As Nature Intended By James Sharpe

Indochine in Wisma Atria has changed since I last reviewed Nude a couple of years back. Gone are the Sharks and rather risqué lavatories, replaced with Greek Gods and interestingly tiered seating. Evidently quite a lot of changed since then. The new Nude is much more of an intimate dining space than it used to be, though this is intimacy in terms of it being small, not warm and inviting. I don’t think you could ever attribute the words ‘warm’ and ‘inviting’ to an IndoChine establishment. Chic and sophisticated? Yes, Nude has evidence of these adjectives in abundance.

The statues of Greek Gods that adorns each corner of the restaurant looks on, presiding over diners and showing a bit of skin. The walls, all black, are made from a variety of textured materials. Add to this a good dash of Chandelier (evidently somewhat of a penchant of the owner) and you’re left with a setting that is uncharitably described as eclectic, but perhaps more fairly described as post-modern.



For me, the most interesting design aspect of the Nude is its tiered seating. Picture your typical table next to a wall. It has two chairs on the outside and a bench chair along the wall. At nude, the chairs are tall barstools, and the bench seat is more throne height than anything. Here’s a tip, if you want to have a slight feeling of superiority over your dinner guests, make sure you take the throne-like bench seat as it places you just ever so slightly above those sitting on the bar stools making you feel like you are presiding over or ‘above’ them.

(For the complete article please refer to your August 07 issue of Golf Asia magazine)