Tasteful on the Eye

They say you eat with your eyes. So, it follows that after you see what is on your plate, restaurant décor plays an integral part in setting the scene for a memorable meal. We take a look inside five local eateries that are as delightful on the eye as they are the palate.

Highroad

Where

1 Woolley St, Dickson

Designed by

Studio Foolscap, Melbourne. Completed 2017.

Special Features

Highroad pays homage to Canberra, the home of the original ONA coffee empire of which it is the latest incarnation. This airy and light-filled space contains several clever references to Canberra’s meticulous design, notably that the curved booths reflect topographical lines on a map—part of Walter Burley Griffin’s original territory blueprints. In fact, map motifs abound, as does a seamless mix of refined and raw materials that represent the man-made and natural character of the bush capital. The imposing wooden bar is made from pine and the sides have been sand-blasted for a smooth and textured effect. The other bar is concrete, cast with a wood grain effect. The colour palette is as muted as the bush.

Looks and Feels Like

Being under clear skies in the Brindabellas.

Monster's Salon

Where

Ovolo Nishi, NewActon

Designed by

The Molonglo Group in close collaboration with Don Cameron, Ken Neale and Craig Tan Architects, Melbourne. Completed 2014.

Special Features

The floor of the Salon is a monumental polished shattered terrazzo with hidalgoite green oxide seams. An original and unused early 1950s floral-pattern Axminister broadloom carpet remade as a rug provides a setting for a collection of armchairs designed by Viennese furniture maker Paul Ernst Kafka who immigrated to Australia in 1939. The rest of the seating is an assembly of Australian vintage boomerang lounges that sit alongside wireframe chairs and original decorative painted-metal screens. At the heart of the space is an in-the-round fireplace providing back-warming views across Lake Burley Griffin to Parliament House and the surrounding mountains.

Looks and Feels Like

Being back in the suburban family room of an Australian immigrant family circa 1940.

Vincent, Barton

Where

48 Macquarie St, Barton

Designed by

Head chef Ute Pikler and her business partner Ollie Ryrie. Completed 2016.

Special Features

Vincent turns the concept of conventional restaurant design on its head. A small space is painted charcoal with a long snaking table facing all diners inwards to a bustling staff and bar. Vincent invites diners to be participants in the nightly theatre of service. They provide an audience to the inner dance of waiters and sommeliers and, if that doesn’t catch their attention, there is large framed window straight into the kitchen to spy on the kitchen wizardry.

Looks and Feels Like

Being in a dimly lit, cosy kitchen while playing foodword Scrabble.

Public

Where

1-33 Flinders Way, Griffith

Designed by

Andrew Parr of SJB Architects, Australia. Completed 2012.

Special Features

Using the base of Manuka’s heritage-listed main corner shopfront off Franklin Street and Flinders Way, Public brings a New York–style public bar and bistro to a busy corner. Stripping back decades of fit-outs (it was once a kitchenware shop) the elegant 1920s bones of the space are revealed through exposed timber trusses and raw painted brickwork. Carefully selected contemporary fixtures, tiles and furniture highlight the industrial feel, while the traditional layout evokes the notion of a past era.

Looks and Feels Like

A boisterous public bar in Brooklyn before the Great Depression hit.

Bar Rochford

Where

65 London Circuit, Canberra City

Designed by

Owner Nick Smith. Completed 2016.

Special Features

Nick Smith is a born-and-bred Canberran who’s spent years travelling in Europe and living in Melbourne and has combined all three influences on this very personal space. Upstairs in the historic and aptly named Melbourne Building, the cracked and chipped paint, exposed brickwork and muted concrete floor set off the focal point of the bar—a massive black steelframed and arched art deco window. Spotted gum tables and bar bring a homely feel to the industrial space. Distinctly Canberra references—from the large framed photo of the building’s architect John Sulman, to an archived original photo of a diver back-flipping into the Civic Pool—are juxtaposed with musical themes. These include a huge photo of Grace Jones and rows upon rows of Nick’s personal record collection, which are played from a turntable at the bar.

Looks and Feels Like

Hanging out in Nick’s living room—but with better windows.

Words: Emma Macdonald | Photography: Tim Bean