bouroullec brothers: dos palillos restaurant

exterior view of the hotel and restaurant image courtesy of studio bouroullec

the bouroullec brothers were invited by camper to design the dos palillos restaurant of the casa camper hotel in berlin mitte. for the design, they wanted to establish a space that enhances and gives full meaning of the culinary experience offered by chef alber raurich(former chef of elbulli) and which celebrates his culinary art.

the bouroullec brothers felt it was important to set a dialogue between the 10 cooks and their 30 some-odd guests who are invited into the chef’s kitchen. to emphasize this interaction and encourage eye contact between cook and diner, they worked to develop a space in which guests are able to have an experience that almost feels as if they were attending an artistic performance.

the kitchen is the main centrepiece of the restauarant and is an open concept, allowing diners to watch the chefs prepare dishes from start to finish. the space is articulated by one long wooden table table and a stainless steel kitchen, each module facing the other. this arrangement, lets the diner find him/herself at the centre of the kitchen, while the chef acts in front of them.

the bouroullec brothers’ intention for the space was to minimize their interventions as much as possible and just let the scenery of the kitchen / dining space speak for itself. overall, the aesthetic is voluntarily raw, with few elements and materials to sustain this relationship between the guests and cuisine.

the restaurant is located on the ground floor of the hotel with large glass windows separating the space from the street, while allowing people passing by the opportunity to participate in the show that is happening in the kitchen. dos palillos is set to open in january 2010.

large glass windows separate the space from outside, while still letting passer-bys view the show going on in the kitchen image courtesy of studio bouroullec