Virgin Australia, Voyeur, June 2017

Most nights, the bobo Bordelaise knowingly pass through the dining room at Symbiose and head straight for the grandfather clock. It hides the entryway to the address’s main attraction: a cocktail bar where the likes of Biggie and Bob Marley play overhead and handsome bartenders mix drinks with an easy flip of the bottle or flick of the wrist.

“That’s your diamond; that’s your gift,” says Lucas Maraton, one of four partners, placing before me a goblet with a sprig of mint and a giant ice cube carved to resemble the fine gemstone. He proudly declares it the “Smokey Suzy,” smiling mischievously, which reveals a charming gap between his two front teeth. Then off he goes singing aloud to the song now filling the low-lit space:

“Livin’ is an art…

Using the colours of the universe…”