Restaurant Porn is a regular column of daydreams presented as a means to introduce BC diners and designers to concepts, looks, and fully-formed ideas that they might draw an inkling of inspiration from.

(via) What is strikingly beautiful, has no windows, is ridiculously far away, and is fuelled by booze while boasting room for 225 supper clubbers? The South African restaurant, bar and performance venue known as Alice & Fifth.

Though I wish this was a lot closer to home, the scene in the Sandton area of Johannesburg might be a little too swanky and high falutin’  for the West Coast of Canada. Known as “Africa’s richest square mile”, I remember it being the prohibitive province of the impossibly wealthy and modern-day robber baron types — likely better suited thereabouts than hereabouts.

Still, it sure is purdy…

I love the way the marble, hardwood, glimmering brass and panelled walls are loosened up and softened by corner curvatures, velvets, leathers and other plush materials. It’s a little on the masculine side, but that doesn’t make it any less fancy.

More on the project from its designer, Tristan Plessis:

“The brief was to create a sumptuous and decadent space juxtaposed with a raw unrefined underground edge. Appealing to a broad local and international audience of business leaders, politicians and those seeking an adventurous night out in Johannesburg. I drew inspiration from the opulent cabaret clubs of years gone by in cities like Paris and New York, and brought that into the contemporary world of African luxury, features like the wall paneling curving up into the ceiling is an example of these (literal) twists on the traditional aesthetic. We used lush velvets, handpicked rare marbles across various colour spectrums to infuse the space with colour and created a dramatic backdrop for this using handcrafted walnut wall panelling as well as curved french paneling and exposed raw concrete columns that lend support to the Sandton sun hotel.”

Photos via Tristan Plessis