URRAK by OTHERWORLDS

Inspired from the locally abundant cashew, Urrak is a restaurant in Saipem, North Goa, serving seasonal and local produce with a twist. When we first visited the quaint site on the banks of the nerul river in Saipem, we noticed sporadic formations of silt collected along the edge of the property where an ecosystem of mangroves and migratory birds have started to thrive. 

We instantly imagined a speculative fictional past for the restaurant where local debris collected over the years by the river have now taken multiple formations of irregularity serving the community in different ways. One such formation acts as a bar to have your evening drink, another one as a high table to finish your morning work, while others include a planter to sit around, a welcome desk, a ledge to keep your drink while standing and one as an outdoor grill. 

Locally sourced black tile mosaic was used to replicate the island deposits with reclaimed yellow pine wood bolstered on top of most of them. Inspired from the irregular shape of the nerul river cutting through the lands of Saipem, a canopy was erected with fluidic forms of bamboo mat interspersed with textured plaster. The bar display exemplifies this narrative by being a cluster of abstract irregular cut-outs on a wall meant to house not just liquor but also local artefacts and collectibles. 

The material palette of broken black tile mosaic on grey cement flooring juxtaposed with yellowish brown pinewood with bamboo mesh and textured white plaster compliments the overgrown green neighbourhood and the muddy waters of the river that catches the sun's hues everyday during dusk. The restaurant as a whole functions as a collection of islands made up of irregular black tile mosaic patterns that are all sheltered under one singular linear but fluidic bamboo clad roof.