Antonio Park’s upcoming beer project Kampai Garden is taking shape and should be open in just a few weeks — and the details of what to expect design-wise from the whopping 10,000 square foot space are seeping out.
Young local designer Amlyne Phillips is in charge: she previously worked on Suwu and Jatoba, but this space will be a solid step towards an industrial aesthetic. Don’t expect pure slabs of unadorned post-industrial concrete, though. It’ll be broken up with plenty of plant life and modern fixtures and furniture. Phillips says she’s going for a "whimsical feel" laden with organic fabrics and decor, and while much of that isn’t yet in place you can get a sense for what Kampai will become from the pictures above.
Despite the "garden" moniker, the space is set to be mostly indoors — it will feature two terrasses, but with a November opening date those won’t see much action for the first few months. Park will be taking care of the food options in bar snack form, with (unsurprisingly) plenty of beer options. Kampai is going beyond hops and yeast with mixologist Lawrence Picard on board designing cocktails.
As was announced back in August, the beer garden is at the Faubourg Sainte-Catherine, the Concordia adjacent shopping mall that has experienced a rapid decline since its heyday a few decades ago (indeed, just last week Eater had news of closures in the same building). If Kampai is a success, it could be a pretty massive revitalization for the decrepit. It could even mark a trend back towards blockbuster sized venues that previously peaked in the 90s — now-defunct spots like Le Drugstore come to mind, even if that format was obviously decidedly different. With hefty namedropping power from Park’s involvement and the hefty and reputable experience of partners PJ Goupil and Alexandre Besnard, it’s well-placed, but a big venue is a big risk, too.