14 July 2008

Opposite to attract in Beijing

BEIJING Ã¢â¬' The Opposite House is set to open its doors next month, bringing luxury hotel rooms and a new dining scene to the capital.

The creative force behind the five distinct new venues is entrepreneur and chef David Laris, who headed Terrance ConranÃ¢â¬â¢s London restaurant Ã¢â¬ËœMezzoÃ¢â¬â¢ and founded the award-winning Ã¢â¬ËœLarisÃ¢â¬â¢ at Three on the Bund in Shanghai.

Interiors were designed by Lyndon Neri and Rosanna Hu, founders of Shanghai-based international architectural design practice Neri and Hu Design (NHDRO).

Neri and Hu have created a core area based around two restaurants and a bar that can be reached from the hotel and also via The Village at Sanlitun Ã¢â¬' the adjacent retail and entertainment complex.

In addition, there is an international style cafÃƒ~© and a lounge bar designed by the hotelÃ¢â¬â¢s architect Kengo Kuma.

The mix will be overseen by director of restaurants and bars, Patrick Dumas, whose experience extends to running his own restaurant in France before relocating to Australia.

He also spent five years managing The Cliff, a destination restaurant in Singapore, where he was voted SingaporeÃ¢â¬â¢s Ã¢â¬ËœRestaurant Manager of the YearÃ¢â¬â¢.

The Opposite House will include two bars - Mesh, a contemporary urban space featuring a large selection of champagnes by the glass and a wide range of original cocktails and Punk - a stylish, late night mini club with international and Beijing-based DJs.