Introducing BENUAR by The Toy Moscow – Where Classic Art Deco Meets Pop-Art Elements
Alexander Vorobyov’s new restaurant, BENUAR by The Toy Moscow, has opened at VLADIVOSTOK Grand Hotel & SPA in Russia, along Vladivostok’s Korabelnaya embankment. BENUAR was conceived as an extension of Moscow-based The Toy project but without direct associations. A fine dining place by day, it turns into a restaurant with a show programme by night.
The idea came from the location – the seaport – so the space is bright with a vast glass area that aims to remind diners of Mediterranean Cipriani restaurants. Balanced by textures, materials and space interiors, customers are made to feel comfortable, just like at home or on a yacht. In fact, two walls of the restaurant open onto a parapet behind which the seashore begins; this allows diners to feel relaxed, assuring them that the restaurant meets their highest expectations.
Once they walk through the glass doors, customers find themselves in the lobby that’s reminiscent of a rosewood box. After passing through a small welcome passage, they find themselves in a bar. The bar’s facade is finished in onyx and decorated with spectacular lightning. The lounge, by contrast, is bright with high ceilings and big windows. A glass outbuilding adjacent to the lounge is a winter garden, where you can find tables as well.
The place’s atmosphere is festive and elegant without pretentiousness thanks to a variety of objet’d’art – think a funny, two-metre blue Micky Mouse in the selfie zone and “hands” in the lounge, that are pulling heavy velvet curtains.
BENUAR’s main feature is that it’s a place for business meetings and the gathering of friends. It can easily turn into a restaurant with exciting show programmes come nightfall. The scene is equally visible from all the tables. There is a separate benoir lodge for VIP guests, which lends the restaurant its name. Seven-metre ceilings shape the mezzanine level, complete with tables, sofas, chairs and excellent views.
Glazing, which makes the space feel light and airy, is combined with full soundproofing, thanks to numerous curtains and draperies. These act as interior decor and make rooms fully soundproof and shady when needed. The interior, combined with the author’s cuisine – its main emphasis in the capital of Primorsky Krai is, naturally, seafood – is the only restaurant of this level in the city. It is truly a sight for those who want to spend time dining meaningfully.