Rosa’s was founded by husband and wife Alex (English) and Saiphin (Thai) Moore. Their first restaurant – classic Thai cooking on the site of a London cabbie’s caff – Rosa’s was a unique celebration of homeland and home. Their second site in Soho, however, was a disappointment. What had changed?

We established that where the original restaurant buzzed with a unique fusion of Thai and English culture, the second site, to outsiders, was simply another Thai restaurant. The magic that made Rosa’s special was natural, instinctive and confined to that site. They needed a brand that would tell this story.

Unlike most UK Thai restaurants that borrow Thai tropes, Rosa’s has a unique perspective on homeland and home. Taking inspiration from the founders’ origins, we discovered common themes between Thai and English cafés, like tea rituals, and a love of condiments.

We created a brand founded on these shared elements: a logo that hides Thai characters inside a classic English doily; interior elements that repurposed dado rails as bamboo-like panneling; even a pastiche of cockney rhyming slang incorporating Thai drinks and dishes.

Without edited, designing, art directed and produced a small book of Rosa’s signature recipes, available to purchase in-store. In a karmic twist, a customer who was also a publisher saw this gem and encouraged Rosa’s to write a full volume.