Want to have a 'Fling' –try it at the Paparazzi

By Ayesha R. Rafiq

'The toilet's good enough to make love in,' is the first thing Dhiraj eagerly shares with me as I walk in. I don't even have time to be confused as I'm pushed inside the toilet, and I see that he could be right.

And if you're someone who likes to read in the toilet, there's four walls worth of reading in there too. Don't get me wrong though. This is not going to be a colourful description of somebody's toilet.

It's just an illustration of the fun and care a young interior designer with a new and exciting vision has put into creating Colombo's first theme restaurant.

Dhiraj de Almeida is a welcome breath of fresh air in the art of interior designing. It's plain to see he knows exactly what he's doing and hugely enjoys himself into the bargain.

Paparazzi isn't an Italian restaurant, nor is it a cult club full of Diana fans. It's a fine dining restaurant which Dhiraj was asked to decorate, and decorate it he did.

Pass by the restaurant on Duplication Road and you'll wonder what it is. All you'll see are quotes by the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Mother Teresa printed on tinted glass. Dare to venture inside and you'll feel like you're stepping through Alice's looking glass.

The wallpaper is newspaper. Actual newspaper cuttings from all countries in all languages cover the walls from top to bottom, including those in the bathrooms, so this is one place you'll never be bored if your date keeps you waiting half an hour. What's more it's cost effective. If the newspapers yellow or get dirty, well you just cut up some more and slap them on.

More striking though are the large red bordered black framed photographs hung on the walls. Choose a table on the left and you can dine under the watchful eyes of Mahatma Gandhi. A table on your right or at the back, will give you a choice of keeping company with kings, princesses and presidents such as Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, Princess Diana or Nelson Mandela or for sports fans, Bruce Lee. Or if you prefer to have a drink before dinner, Marilyn Monroe is guaranteed to silently entertain you, while you lounge in chairs that resemble cinema seats in theatres abroad, in keeping with the theme of 'cinema cum newspaper'.

The idea, says Dhiraj, was to have someone who is or was famous and talked about and written about in the newspapers often. So there's Marilyn Monroe for music, Bruce Lee for sports, Nelson Mandela for politics and so on. 'I didn't want to have any local politicians, because I think they're all jokers', he says, only half jokingly.

Your eye is then drawn to a blank wall, which stands out in the middle of the huge collage. And he promises that soon, the space is going to be taken up by almost 100-year-old newspaper articles cut out of original papers detailing various historic events.

The colour scheme is red and black, and while it may sound startling at first, works with the theme. The candlelight gives an aura of comfortable elegance. Such care has been taken over the decor, that even the most minute detail has not been overlooked. The napkin rings are covered in newspaper, while the waiters are kitted out in hats complete with visors and pens to fit, just like the newsroom staff in newspaper offices abroad. The menu has headings such as 'Editorial' for appetizers, 'Cover story' for soups, 'Health and Beauty' for Vegetarian and so on.

Though young, Diraj holds a degree in interior design and is already in charge of the season's decorations for the Hilton and Trans Asia. He also does celebrity weddings and says he revels in designing themes which are out of the ordinary. 'The great thing at Paparazzi is that though it looks so good, the cost was actually very low, only Rs. 2 million to get everything done, down to the very last detail, which is very low compared to an average cost of opening a restaurant,' he says.

Dhiraj feels that what makes his style so unique is that he has the freedom to do what he wants. Criticising old school designers for not being able to adapt to novel creativity, he says, 'there is such a lot of young talent out there, but they don't have a way of expressing themselves because of the established conservative designers, who don't want to try anything different. If only they were more open to suggestions, we could produce wonders in interior design.'

So why the idea for a theme restaurant centring on the media. 'We wanted to bring out the good side of the media. Not the paparazzi which became so notorious after Princess Diana's death, but the paparazzi and the journalists that bring to us worlds we don't know, stories that open our eyes, the good side of the tabloids,' says Ifasha Mahir, the Maldivian who manages the restaurant together with her Norwegian husband Oystein Ellingston and chef Thilak Seneratne.

What's more, says Ifasha, Paparazzi offers the combination of fine dining at an affordable price. 'So if there are teenagers who want to impress their girlfriends without going around penniless for the next five months, they could come here. For example, for lunch we offer a Rs. 360 package in addition to the main menu which contains a starter, the main course and desert, all fine-dining, with choices, for Rs. 360.'

The menu was conceived after doing a thorough survey of the menus available locally. As the result, 'all our dishes are new and not offered by any of the restaurants here,' says internationally experienced chef Thilak. With 18 years of experience behind him, working at the Intercontinental and the Taj Samudra in Colombo and in hotels in Maldives, Thilak is game to try out any combination that the client wants.

'There's nothing we can't make. If you want naan with mango, we'll make it for you. It can be totally outrageous, but we'll try it,' says bubbly Ifasha. 'What we've tried to do is offer oriental dishes with a western influence, and western dishes with an oriental influence, so that everybody is happy,' she says. They also plan on changing the menu every four months, while retaining the favourites, so you'll never be bored.

The menu also offers ample opportunity to many hopefuls. 'Want to have a 'Fling', or would you prefer a 'Between the Sheets'?' If you're lucky, she'll accept, and if not, at least you'll be able to save face, because after all, they're only cocktails on the menu. You may also want to try a Bull-Dog's fantasy while you have a drink, chicken wings with a delicious sauce on it. 'And being the country of tea, we offer a free cup of tea with every meal,' says Ifasha.

She is also willing to organise private parties if anyone requests. 'They can book the whole restaurant for themselves if they like. If they want to have a theme party and want all the waiters to dress up as nuns, we'll do it. We'll really do whatever the client wants,' she emphasises, in what has now become a conversational tic in her enthusiasm.

And you might not want to miss the Nuts and Bolts theme night they're organising. I'm not letting any secrets out except that it sounds like it's going to be a whole barrel of fun.

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