There is an Escher-like quality to Dao Dao Coffee – its cumulative layers of gangways, landings and small room sets, all lined with pale blonde timber and overlapping black metal screens, are punctured by voids and mezzanines that, in turn, create breakout spaces for intimate tête-à-têtes, and even, for the socially reclusive, solitary corners for one.
Located in the midst of Chengdu’s Intime City Commercial District, the two-storey café is the work of HAD Architects & EPOS which has deployed its trademark arsenal of intersecting volumes to create interesting spaces. This is particularly evident on the second level where a back-lit barrelled ceiling creates a trompe l’oeil effect of a conservatory, a visual treat reinforced by rows of shelves displaying books, stylishly rendered air-plants, and coffee-related tchotchkes.
The lower level paying station, by contrast, is a study in moody black, cut through with columns of contrasting blonde timber on one end, and on the other, opening out with views of the public piazza.
Meanwhile, pastry chef Aimee Huang delivers a tried and tested menu of standards, including tiramisu and a chocolate pistachio mousse laced with Belgian chocolate and Japanese raspberry jam, the sweet repast ably complemented by coffee sourced from Colombia, Ethiopia and, of course, Yunnan.
ADDRESS
Intime City Commercial District
Tianfu 3rd Street
-
‘Irving Penn: Centennial’ offers an unparalleled look at the seminal American photographer’s oeuvreA new retrospective in A Coruña, Spain celebrates the meticulous grandeur of Irving Penn, spanning fashion editorial, still-life, nudes and portraiture across seven decades
-
Inside Luna Luna: the amusement park designed by artists lands in New York‘Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy’ – featuring rides by Basquiat, Lichtenstein, Hockney, Haring, and Dalí – has opened at The Shed
-
Why champagne pairs beautifully with fine foodMaison Krug unites champagne with decadent cuisine in the latest edition of its ‘Single Ingredient’ adventure, in collaboration with globally renowned Michelin-starred chefs who enhance the flavours and aromas of Krug Grande Cuvée or Krug Rosé
-
Inside Palazzo Versace Macau, a lavish, mosaic-rich hotelPalazzo Versace Macau, the brand’s first hotel in Asia, continues to preserve Donatella Versace’s swanky hospitality vision
-
'Retreat and recharge' in Yanbai Villa on a secluded Beijing shorelineYanbai Villa wraps guests in quiet luxury, opening its doors on a secluded Beijing shoreline
-
The Karl Lagerfeld Macau hotel oozes opulence conceived by the late designerThe Karl Lagerfeld Macau hotel is a five-star extravaganza at the Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau, China, designed by the late fashion mogul and set to open in July 2023
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico -
West Kowloon wonders to discover nowCultural and culinary adventures, extraordinary spaces and outstanding experiences in West Kowloon, Hong Kong
-
David Chipperfield Architects and Aim Architecture design ceramic-inspired hotel in China’s porcelain capitalDavid Chipperfield Architects and Aim Architecture unite for the Taoxichuan Hotel project in Jingdezhen
-
Ramshackle farmhouse in China's Hubei province gets a slick makeoverThe reimagined farmhouse is now a contemporary bolthole
-
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland
