Costes, the very first restaurant in Hungary to earn a Michelin-star, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. For the occasion, they decided to introduce a game which takes the customer through the ordering process to compose an interactive gastronomical experience. And who else would be more suitable for the job that Studio NUR, run by Eszter Laki (previously here), the designer with the most praised and applauded restaurant branding concept in the city of Budapest. The unique concept combines minimalistic line illustrations with a monochromatic color scheme, printed on various methods on an elegant, embossed white paper.
The original idea to use cards as an explanatory menu came from their Michelin-starred chef, Eszter Palágyi, who is famous for her inventive, playful cuisine. The game, an expendable set consisting of 16 various elements resembles of a card game with typically arranged symbols and texts presented on a special cardboard paper. Slightly bigger than the ordinary playing cards yet comfortable to hold, the cards unfold the whole menu with explanations and fun facts written by Kamilla Mihály.
On the front side of the cards, the main ingredients of each dish are demonstrated with minimally dexterous line-drawings which are printed with letterpress technics. The logotype is emphasized with silver hot foil stamping. The gentle shining of silver appears on the edge painting and on the box of the cards as well. The joker is a blank card, a sort of a guest-book to encourage the visitors to leave a comment on the experience – to complete the game. The idea and execution of the menu is adventurous and fun, perfectly enhancing, and supporting the dining experience at Costes.
© photography by András Zoltai
art direction by Eszter Laki
graphic designers Eszter Laki & Réka Imre