Quest for Creativity Day 16 & 17, Lessons 16 & 17: You find creative endeavours in strange corners… And food tastes better when you’re watching Lord Of The Rings.
It’s the incongruity that caught my eye – Lord Of The Rings being screened on a blank wall outside a classy-looking restaurant stuffed on the backroads in Parkview, Jozi. Driving past it several times a week on the way to Muay Thai classes saw me catch glimpses of various soccer games, a black-and-white oldie I couldn’t identify and various chapters of said fantasy epic.
It was that, and the dapper doorman in his bowler hat, that first got my attention. But I kept on forgetting about it after I’d driven past the warm yellow lighting, flickering images and billowing white curtains that made up my visual slice of time and beat up a boxing bag for a bit.
Until this weekend. Looking for Friday night grub finally saw us end up at Ami Restaurant and Champagne bar – now my new favourite place to be.
Where else can you watch Lord Of The Rings on a big screen while listening to the mellow tunes of Carla Bruni (combined with Frodo’s huge blue eyes it’s quite an experience) and being served by waiters dressed like extras from a “homage to the ‘50s” movie? Each of them wearing their hats like a unique signature to add some sass to what in a random other restaurant would simply be uniform.
And then, in a surreal twist, Mr Doorman and his bowler hat walks you to your car (somehow, he knows exactly which one it is) and opens the door for you! I was dressed in jeans and we were parked in front of a Fruit&Veg store, but I still felt like a movie star…
Ami is somebody’s baby. Somebody sat down and thought what he could do that was different, quirky, creative. How could he create a restaurant that would survive an industry increasingly overrun with bland, boring franchise options?
I think it worked. It’s not perfect, but that just adds to its charm. In fact, round about the white chocolate & lemon cheesecake decorated with pansy flowers I figured I’d be back. Soon. To lounge at the bar, order some champagne, take up space on their comfy couches outside, try to convince the owner to play some soft porn on the wall to see what kind of reaction he would get. And they don’t frown at dancing on the tables either. At least, that’s what my waiter said… We shall see.
Oh, and the food’s not bad either!
Check out Ami’s website here, and Facebook page here.
What’s all this creative stuff about? Click here to find out.
Tags: Ami restaurant and champagne bar, bowler hats, Carla Bruni, creative restaurants, Donnay Torr, dustbunniesproject, Lord Of The Rings, quest for creativity