Located on Cadogan Gardens in Chelsea, Meat the Fish is a restaurant that surprises with its refreshing combination of ideas and influences.

Meat the Fish is a rich but not overly ornate environment that doesn?t quite fit in any category. Exactly as planned by the owners and designers. The interiors connect marine and earthy vibes and the menu, created by head chef Rachel Bado, fuses Mediterranean, Asian and Middle-Eastern

The design of the space is the work of MARIAGROUP, the Beirut, London and Dubai-based design studio led by founders, brother and sister Georges Maria and Michèle Maria Chaya, that includes also their interior designer parents among other partners. The group?s London partner is Claudia Skaff Nieuwenburg.

The restaurant occupies a 230 square-metre (2,475 sq.ft) long and narrow space Unifying the space?s three specific zones ? bar, restaurant and lounge ? are the wood-panelled walls, wooden-grid ceilings and the floors of black-and-white custom-manufactured tiles by the Lebanese BlattChaya.

The most striking features of the interior are decidedly more fishy than meaty starting with a custom-designed octopus-inspired bas-relief surrounding the fireplace. The clay-toned piece of art was custom-created by Beirut, Lebanon-based architect and landscape designer Souraya Haddad who now works full-time as a ceramic artist.

The second striking feature turns out to be marine-inspired as well. The shiny, curvy bar, lit by natura; light from the skylight, ta...