-By Celia Ying, Photography by Ulso Tsang

Mall restaurants often give people an impression of just another chain eatery. To avoid making their customers feel like they are dining amidst an array of specialty shops, designers usually need to make extra efforts on the disguise. LIAN, a Vietnamese-Thai restaurant in Hong Kong, accomplishes this feat to perfection. Located on the second floor of the International Finance Centre (IFC) Mall, Hong Kong's tallest building at the Victoria harbor front, this 300-sq.-m. restaurant, designed by Hong Kong-based interior designer Steve Leung, is not only popular for its modern take on classic Vietnamese and Thai dishes, but also for its chic design, which is simply a feast for the eyes.

"We would like to create a contemporary, stylish, fresh environment for the customers, yet keep the authentic Southeastern Asian flavor at the same time," states Leung. This essence is brought to life through a theme that is directly related to the name of the restaurant, LIAN, which means "lotus" in Chinese.

The lotus is highly appreciated in Southeastern Asia, as it symbolizes divinity, fertility, and wealth. Throughout the dining space of LIAN, Leung takes open circles as the feature outline of the lotus, and repeats it on different materials like marble, wood, and black glass. The circle concept begins with a modern arc-shaped volume, representing a woven-rattan basket, which marks the entrance with a contemporary touch. This pattern becomes one of the special features, and it later became the logo of the restaurant.

Inside the arc panel the alabaster-like acrylic glows with a shimmering opalescence, creating a mystic mood for both the interior and exterior. Enclosed in the arc is a lounge furnished with a lengthy semi-circular leather sofa and a standalone marble-top circular table. The white oak tables and leather chairs are mounted on a sliding track, so they can be combined into one big table for party purposes or separated for private talks under a bunch of bubble lights.

Woven rattan-patterned carpet and alabaster-like acrylic wallcovering behind the liquor bar combine in this circular seating area to create a relaxing dining space during the day. At night, it is transformed into a stylish bar. At the opposite end of the restaurant, a rectangular dessert bar with cube-shaped seating and a food display box embedded in the wall panel provides an artistic counterpoint to the circles. Leung remarks: "The inter-weaving of circular and cubical shapes in the space offers a strong contrast but a feeling of harmony surrounds it."

In order to provide a moody space for the interior, the designer created a huge rectangular silver travertine dining table with an overflow lotus pool in the middle. Right above the pool is a mirror ceiling with hanging flowers that, as the designer recalls, creates an unforgettable experience. "Since there is no formula to set the position of the flowers, we had to adjust them one by one until all the flowers were in their 'right' position," Leung recalls. "It was already 4 a.m. when we finished the process. Luckily the feature was well received, and it attracts many customers coming back for this refreshing mood."

"The lotus pool creates different ambience at different times. By day, it gives the interior a refreshing feeling; at night, it creates a sense of mystery and romance. We always receive positive feedback from our customers, especially on the lotus pond. They love the design of it," recognizes a client representative at m.a.x. concepts. Entering this intriguing interior setting, what conquers the diners' minds is not the material world outside, but the essence of purity and serenity of the mysterious realm of Southeast Asia.