov and Hakkasan, are among the most well known, popular gastronomic destinations in the city.

The requirement

  • The hotel kitchens had to be extremely high performance and robust to meet the demands of the restaurants and large scale event catering.
  • High quality equipment was therefore required to compliment the prestigious hotel and match the level of its culinary offers.

The solution

  • For this reason, the consulting company MAKPA has successfully proposed the Ambach range of appliances. System 700, 850 and 900 lines were selected throughout the hotel and was carefully designed to meet the different needs of each area.
  • The flexibility and modularity of the vertical and horizontal components, configured together with the special Ambach joining system made this project a real success with total customer satisfaction.
  • MAKPA has been working on this project for about 2 years. General manager Hakan Küçüker together with his deputy Barkın Yeşilova led the design team in close synergy with Ambach.
https://www.makpa.com/
https://www.mandarinoriental.com/istanbul/bosphorus/luxury-hotel

HOTEL GASTHOF STEINEGGER

HOTEL GASTHOF STEINEGGER

Project: Hotel – Gasthof Steinegger 
Category: Hotel & Restaurant
Where: Appiano – South Tirol – Italy
Line: System 850 & System 900
Partner: Niederbacher 

The hotel – Gasthof Steinegger *** is an ideal destination for a totally relaxing holiday and is in the perfect position to explore the beautiful, natural surroundings of the local countryside.   Located in Appiano on the Wine Road, one of the most important wine area in South Tyrol, it offers an exclusive panorama from the terracing at an altitude of 600 meters.

The hotel – Gasthof Steinegger *** is much more than a hotel. The owneing family Eisenstecken delights guests with typical dishes of South Tyrolean cuisine combined with a wide choice of appetizers from Italian culinary culture.  The delicacies are offered inside the restaurant and on the panoramic terrace, in the “Bauernstube” and finally in the shade of the portico during the summer months.

The requirement

  • The property needed to renovate and expand the old kitchen with more innovative and high performance equipment.
  • The union between the old building and the new structure was particularly sensitive and needed to be designed and executed with particular care.
  • A custom designed kitchen was therefore necessary to accommodate the numerous structural constraints of the project.


The solution

  • The customer selected Niederbacher as the kitchen design and build contractor and Ambach as the catering equipment manufacturer. The company’s detailed design proposals and use of technology immediately convinced the Eisenstecken family.
  • A cooking suite from the System 850 modular line was chosen, equipped with both electric and appliances.
  • The main island is equipped with induction hobs, pasta cookers and solid tops from the System 900 line, featuring larger cooking surfaces. The pasta cooker was specially designed to incorporate a Sous-vide setting to offer an alternative cooking method.
  • Thanks to greater flexibility and the high performance guaranteed by Ambach, the new kitchen can now serve up to 400 meals a day, 250 seats and 90 hotel guests.
  • The electrical equipment has been connected via an energy optimization system that can offer potential savings of up to 30% in energy use.
  • Whilst the entire renovation project lasted a year, the installation of the cooking system took place quickly and smoothly over a period of just 10 days! Following the commissioning and handover process, the experts at Niederbacher undertook the training of the chef team the prior to the reopening.
  • The consultant team included Hannes Hofer (Niederbacher) and the designer Markus Sölva (Niederbacher).

ASTIR PALACE

FOUR SEASON ATHENS ASTIR PALACE

Project: Four Seasons Athens – Astir Palace
Category: Hotel
Where: Vouliagmeni – Athens – Greece
Line: Chef 850 & System 900
Partner: Xenex, Foodservice Humble Arnold & Associates

Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens is the benchmark for hotel hospitality in Greece. Located on the Athenian Riviera, Four Seasons is the ideal place for those looking for a peaceful seaside escape while remaining just 30 minutes from the historic city centre.

Inside, a wide variety of restaurants serve an expansive gastronomic offer. They range from ‘Pelagos’, a destination par excellence for lovers of innovative modern dishes inspired by the traditions of the Aegean, to ‘Taverna 37’, a seaside restaurant based on local specialties and up to ‘Mercato’, an elegant Italian trattoria.  ‘Avra’ is an informal lounge is for all day dining together with ‘Aston’, a further restaurant with breath-taking views.

The requirement

  • The renovation works were on a massive scale.  All kitchens, restaurants, lounges and bars were totally transformed.
  • The expectations of quality, finish and standards was very high. To satisfy the many culinary demands of the hotel, it was necessary to focus on extremely high-performance equipment and every detail was explored.


The solution

  • For the new kitchens, Four Seasons chose Humble Arnold Associates as the Foodservice Design Consultants, who proposed the Ambach kitchens in the Chef 850 line for maximum modularity and configuration flexibility along with System 900, solid and robust to meet the high productivity requirements.
  • Long-term Ambach collaborators and experienced contractors Xenex were appointed as the main kitchen contractors, chosen by the client because of their experience and ability to meet the customer expectations in terms of quality and timescale.
  • The project was completed on time in exactly one year, with the final results that not only satisfied but exceeded the client’s expectations.

Hotel Café Royal

HOTEL CAFÉ ROYAL

Project: Hotel Café Royal
Category: Hotel
Where: London – UK
Line: System 900 Exclusive Range
Partner: Baz Associates

Opened in 1865 on Regent Street in the heart of London, Hotel Café Royalneeds no introduction. In the five-star luxury class and owned by The Set Hotels group, its guests have included two kings of England – Edward VIII and George VI, Oscar Wilde, Winston Churchill and music legends of the calibre of David Bowie, Mick Jagger and the Beatles and the actress Elizabeth Taylor.
There’s no question about the culinary range reaching the level of expectation of an extremely demanding clientele. From the restaurant of international chef Laurent Tourondel which bears his name to Cakes & Bubbles with the famous desserts prepared by the Michelin three-star chef Albert Adrià and the cocktails in Green Bar and Ziggy’s, as well as the traditional afternoon teas served in the historical Oscar Wilde Lounge.

The brief

  • Suzy Baz, founder and president of eminent consultancy Foodservice Baz Associates, was appointed to rethink the Hotel’s new F&B offering.
  • Baz had already worked with the company Alrov Luxury Hotels, owners of Café Royal, handling various projects in Europe and Israel. “We all knew it would be exciting”, she recalled as a comment on the first time she took part in the brainstorming phase for renovation of the hotel alongside architect and interior designer Piero Lissoni.
    The project, started up initially as a ‘simple’ redesigning of the main kitchen in the restaurant, soon became much more far-reaching to include also the creation of a new sushi bar planned together with chef Tourondel.
  • “The requests included in the brief were truly the most challenging I’d ever come across. The new equipment for the kitchen had to be innovative and designer and ensure reliability and top performances”, commented Baz.
  • No separation between back and front of the house for the kitchen. The two areas had to be thought out in parallel with a view to continuity. To do this Lissoni decided to opt for a colour choice coordinated with the colour of the kitchen, floors and extractor hoods.


The solution

  • Thanks to its high flexibility, reliability and design, Ambach was found to be the most suitable choice for meeting the needs of the Hotel Café Royal.
  • Baz was very familiar with Ambach kitchens after choosing them for the Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam, another client with very high demands in terms of quality and design and also part of The Set Hotels group.
  • For Café Royal Baz proposed a single unit with induction hob from the Ambach System 900 Exclusive Range line in stainless steel with black finishes. A salamander and under-top fridges are also an integral part of the kitchen.
  • The key distinctive feature of the kitchen remains however its design, fully custom-made in every detail such as, for example, the rounded corners. “It may seem like a minor detail but, in a project such as this, it’s the small details that make the difference”, claimed Baz. “Appearance and finishes are crucial in top-of-the-range open kitchens”.
  • The greatest challenge of this project was to remodel the kitchen while the hotel stayed open and fully operational. “It was essential that our guests were not disturbed by the work”, commented Ido Shitrit, project manager at the hotel.
  • “Times of access to the building were limited and rigid. We also had to adapt all the pre-existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems that had to remain”, explained Baz.
  • “The end result was great thanks to the excellent coordination and collaboration between all stakeholders, including also the dealer C&C Catering, involved right from the outset in the design work alongside the rest of the team”, commented Baz.
 

AXA HEADQUARTER

AXA HEADQUARTER

Project : AXA Headquarter
Category : Restaurants
Where : Brussels – Belgium
Line : System 900, System 850 & System 700
Partner : Metos NV

The new Brussels headquarters of insurance giant AXA is not a classic head office. Set in a light-filled building surrounded by greenery, it’s more reminiscent of a 5-star hotel than a multinational.

The extensive spaces on the ground floor, for shared offices and meeting rooms, make way for a large area with catering services intended not only for employees but also outside guests. They include a cafeteria, delicatessen, pizzeria corner and a grill and boulangerie. For corporate events there’s also a high-end brasserie offering a wonderful view over the gardens of the nearby Royal Palace.

The foodservice is provided thanks to the use of three different kitchens, one for large-scale production, a finishing kitchen and an open kitchen designed ad hoc for the à la carte brasserie menu.

 

The brief

  • AXA needed state-of-the-art kitchens. “Ambach is one of the very few companies in the world able to make them with the 3 mm tops further reinforced with 3 mm of steel. In order to best meet the client’s needs we had no doubts about the choice”, explained Jan Vyverman, general manager of Metos, the Ali Group company chosen by AXA for the impressive project.
  • “Secondly, it was important to work with a supplier on the same wavelength as the company and its values. Once again Ambach was found to be the most appropriate choice thanks to the vast focus on the client and the ability to create completely custom-made, ad hoc solutions”, added Vyverman.
  • The most complex challenge of this project was the open kitchen. “AXA wanted something radically different from the classic staff canteen”, explained Vyverman.


The solution

  • Ambach’s extreme flexibility enabled three custom-made solutions to be created for three completely different kitchens. “The special feature of a company like Ambach is the great ability to supply everything, from the central kitchen islands designed and made to measure for the most demanding of chefs to equipment intended for production on a vast scale such as that of hospitals and canteens”, underlined Vyverman.
  • For the kitchen situated in the basement and used for canteen service Metos chose the robust and high-performance Ambach System 900 line. The kitchen is made up of separate areas for preparing hot and cold dishes and is equipped with cold rooms, bratt pans and pressure and induction cookers.
  • On the upper level the open kitchen represented a more complex solution. A custom-built block from the Ambach System 700 was designed, with its considerable length of 4.4 metres which perfectly fits the size of the room. “We couldn’t use the standard System 700 block as it had to be 1300 mm deep instead of the standard 1400 mm”, explained the Ambach area manager, Georg Dissertori. For this reason we had to create an extension on the back and a custom-made base unit”.
  • Despite the fact the benchmark line was the System 700, the open architecture of Ambach and its great flexibility enabled a plancher from the System 850 line to be installed with larger cooking surfaces, perfect for meeting the high productivity needs of the chefs. The team also wired all the electrical connections for the whole block into a single connection point.
  • The smaller finishing kitchen on the first level is from the System 850 Ambach modular line, complete with hygiene joint.
  • Given the complexity of the project, the excellent team work by the architects, engineers, design office, general contractor and the subcontractors was crucial for the success of the project. “It was interesting to see that we were all well trained”, recalls Vyverman. “We worked together to achieve a truly excellent result. Everything went very well and, when work had finished, we were all surprised at the result. Often projects look great on paper, but then in fact turn out very different. In this case the exact opposite happened”.

THE MERRION HOTEL

THE MERRION HOTEL

Project : The Merrion Hotel
Category : Hotel
Where : Dublin – Irland
Line : System 900
Partner : Kaneco

The Merrion Hotel has for many years been one of the best-loved luxury hotels in Dublin. Just a five minutes’ walk from the main cultural and entertainment attractions of the city, for over twenty years it has continued to welcome its guests in high-end spaces with exclusive design and first-rate service.

The hotel offers a vast range of dining choices, from the more informal options available at The Cellar Bar to the modern Irish cuisine of The Garden Room, and the more sophisticated dishes served by Patrick Guilbaud, Ireland’s only restaurant with 2 Michelin stars.

After extensive renovation work which ended in 2017, the already high quality standards of the hotel reached even loftier heights.

The brief

  • In order to best meet the production needs of the Garden Room restaurant it was necessary to remodel the kitchen with a highly versatile solution which would allow meals to be prepared throughout the day – breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day of the week and every day of the year. The production demands however still had to be matched by high quality. Each dish had to be prepared with always super-fresh ingredients and very great care taken with presentation.
  • Chef Ed Cooney also wanted to offer a work environment as comfortable as possible for his team, i.e. a cool and quiet kitchen without excess steam.


The solution

  • For Gerry Kane from the company Kaneco, kitchen contractor and longstanding partner of the Merrion, there was no doubt as to the choice of the company which was to build the kitchens: Ambach.
  • Together, Kane and Cooney opted for two cooking islands from the Ambach System 900 Exclusive Range, intended both for the bar menus and those of the Garden Room restaurant. Made to measure with a single hygiene top, both are designed with areas dedicated to the various phases of preparation. “Each area is ‘independent’ and equipped with an Ambach island, an oven and refrigeration and patisserie equipment”, explained Kane.
  • All this was designed to optimise work. For example, staff entering and exiting move in two different flows. In this way confusion, noise and the risk of breaking plates are considerably reduced. “The work space is now much quieter, easier to manage and cleaner”, commented Kane.
  • The kitchen control system also reduces the annual costs of running the air treatment and extractor system by 50%, a significant saving for a kitchen which works non-stop all year.
  • Difficulties did however arise during the works. “It was a bit like playing Tetris. We constantly had to move everything from one side to the other without closing down the hotel, not even for a day”, added Kane.
  • The greatest challenge came when Kaneco and Cooney had to totally redesign the layout of the kitchen as two large pillars ‘sprang up’ just where the cooking area was intended to be originally. “This forced us to optimise the space available by moving the kitchen by about 50 cm”, explained Kane.
  • After having completed the work on the Garden Room kitchen, the team moved on to the other kitchen at basement level. Here, despite the confined spaces, it was possible to allow access to the kitchen thanks to the Ambach system which enabled the island to be turned through 90°. All the equipment was reconfigured in the new position and a patisserie zone was also created.
  • Even if the Garden Room kitchen is very different compared to the original design, Cooney and his team expressed great satisfaction at the end result. “It’s a pleasure to work in the new kitchen. I’m pleased with the design as well as the ergonomics and the performances. The work environment at basement level has also really improved”, added Cooney. Judging by the crowd in the restaurant, customers too have not been slow in showing their appreciation, recognising the high added value for the hotel.