Bird and Bitter

Linehouse partnered with a team of food & beverage industry leaders in Shanghai, Camden Hauge, Warren Pang and Lobin Tjia, to open a pair of neighbouring venues called Bird and Bitter. Designed to complement each other; Bitter focuses on daytime coffee and early evening aperitifs and Bird serves wine and seasonal small plates.

Upon entering Bird guests are greeted by a centralised bar composed of wood and rattan screens evoking a retro nostalgia, the material palette recalling a familiar domesticity from the 70s. A hanging rack above the bar counter creates transparency. At night the wood and rattan frames is backlit to showcase the wine bottles. The bar counter continues through the space and lines the walls as a standing leaner and wraps in front of the window. An open kitchen window showcases the food preparation behind the wine counter. A datum of mirrors and blackboards line the walls at eye level creating a sense of expansion and continuously reflecting activity.

Bitter is the more casual of the pair with a new bar counter inserted reflecting the material palette and humble detailing of Bird. The existing space was opened up to create an open dining room, designed to transition from daytime to early evening cocktails. The façade opens up to the local streetscape allowing it to operate as a neighbourhood establishment within the tree lined former French Concession.