Welcome to southern Iran where a new restaurant has opened up in Shiraz by the name of Salt Restaurant. The name is justified since the restaurant is made completely of salt. The bar, tables, walls and chairs are made of salt. In fact, even the stairs have a coating of salt that is smooth and well, of course, salty.
The restaurant has been created by Emtiaz Designing Group – an Iranian firm. The firm decided to use salt as the main material for construction to create awareness and to promote the green construction concept. The restaurant has been created by using salt in powder and rock form which is environmentally sustainable, comes from local sources and is affordable. Spokesperson of the firm said, “In this particular case, the walls, structural sculptures and ceilings are made from salt sourced from the nearby salt mines and salt lake of Shiraz which was mixed with natural gum to harden it.”
The project kicked off with a detailed study carried out on the right type of salt and its combination with natural gums. The research team began at the natural salt mines and salt lake located close to the restaurant site. The restaurant’s area is 150 sq. meters. This project has been inspired from salt caves and the design team wanted to give the same texture to the restaurant’s interior.
When the research phase was over, the team designed the roof, stairs and walls to come up with a modern look for the salt caves. The end result is environment-friendly, sustainable and quite amazing. The team handcrafted the tables from rock salt while recycled soft drink cans were used for preparing the surface of the stairs and chair frames.
Spokesperson further added, “Salt is a natural disinfectant and the ions it releases also purify and filter the air, making it the perfect material for a restaurant. Salt suffers a bad reputation in gastronomy thanks to its overuse in most diets, meaning that most people are not aware of its astonishing healing powers. But in fact, salt has been known as a powerful health remedy since ancient times, especially for respiratory health and detoxification. Even Hippocrates prescribed salt water inhalation therapy for bronchial and lung disorders.”
So, when you go and eat in this restaurant you will be taking part in salt therapy while also enjoying food that can’t possibly be bland. Enjoy a virtual tour of Salt restaurant in the video below!
