Easily one of the Dijlah Village Complex’s star attractions, the Steak House brings a contemporary, industrial-style steak restaurant to Baghdad’s booming culinary scene. This riverside venue boasts exclusive VIP lounges and an extensive bar for the enjoyment of up to 335 fortunate guests.

From a design standpoint, Quark’s task for this project was to merge authentic local elements into the restaurant’s timeless and transnational ambiance. Dark colors and metallic accents serve to anchor the space firmly in the aesthetic of a modern global grill house. The restaurant’s stately wood paneling finished in both light beige and darker coffee tones, natural wood veneer flooring, and custom-designed lighting add an aura of simple elegance to complement the restaurant’s classic culinary offerings.

The measured opulence of the Steak House is epitomized by the suspension of a gigantic salt rock above the main dining room–a striking statement piece that at once suggests the simplicity of salt as a basic human need and the endless possibilities that salt offers as a catalyst for flavor and an enhancer of human experience. Delicate vitrine chandeliers dangling throughout the restaurant recall the geometric construction of salt molecules as well as the precarious dependence of cuisine and civilization on their reliable procurement.

Similarly, Quark worked to incorporate the elements of fire and metal into this project’s design as not-so-subtle reminders of their archaic connection to our collectively carnivorous human history. Dark metal cross beams on the ceiling are vaguely reminiscent of skewers, wood-shingled walls and flooring evoke fodder for the fire, and dark leather upholstery and accents presage the animal products that are the center of the restaurant’s culinary offerings. Through our innovative conceptual design, Quark’s team has both pared down and elevated the two most basic principles of the Steak House’s restrained grill-based menu: flavor and flame.