6 Restaurants to See and Be Seen In

BanQ Restaurant

While some establishments may prefer to preserve the charm of an old building, others like the BanQ restaurant in Boston use talents like the architects from Office dA to transform old buildings – in this case the Penny Savings Bank – into an achingly modern eatery. The undulating wood panels are made of birch plywood, each a unique shape that had to be adhered together like a puzzle. Besides creating an unusual and stunning setting (it almost induces motion sickness), the striated wood-slatted system helps to hide the plumbing and lighting systems from plain sight.

1375 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02118-2140, United States. Tel: (617) 451-0077

Redwoods Treehouse

If people are willing to stay in a tree, it’s only natural to assume that someone out there would have created a dining haven in one too. Oddly enough, that someone happens to be the New Zealand Yellow Pages. As part of a “reality” ad campaign, they commissioned Pacific Environments Architects to create an off-beat restaurant, and they had to source for all the products and services through the Yellow Pages’ book, online and mobile listings. And we guess you really can get everything you need from them, as the final result is a gorgeous 18-seater treetop eatery that hangs like a glowing lantern at night. If you don’t mind the couple of hours drive out of Auckland to get there, it’s a stunning locale to bring a date.

The restaurant is located near Warkworth in Auckland, New Zealand, but is currently closed until consent is obtained.

Beijing Noodle No. 9

This might be as close to dining in heaven as it gets. It has nothing to do with the cuisine, but the surreal (and unbelievably white) décor of Beijing Noodle No. 9. The double-walls use patterned layers made of steel and LED lights between the layers to cast a pretty pattern across the area. A creation of Japanese design studio Design Spirits, the visual calm of the restaurant offsets the buzzing nightlife of the Caesars Palace casinos.

Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd, South, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109, USA.

Tel: (877) 346-4642

The Octospider

At a glance, this glass structure in the middle of a lake looks like it might house a museum or an outlandish office. But it’s really a cafeteria for Thai textile company Satin Textiles. The glass structure is the work of Exposure Architects, a firm based in Bergamo, Italy. Raised 8 meters above the ground, the Octospider can be reached via a pedestrian path that is connected to the factory. If the employees are treated to such a visual delight at every lunch, one has to wonder how posh a weaving factory can be.

Derrière

The wallpaper is yellowed, the paint chipped, the books are falling off the shelves and the portraits are crooked. In chic Paris, this seems like a place to drop pretension and just pig out like a slob. Which is exactly what the Derrière restaurant (no jokes, please) wants. By making it unapologetically lived-in, the owners wanted to create a place that makes having a meal outside feel like coming home. Comparing it to its posh neighbours in Rue des Graviliers, Derrière sticks out like a sore thumb, but that’s exactly why you’ll go.

69 rue des Gravilliers, Paris. Tel: +33 (0)1 44 61 91 95

East Beach Café

The design of the East Beach Café in Littlehampton, UK, is one born of necessity. To minimise potential vandalism, Heatherwick Studio pieced together hundreds of steel ribbons to create a coastal-inspired building with almost no flat surface. The restaurant also wanted to take advantage of the incredible view, so the establishment needed to be flat and long (the other side of the restaurant is all windows). They support sustainable fishing, so you’re not going to find cod, haddock or plaice on the menu. But with the luxury of an uninterrupted view of the ocean, does it really matter?

Littlehampton, West Sussex BN17 5GB, United Kingdom.Tel: +44 0 1903 731 903