A classic and timeless French brasserie. A contemporary Asian twist. A restaurant in a hotel - but not a hotel restaurant. These were important parts of the brief - but also a big challenge for the designers, when they started working on this restaurant project in a former industrial area in Zürich, transformed into Sihlcity, a centre for entertainment and experiences, fashion and lifestyle, business and leisure. The ambition was to unite French and Asian influences and create an exciting mix that could affect the culinary direction as well as the interior design. Located in a neighbourhood that used to house a former paper mill, producing fine paper for book printing, the cultural aspect was also taken into consideration. 

The solution was to be found in one of the classic works of French literature - Marguerite Duras’ world-famous autobiographical novel "The Lover". This is the story about the encounter, relationship and love-affair between a young French woman and a wealthy Chinese man. Set in French Indochina in the late 1920s, this is a sensual narrative about a free-spirited young woman and forbidden love. Furthermore, the book is a timeless symbol for the fusion between western and eastern culture. 

This passionate story and its cultural context became the perfect conceptual backdrop for the restaurant and its interior design, infusing sensualism and a big heart into the banking capital of Europe. Here, it symbolizes the passion and love for good food and drinks, people, meetings and great hospitality. And wherever you are seated, you have some of the world’s best-known love novels within easy reach.