Hangzhou Gastrolounge Shamelessly Copies The Nest

By Betty Richardson

You know what they say about fame in China: you only know you've made it when you've got a copycat (thanks, That's Ulaanbaatar!)

Popular restaurant and lounge The Nest can now claim membership to this club thanks to VC Gastro Lounge, a newly opened spot in Hangzhou that, er, borrows a few of its ideas.

Look familiar?

And it isn't just The Nest's famous lighting sculpture ('Fly Beyond,' above, designed by Super Nature), they also went after the gastro lounge's sleek interiors, copying the lighting panels, sideboards and blonde wood color scheme.

The masterminds behind VC Gastro Lounge are local gal pals Vivi and Cici (below), two "energetic young ladies," according to More Hangzhou magazine. Cici is the one with a "passion for eating well," while Vivi is the one with a "talent for marketing." The irony.

However, the extent of the copying didn't reach the food menu, reportedly designed by an ex-Table No.1 chef. VC offers such delights as Caesar salad, Angus ribeye and crispy baby squid.

So what does The Nest make of all this? Proprietor Mark Klingspon is surprisingly Zen about the whole affair. "This isn't the first time time we've been copied, there's one in Wenzhou, one in Changsha; where the lights and dishes look the same. We know they'll never be able to reproduce the atmosphere, the vibe or the people, and discerning customers will know that too. You can copy the hardware, but not the software."

Anyway, the moral of the story is, don't try to do anything original or with design merit, because people will simply copy you somewhere down the line. Let's just all stick to doing the same repetitive concepts that all look similar anyway, ok?

[Images via More Hangzhou, www.supernaturedesign.com]

The Nest, 6/F, 130 Beijing Dong Lu, by Yuanmingyuan Lu

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