Two Joburg restaurants – the only selected in South Africa – have been shortlisted for various categories in the prestigious Restaurant & Bar Design Awards.
The Restaurant & Bar Design Awards now in its tenth year is a globally recognised competition dedicated to the design of food and beverage spaces. Entries from over 70 countries cover every imaginable hospitality space, from ships to airports, museums to burger vans, and from revered Michelin-starred establishments to the fleeting dynamism of pop-ups.
The Awards attract the world’s top designers, hospitality operators and judges from the UK and globally. Recent names include Zaha Hadid, Kengo Kuma, Foster & Partners, Stephen Alden, Gordon Ramsay, Tony Chambers (Editor in Chief, Wallpaper*), Alberto Alessi, Thomas Heatherwick and many more.
The Restaurant & Bar Design Awards announced the shortlist from the 2017/2018 entries, included 257 projects across 34 categories from the world’s leading architects, interior designers, lighting designers and restaurant and bar operators.
Awards will be given per category to both the winning designer as well as the winning food and beverage space operator. A project can be entered into any relevant category and the entries that best meet the judges’ personal definitions of ‘design excellence’ will win.
And two South African restaurants – both based in Johannesburg – have been shortlisted for the prestigious awards.
ROCKET
The key differentiator when it comes to the Rockets brand is that they take the full sensory experience into consideration with every store they open and they pride ourselves on excellence.
“Rockets Bryanston has been in the making in our hearts and minds since the inception of our very first spot. Our aim with this venue is to inspire without boundaries, celebrate authenticity and an unbridled passion for the exquisite, creating a space where our guests feel free. Every aspect of the sensory experience has been taken into detailed consideration ensuring that we do our part in transforming the art of a meal into a lifestyle.”
And now Rockets has been shortlisted in 4 categories: Biophilic Design, Murals and Graffiti, Middle East and Africa Bar and Middle East & Africa Restaurant in the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards.
Saigon Suzy
Saigon Suzy, an Asian BBQ & Rock’n Roll bar with authentic Asian inspired cocktails and street food from all over South East Asia – Thailand, Vietnam, China, Korea and Japan has also been shortlisted in the Middle East/Africa Bar and Murals & Graffiti categories.
The Sunday Times explains Saigon Suzy as a place styled as a kind of artisanal version of somewhere soldiers in Vietnam would have frequented, Saigon Suzy slots in comfortably with its neighbours.
It’s a place where one could easily imagine edgy bankers rubbing shoulders with celebrity chefs.
Saigon Suzy is an explosion of flavours in both food & decor – as well those must-do Karaoke pods!
The shortlist was announced on the 14th June 2018. All category winners, including the judges’ choice of Best Overall Restaurant and Best Overall Designed Bar will be announced at the London awards event on the 4th October 2018 at King’s Cross in the UK.
You can see all the other restaurants shortlisted from around the world here.
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You should really reference the designer who completed the projects and give them credit, as that’s who is nominated