SAGA NEW YORK

‘Eating at Saga is meant to feel like you’re dining in the home of a fancy friend’, says executive chef and partner James Kent. Set on the top four floors of an Art Deco building in New York (a space originally conceived as a bachelor pad), its intimate interiors boast uninterrupted views of the city and were designed with light in mind.

Light is a big deal at Saga: ‘I’m never more acutely aware of light than I am when I’m sitting in the dining room’, continues Kent, who likes to spend as much time as possible in the space, from meetings through service, to observe how it changes throughout the day. ‘I see the shadows move across the carpet in the late afternoon then watch the sun set over the skyline and the lights in Manhattan skyscrapers cascade on.’

Guest arrive at night, for dinner service (Saga doesn’t serve lunch): in the summer, it’s still daylight, and as light shifts, the space gets more dramatic. Kent explains that the designers of the space, architectural firm MN DPC, tweaked their design to ensure it would glow at golden hour. At night, the space is meant to feel like it’s lit by candlelight: ‘ A lot of our work is meant to make the dining experience feel more intimate. There’s little that’s more effective in creating a sense of intimacy than light: lighting in a restaurant is all about creating a mood, so I tend toward warmer options. As long as diners can see what’s on the plate, I’m satisfied.’