Mr B Peels Old Mandarin

Mr B’s:

396 Pitt St, Sydney NSW
(02) 8080 7777 or www.mrbshotel.com.au

The old Mandarin Club was a Sydney CBD institution. Founded in 1965, it was situated at the corner of Pitt and Goulburn Streets until a relocation in 2009. The place to be for the who’s who of the entertainment industry in the ’60s and ’70s, the club was also famous for its multi-coloured, spring-loaded dancefloor. The building that was the shell of the old Mandarin is now home to Mr B’s, a small name for a big place consisting of three levels, three bars, outdoor seat- ing, dining, plus gaming and a function space. A design project from PMDL Architecture & Design, the hotel’s design was inspired by the spirit of ‘adaptive reuse’: for example, the timber floors are made of recycled iron bark. Downstairs, the Tao Lounge makes use of every luxurious shade of red, finished with gold and Asian imagery. On ground level is restaurant Iina, where lots of polished wood and straight lines sit alongside a white marble bar and modernist chandeliers. The upstairs bar has a distinctly retro feel with what could be an overload of red and brown, but achieves a clever balance with some eye-catching patterns. The walls are constructed in little cubicle-like nooks from which drinkers can observe the happenings below. A delightfully intriguing addition is the shiny pressed metal ceiling. What brings some continuity between upstairs and the ground floor is the wooded cube pattern adorning the ceilings and walls: easy to stare at, elegant and quirky enough to bring the place its own char- acter. There is plenty to explore at Mr B’s. [Photo: Brett Boardman]