French design duo Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have recently completed this restaurant interior for Spanish brand Camper, and we like their rather minimal approach here - allowing the performance of cooking, rather than flamboyant design, to take centre stage.

'Dos Palillos', which is set to open in January 2010 will be the ground floor dining space of the Casa Camper Hotel in Berlin Mitte.

"What immediately interested us was that Dos Palillos was a one of a kind culinary experience offered by Albert Raurich, elBulli’s former chef". reveal the pair.

"In order to celebrate his cuisine, the concept of the restaurant gives full means of expression to his culinary art".

So, naturally, the kitchen is the centre of the space, and with its wide, open set-up, guests can see the preparation of the dishes from the beginning to the end. Deciding to articulate the environment around one long wooden table and a stainless steel kitchen, with one module facing the other, guests will find themselves at the centre of the kitchen, while the chef acts in front of them.

"It was important for us as well to set a dialogue between the 10 cooks and their nearly 30 guests, invited into the chef’s kitchen. In order to emphasize such an interaction and encourage eye contact, we worked on different ground levels so that the guests are able to have a global experience once seated at the table, as if they were attending an artistic performance."

Throughout the project, Ronan and Erwan reduced the level of fussy design intervention to let the scenery express itself, so the space is voluntarily raw with very few elements and materials, thereby sustaining the idea that the legitimate sense of the space comes from the relation between the guests and the cuisine.

Images © Tahon & Bouroullec