1. Cloudstreet
When Annalissa De Vos, design director at greymatters was asked to design Cloudstreet restaurant (pictured above), the first thing she did was to read the titular book by Australian author Tim Winton. The novel chronicles the lives of two working-class families, who come to live together in a large house called Cloudstreet in Perth over a period of 20 years. Besides taking inspiration from the house, Ms De Vos also had to meet the requirements of chef Rishi Naleendra and general manager Gareth Burnett.
Some of its eye-catching details include the open kitchen, a fabric chandelier, and a feature wall covered with flora by Beato Florist. Ms De Vos says, “everything was done with a balance. While diners feel included in the action, wherever they are seated, they never feel like they are in the spotlight but always have some intimacy.”
Cloudstreet is located at 84 Amoy Street.
2. La Dame de Pic
If there is an award for the most feminine restaurant in Singapore it would go to La Dame de Pic, where Anne-Sophie Pic, one of the world’s top female chefs with three Michelin stars, makes her Asian debut.
Champalimaud Design, who also handled the restoration of the hotel, gives La Dame de Pic an air of timeless elegance with the use of a soft palette that is reminiscent of Pic’s favourite colours and materials: pastel shades and natural decorative elements.
Soft pink hues and rich plums are matched with grey clay tones and metallic accents, while a peony bas relief graces the ceiling.
Taking centre stage in the restaurant is a gold chandelier composed of tiers of discs with laser-cut spades, a play on La Dame de Pic which translates to ‘queen of spades’.
La Dame de Pic is located at Raffles Singapore, 1 Beach Road.
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3. Brewerkz Riverside Point
The flagship outlet of craft beer brewery Brewerkz at Riverside Point recently opened with a new look after 22 years. The brief to design firm Weijenberg, was to create a contemporary space that is airy, yet warm and intimate while paying homage to the craft of beer-brewing.
The centrepiece of the restaurant is the bar with 20 taps lining the wall and cladded with copper sheets and rivets.
Founder Camiel Weijenberg and his team selected materials and details that are reminiscent of the area’s shipping history. In addition, aged Chinese stucco walls add character and texture to the space.
Brewerkz at Riverside Point is located at 30 Merchant Rd, #01-07 Riverside Point.
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4. Arbora Bistro
Arbora is derived from the Latin word “arbor” meaning trees, and this was the inspiration for designphase dba when fitting out the bistro, which has a light, cosy scheme with natural materials, greenery and tropical graphic imagery.
A highlight of the bistro is a graphic wall made of customised printed tiles of flora.
Derek MacKenzie, managing director of designphase dba says, “the design aims to give guests a holistic hilltop dining experience that extends from indoors to outdoors.”
Arbora Bistro is located at Faber Peak Singapore, 109 Mount Faber Road.
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5. Chico Loco
There is a line in Chico Loco’s website which says that the Mexican spit-roasted chicken restaurant serves “food that’s messy and real, food that’s worth getting dirty for.”
Diners are encouraged to tear apart the locally-farmed and cage-free chicken with their hands. Just like the food, the interiors have no pretense about them. Interior designer Lim Siew Hui, founder of Hui Designs, wanted to give the restaurant an edgy, urban street vibe inspired by the grit and grunge of Mexico.
“To do this, I brought the street vibe into the restaurant; created distressed walls of irregular lines of exposed brick walls and unfinished plastering,” says Ms Lim.
Chico Loco is located at 102 Amoy Street.
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This story was first published in The Business Times in 2019. Click here to read the original story.