Mama Zoee

A fine dining restaurant serving vegan and vegetarian food based on traditional asian specialities.

MamaZoee is a fine dining restaurant in the heart of heidelberg serving vegan and vegetarian food based on traditional asian specialities, a very rare and extraordinary concept within the world of upscaled restaurants. Furthermore it is a space for culture, a space where asian tradition encounters the heritage of american rap music. The first is to be found on the plates in terms of flavourful dishes whereas the latter can be eyeballed on printed fabric that is backlit and placed on the wall panelling picturing important protagonists of the east and west coast together with their most effective punch lines. Housed at ground level in the corner of the building, the spatial main feature are the full-faced glass fronts on two sides shielding the space from the streets. In order to ensure the guests privacy the glass fronts are covered with dark tinted film having the effect, that by daylight it is see-through on the inside and mirrored on the outside whereas after dark it is the other way around.

Client Georgios Messas
Typology Restaurant
Year 2023
Credits Julian Beekmann, Photography
From the very beginning the asian orientation has played a central part throughout the entire design process and has significantly informed the interior aesthetics strongly. A stained wooden frame structure that draws inspiration from asian teahouses and japanese wood working techniques, is adapted to the large panellings covering the walls, to the centered bar containing the open kitchen and to the small cabinet, a separated room within the space in order to hide things.
The dark wooden texture of the frame structure perfectly matches the greenish and slightly tilted floor tiles made of Verde Guatemala marble and they in turn are a suitable yet contrasting background for the table tops hovering above and being made of black raw slate. This combination of colors and materials create a warm and welcoming atmosphere that is harmoniously complemented by the natural wood texture of &tradition's pavilion chair and the brown leather upholstery of the benches. Encircled by tall bird-of-paradise plants, Mama Zoee is a pleasure for all senses and is always worth a visit.