Despite being situated right on the bustling Road 11 of Banani, Ibiza Bistro is a restaurant with a mood of its own. Amply lit with natural lighting, the restaurant has a combination of warm and cool hues that complement each other. The goal was to make the place remind the founder and director of Ibiza, Sabbir Zoha Khan, of his favourite restaurant in Scotland’s Glasgow right from the hub of the concrete jungle we know Dhaka to be.
Modern yet minimal – is how he aspired the space to be. And, Imthiaz Mahmud Rakin, founder and architect of Pen & Spaces and co-founder of Archevo Exterior Consultancy, helped the founder of Ibiza create his dream space.
Set on a space of roughly 2875 square feet with a fully equipped kitchen of 630 square feet, Ibiza is adequately spacious with a fairly informal sitting arrangement and just walking into the place is bound to have a relaxing effect on any visitor. The place also looks profoundly bright.
Thanks to the walls painted in creamy white and wide windows inspired by modern French architecture, the entire restaurant beams with daylight as soon as the sun goes up.
The minimum indoor lighting creates a cosy ambience perfect for people to unwind from their crazy cosmopolitan lives.
The interior colour palette of Ibiza is remarkably soothing to look at. A touch of oceanic blue, teal, and kale against the creamy white backdrops is slightly contrasting for sure but they have gently calming effects on one’s nerves. The half-heightened walls serve their purpose perfectly by connecting two worlds and also by complementing the artworks hanging on the walls.
Every piece of furniture used in Ibiza was carefully designed so that it would go hand in hand with Ibiza’s signature vibe of a modern European bistro. From tables, the counter, juice bar, tufted sofas, decorative accent walls, to the wall string – everything was made from scratch. However, one exception was the chairs which were sourced from a local furniture brand Isho.
The entire construction of Ibiza happened in between Covid-19 waves which is why the architectural team heavily depended on locally sourced materials.
Architect Imthiaz said without the support from his team at Pen & Space and the encouragement and assistance from Ibiza’s owner Sabbir, Ibiza perhaps would not have looked like it does today.
Even without the pandemic, IBIZA came into being after a lot of toing and froing. Sabbir Zoha Khan had to choose between a comfortable life in the UK with a stable job and a braver choice of being an entrepreneur. After quite a quandary, he decided to make a move on his dreams and Ibiza started its journey in mid-April this year.
Every major and minor decision of Ibiza has the owner’s input as he closely monitors the purchase, inventory management, and marketing side of the restaurant. Being busy as a beaver with Ibiza on his plate, he might not have much time of a day to spare but he does not let that dim the flame of his passion.
Speaking about the food offered by Ibiza, Sabbir said, the initial plan was to go entirely with the Pan European cuisine. But owing to the different taste buds of the mass in Bangladesh who prefer Pan Asian cuisines, the restaurant swiftly modified its menu. Now, the restaurant offers a blend of Pan-European and Pan-Asian cuisine, leaning heavily on the Pan-European side.
The menu of Ibiza also took inspiration from Sabbir’s favourite Glaswegian restaurant. The restaurant prides itself on sourcing only the best quality ingredients to prepare dishes. Even though the menu is a bit on the pricey side, the owner argues that the restaurant tries to maintain a competitive price suitable for the mass. Sabbir says Ibiza has succeeded in achieving certain cost-effectiveness that helps the restaurant to be affordable without having to compromise on quality.
