RESTAURANT
Sean Connolly at Dubai Opera is a 350 person
restaurant, bar and courtyard in the heart of
bustling Dubai, with direct views of the Burj
Khalifa and is the only restaurant in the newly
opened Dubai Opera space.
The venue includes Raw bar, Fire bar,
brasserie, main bar, dining areas, private
dining, chefs table, external bar and courtyard
and dining areas. tenancy and drew upon Alexander &CO’s
personal interest in 20th-century classic
design and architecture combined with the
oceanic Australian/New Zealand influences of
Sean Connolly’s cooking. Each design element
within the venue explores ideas of the sea,
from the oyster with its combination of smooth
sensual surfaces and textured outer surfaces,
to the oceanic tones and colours of corals and
pearlescent hues.
The restaurant was inspired by the highly
irregular shape and scale of the building and Vaulted ceiling tiles which reference both the
inside of an oyster and the iconic geometries
THE WORLD OF HOSPITALITY 5
of the Sydney Opera House are jewel like and
reflective.
The main spaces are focused upon the central
cocktail Pearl Bar, constructed from grey
leather, walnut timber and yellow marble. The
grey marble banquettes with their pink leather
are reminders of the delicate contrasts of the
ocean corals and sea creatures while the raw
and fire bars remind us of the outer edges of
blackened seashells.