A clever selection of different clay tiles for a Mexican restaurant in the Netherlands

We share much more with the restaurant Oaxaca (one of the Sagardi Group‘s kitchens) than meets the eye. Just as in our Nasrid ovens, theirs are also fuelled by an age-old tradition. In the stoves of this kitchen, headed by chef Joan Bagur, traditional Mexican cuisine is not just defended but vindicated. They have recently expanded the family with a new location in Amsterdam, and have entrusted todobarro to carry out a very ambitious project with different clay tiles that we deeply identify with.

The parallel values between Oaxaca and todobarro

We found obvious parallels between the values of this restaurant and our own from the get go. One only has to take a look at its website to find evidence of what matters. Oaxaca is committed to keeping millenary knowledge alive through respect of tradition and technical innovation.

All the dishes and products that this temple of Mexican cuisine works with are a distillation of the work of the ‘mayoras’; women who are heirs to the culinary traditions of their ancestors. These women haven’t received formal or academic training, but they treasure an extraordinary level of knowledge that is passed down from one generation to the next.

Like Chef Bagur, we are well aware of the responsibility that bears contributing to the safeguarding of tradition in a globalized and increasingly homogenous world. However, going against the grain on this is a strength, not a weakness. People are saturated with fast food and crave for healthy dishes cooked slowly. The projects we have the good fortune of participating in prove it time and time again.

Hispanic identity in different clay tiles

Part of the challenge of this project lay in its location. Although Mexican cuisine is nowadays rather universal, the fact that the restaurant is located in the Netherlands could not be overlooked.

The intention regarding the design revolved around the idea of giving the restaurant a recognisable Hispanic identity that wouldn’t fall into the most common places of the Central European imagination. And there is no better material for this than fired clay tiles, as we share with the Hispanic world an important pottery tradition.

Another aspect we really like about this particular project is the creativity and intelligence with which our clients have chosen and combined a wide variety of our different clay pieces. The space has different personalities, and it separates the sectionsoperationally.  The aesthetic coherence throughout the premises is maintained, though.

We found combinations of basic formats, such as Ladrillo, Cuadrado and Rectángulo, floor patterns such as Malla and Girasol, and sets such as Tres Piezas and Vélez Acueducto. They have also chosen combinations of our Straw, Salmon and Slate shades.