The Kaikaya restaurant, designed by Masquespacio, was established by the fusion of two different cultures with the soul of its property, a Valencian who moved to Brazil and fell in love with Nikkei-Nikkei cuisine, a combination of Japanese and Brazilian cuisine
The first Japanese arrived in Brazil at the beginning of the twentieth century with the aim of working in coffee plantations, since Japanese nutrition was totally different, the need arose to adapt to local ingredients. This resulted in a new gastronomy called Nikkei-Nikkei, with a strong identity that after more than a century has achieved international popularity with its unique flavours and combinations
A fusion of traditional Japan and tropical Brazil with Valencian culture the focus, Kaikaya is the result of this story: a representation of styles not only in the kitchen but also in its interior design
The original scenario is an emblematic site with vaults, metal beams and exposed bricks, whose first objective was to maintain the existing elements in their current state, highlighting the beauty of their imperfections that have been left behind by time
The design had to contain a powerful touch of colour according to the Masquespacio style coupled with an eclectic style that could mix the two concepts of Japan + Brazil without being conventional. So, in the first case, we acknowledge the use of materials reminiscent of Japan, such as wood and raffia, along with elements that bring tropicalism from the country of samba, with its colourful patterns made of mosaic tiles
At the entrance to the restaurant there are raffia circles representing the hats used during the rice harvest in the country of the Rising Sun and which blend here in an explosive way with the coloured mosaic tiles and the tropical plants. The bar maintains the same mix through the use of traditional Japanese wood counter and colourful patterns inspired by the Brazil of the seventies
