Beckaly Franks and Ezra Star unveil their latest out-of-this-world cocktail concept focused on brown spirits
With its sweeping, otherworldly curves reflected by a mirrored ceiling into something resembling the inside of a whale’s ribcage, or even an extraterrestrial chapel, Artifact Bar is as eye-catching as bars come—even more surprisingly, perhaps, is its location, tucked away behind Artifact, the caviar-heavy casual fine-dining venue found inside, of all things, a food hall.
It's a Russian doll of F&B concepts, with the cocktail-slinging core of the equation conceived by bartending power couple Ezra Star and Beckaly Franks (of Mostly Harmless and Quality Goods Club fame) alongside industry veteran Michael Larkin.
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The new bar, due to open in BaseHall 02 on April 11, was designed by Nelson Chow of NCDA, who in recent years has been responsible for other UFO-inspired interiors across town, including Wellwellwell, the ethereal CosMax beauty salon, and New World Development’s Brutalist Greenhouse. At Artifact Bar, Chow has sculpted booths that swoop down from the ceiling and seem to hover just short of the floor, framing a small bar counter at the end of its nave. The overall effect is one of walking into a set piece from The Fifth Element.