Alice & Fifth — Johannesburg, South Africa

Since it opened in 1983, the Sandton Sun hotel has capitalised on its location in Johannesburg’s Sandton quarter, informally known as Africa’s richest square mile, by luring power suits, celebrities and top brass politicians alike. The arrival of Alice & Fifth in the hotel’s basement will only raise the stakes for competitors.
Local designer Tristan Plessis Studio has unraveled the subterranean labyrinth of varying volumes to create a series of dramatic room-sets, including three bars and dining rooms. The entrance sets the tone with a bijou corridor topped by a ceiling carved from a solid piece of hand-moulded polished stainless steel to look like liquid mercury; whilst creamy wall panels curve, Inception-like, up and over plush, crescent shaped banquettes.
In the kitchen, executive chefs Justin Josephs and Jacques Cronje have conceived a contemporary African menu that is defiantly protein-based, though you should follow the rib-eye with the Malva pudding, a local baked classic of sponge and caramelised sugar.
ADDRESS
Corner Alice Lane and 5th Street
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
Vauxhall Astra hybrid is sober and stealthy
Once a mainstay of the best-seller lists, the Vauxhall Astra’s star is fading. Can hybridisation put this modest machine back on the radar?
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Find the perfect midcentury holiday home with Modernist Estates
Stefi Orazi’s Modernist Estates launches a peer-to-peer holiday letting platform for midcentury holiday homes across the UK
By Rosa Bertoli • Published
-
‘Sun Breakers’ book sees Jürgen Beck’s photography celebrate Eileen Gray’s E-1027 house
‘Sun Breakers’, a new book celebrating the work of Eileen Gray, looks at the architect’s E-1027 house through the captivating, intimate photography of Jürgen Beck
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Cape Town: 8 things to do and see for the design-minded traveller
Cape Town is a capital of art, design, food and wellness; local resident Sean O’Toole on the best things to do and see, from a Bree Street meander to a Constantia wine route
By Sean O'Toole • Published
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
By Chadner Navarro • Published
-
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland
By Daven Wu • Last updated
-
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia
By Dimity Noble • Last updated
-
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
By Jennifer Choo • Last updated
-
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
By Daven Wu • Last updated
-
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China
By Daven Wu • Last updated
-
Casa Santa Teresa — Corsica, France
By Daven Wu • Last updated