Mogao Restaurant, Dubai

Set within a 4-star Raddison Red hotel in Dubai Silicon Oasis, DZ Design’s latest Pan-Asian restaurant pays homage to the Buddhist hand-carved Mogao caves in Gansu Province. Being home to many tech startups, DSO has a bustling and vibrant dining scene. Mogao, however, offers a temporary escape in a calm dining environment, reminiscent of dining in a cave.

With earthy, natural tones infused with accents of signature red, the interiors create a cosy, yet moody ambience, creating a more intimate connection to Asian cuisine.

Inspired by traditional Asian cooking utensils – the bamboo steamer and the wok – Mogao’s interiors offer two distinct design features. 3D sketch of a cluster of blooming Anthuriums was created first, then layered with 50 different-sized woks suspended at various heights to create a true interpretation of the flowers.

Another key design feature is the wall behind the bar counter, which overlooks the main dining room. The team incorporated 300 middle-sized bamboo steamers into the wall cladding, arranging them beautifully to form a 3D geometric pattern. Design walk-through Guests enter the restaurant through a low-ceiling entryway adorned with wenge-finished timber battens. Glazed screens provide views into the busy kitchen, extending into the L-shaped bar area, which overlooks the dining area.

Multiple seating options are available to accommodate a larger capacity in the main dining hall and a greater degree of privacy in a slightly elevated section. Bedecked with a cane backrest design, the black body dining chairs beautifully complements the neutral hues and make it an elegant addition to simple light oak dining tables.