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2016 Boschendal Style Award nominee: Gentlemen’s Arthouse in Newtown
Thursday, October 6th, 2016
Our next contender for the 2016 Boschendal Style Award is Gentlemen’s Arthouse, Johannesburg’s dramatic and eccentric restaurant located in a heritage building. Here’s why it deserves its nomination as the most stylish restaurant in SA.
Design details
The look: Lavish and theatrical
The location: A 1911 heritage building in the historic Market Theatre district in Newtown, Johannesburg
The creatives: Design and interior by Maira Koutsoudakis of LIFE Interiors + Architecture + Strategic Design; artwork by South African greats including William Kentridge, Norman Catherine, Gerard Sekoto, Lorraine Venter, Philip Bawcombe and work after Irma Stern
The booth inside Gentleman’s Arthouse. Photo supplied.
The style
Gentlemen’s Arthouse is housed in a 1911 PHRAG-listed (Provincial Heritage Resources Authority Gauteng) building in the historic Market Theatre district in Newtown.
The building – once a men’s lavatory – has since been restored over a three-year period by Maira Koutsoudakis and her award-winning design team, LIFE Interiors + Architecture + Strategic Design, to create an ode to its Edwardian heritage with a contemporary, playful touch.
The inspiration behind the quirky yet opulent decor was not to integrate, but rather to create a complete contrast – where old meets new and heritage meets the contemporary.
A dining table at The Gentlemen’s Arthouse. Photo supplied.
Every piece in the space has been hand-selected and includes a custom-made brass bar with Victorian ceiling panelling, a brass top and a cabinet of curiosities, antique table lamps and a collection of vintage photographs featuring Victorian gentlemen. Maira and her team retained the building’s original emerald green wall tiles by using artisan manufacturers to restore and reproduce these in a style true to the original.
Unconventional elements in the space include the lavatory urinals that have been converted into throne seat banquettes in teal velvet; passementerie tassels and dramatic strip lighting; festoon lights in the adjoining courtyard; and a carriage-like container housing the kitchen and elegant bathrooms.
To add an element of local heritage, the Gentlemen’s Arthouse also boasts several paintings by South African greats including William Kentridge, Norman Catherine, Gerard Sekoto, Lorraine Venter, Philip Bawcombe, and work after Irma Stern.
The former urinals reincarnated as porcelain seating. Photo supplied.
The space also plays host to the performing arts that would have featured in its Victorian heyday – fire-eaters, tasteful burlesques, strong men, trapeze artists and chanteuses.
The cuisine
The food at Gentlemen’s Arthouse is decadent and dramatic with an experimental touch. Favourites include the League of Extraordinary Gentlelambs with French trim lamb cutlets, lamb rib lollipops and duck fat fries; or the Prima Donna Prawn, grilled tiger prawns served with a saffron rice wafer and a spiced lentil ragout and buttermilk raita. Another signature dish is the Crudo Cones: sesame cones with a trio of fillings including tuna ceviche, salmon tartare, and cured beef fillet.
Gentleman’s Arthouse’s savoury cones. Photo supplied.
Does Gentlemen’s Arthouse have what it takes to win the 2016 Boschendal Style Award? Find out at the Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards on 20 November 2016. Buy tickets now.
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The disaster that is gentlemen’s arthouse
Avoid at all costs!!!!! We were regrettable a table of 17 and at the end of the night everyone was looking for a fast food joint to fill our bellies.
Staff
Waiters are friendly enough however it is clear that they know that the culture in the establishment is that that management comes first and is prioritized way over the needs of the customer. Bar men definitely the winners of the night and went out of their way to help. Management (there was only one manager on duty on 7 December) is cocky, unfriendly, not helpful and took Zero responsibility for all that went wrong on the night.
Food
We were never sent a menu for the night however there was seafood, red meat etc on the menu with no alternatives, when we pointed this out to the manager we were told that the menu is on the website and we should have read it. Even though guests were allergic to certain items or could not partake for religious reasons and there were no alternatives we were still charged full price.
Its clear that Low quality ingredients are used to save costs and that they not pulled together well. Only the salmon was palatable however it was clear that it sat on some counter for ages as did all the food, bone marrow had congealed by the time it was served.
One of our friends had to leave due to a death in the family and we were still charged full price. Food was cold and bland.
Bill
Manager collected cash and took credit payments at the bar from guests individually. He got very defensive when I wanted to understand how the payments were done and what our total bill was, we later found out on the way home that one of our friends had paid R1400 in cash which was not taken into account. So after going out of his way to make sure we had an awful night he still overcharged us.
Location
It is smack bang between a hotel and mall, impossible to find because directions on the site are poor. We tried to call for directions but website number and a number on google are not the same. When we got to the restaurant and explained this and that we hd been driving around town there was no apology of any sort.
Drinks
At 8pm the sparkling wine was warm
Because apparently stock had just arrived. They were out of stock of a number of items at the beginning of the night. How can you be out of stock at the beginning of the night when you know have 2 big tables booked for the evening?!?
Entertainment
The two shows consist of a lady dancing. Both were laughable!!!!
Price
Biggest waste of money. Rather go to some of the other great restaurant Joburg has on offer. New favourite – Marble in rosebank. Old favorite Mezepoli in Melrose Arch.
Apology
I sincerely want to apologize to the friends I invited on the evening sorry that you had to endure the awful food and disgusting service that embodies gentlemen’s arthouse.