STARTER
Manhattan Fairmont CHENGDU
Words: Donna Salek Photography: © Icy Du YueDan
IN A BITE Covers: 302 Architecture: Hassell Interior Design: INDulge Owner: Chengdu Palm Springs Real Estate Development Co. Operator: Fairmont Lighting: R&R Lighting Design Bar Consultant: The Compound Collective www.fairmont.com
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njecting the glamour and flair of New York
when visitors push the trolley’s brass handle,
City into the capital of China’s Sichuan
they will discover the hidden whisky and cigar
province, Manhattan sits on the 43rd floor
bar Atelier, occupying a space characterised by
of Fairmont Chengdu, with an appealing
edgier interiors, brick walls, neon lights and
offering built around its opulent setting, high-
metal mesh cages. Its back bar, fashioned from
quality F&B and spectacular city views. The
small valises, looks ideally suited to making a
concept, beautifully realised by interior design
rapid getaway – a nod to the Prohibition era in
studio INdulge, draws inspiration from the
which drinkers would quickly make a run for it
lavishness of the 1920s Art Deco era in the US
when police raided the speakeasies.
and the grandiose parties detailed in F. Scott
Meanwhile, the Broadway Room private
Fitzgerald’s famous novel The Great Gatsby.
function space teams high ceilings with
Divided into four separate spaces, the complex
oversized mirrors, gilded mouldings and rich
comprises The Platform, a cocktail bar; Atelier,
blue timber panels, giving it a regal status.
a speakeasy; The Broadway Room, a private
A curved Tiffany-blue glass staircase leads
event space; and Miku, a restaurant.
guests to the mezzanine where Miku sits – the
Enclosing
a
seven-metre-long
bar
first Nikkei restaurant in Chengdu, serving
embellished with brass pipes and metal trusses,
Japanese-Peruvian cuisine. Champagne-
The Platform is a sociable room serving classic
coloured draping screens – inspired by the
cocktails with modern twists, such as Seaweed
signature pearl necklaces of the 1920s – hang
& Scotch – a reinterpretation of the Japanese
above azure leather booths, while two additional
Highball; and Sakura Me – a homemade sakura
private dining sections are decorated with navy
cordial blended with sake. There is also an
leather wall panels, offset by emerald green
internal wall resembling a bellboy’s trolley
seating – all overlooking the breathtaking views
packed with vintage leather cases; however,
across Chengdu.
