Its banana-leaf-print wallpaper and checkered-tile floors still intact, Indochine has remained the perennial gathering place for art and fashion scenesters since its neon-bannered doors opened in 1984. This French-Vietnamese spot was restaurateur Brian McNally’s first solo effort, and was inspired by his Parisian wife’s love of the indochinoise cuisine she missed from home. Warhol, Basquiat, Schnabel, and Von Furstenberg were just a few of Indochine’s mononymic regulars, and its cult status among the creative set persists to this day: Anna Wintour feted Grace Coddington’s birthday here in 1991 and 2011, and the place is packed to the brim every Fashion Week. While this loud, dimly lit landmark with runway-ready waitstaff is better known for people-watching than for food, its fried-spring-roll appetizer, coconut-milk-curry sole, and fusion desserts still come highly recommended. (Bonus: vegetarians welcome.)
Indochine
Image by Indochine
Christy Turlington (photo by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, 2004) © Used with permission, from Indochine, published 2009 by Rizzoli International, New York. Exterior facade image by Indochine
