concrete completes mama makan, a dutch-indonesian grand café in amsterdam

located in amsterdam’s ‘plantage’ quarter which is rooted in the history of dutch trading with the far east, ‘mama makan’ is a new dining destination hosted inside the recently opened spinoza hotel by hyatt regency.

the interior was realized by concrete where the dutch studio brought to life the concept, name, interior design and total graphic identity of the restaurant, as well as the hotel lobby and meeting rooms. the mama makan restaurant itself is a contemporary dutch-indonesian grand café that ultimately connects the traveler with the local heritage, residents and historic nature of the neighborhood. the theme around the interior involves envisioning the journeys on the ancient trading routes.

a palette of greens seen in real plants, the wallpapers and furnishings come together to evoke a tropical yet comfortable setting throughout. a brass cage-like cabinet wrapped around the core hides the structure of the building and with a concrete-edged palm pattern as a backdrop. this organizes the restaurant, bar and lobby areas. this ‘cage’ accommodates all basic functions such as the restaurant bar, chef’s tables, private dining, wine fridges, wardrobe, service stations and the open show kitchen. in addition typical asian cooking equipment and herbs collected during the dutch travels can be found. moving outwards towards the glass facade, the restaurant features various seating areas.

the cage continues seamlessly into the reception of the hotel lobby, with an onyx marble front desk greeting visitors as they come in. a living green wall with tropical plants connects the entrance to the patio in the rear, blurring the distinction between inside and out. the restaurant features a show kitchen, as a volume, has been cut out of the core and is clad in green tiles reminiscent of the green cut-outs as found in the architecture of the building.

the bar is consistent with the restaurant’s show kitchen where the bar is also cut of the center core to show a concrete palm pattern. additionally, the lobby bar cuts into that same volume creating a lower, secretive lounge hidden away from the direct line of sight.