To bring about brutal burrito en Madrid, Burr Studio looked for inspiration in street vendors and market stalls, emulating the temporal and sporadic space in which these classic restaurants live, referencing both their physical form and their ambition to change and evolve.
Named for the rough edges, imperfections and remains that appear in a process of alteration, Burr is an experimental architecture studio based in Madrid that looks at design asymmetrically, led by Elena Fuertes, Ramón Martínez, Álvaro Molins and Jorge Sobejano, and together they devised this project that treats the interior as a body to be dressed, thus establishing a distinction between naked parts and dressed parts.
The pre-existing space remains 'bare', assuming a raw aesthetic based on rough plastered surfaces and floors that reflect the materiality of the surrounding sidewalks. The 'dress' element is developed as a textile system that distributes the dining rooms. For the separation of zones, a stretched fabric is used, based on techniques used in street markets.
To create a contrast with this street reference, the project draws on quite classical influences using arcades to delimit the interior spaces. This type of structure resembles inflatable castles for children; a kind of tradition made of plastic. This detachable, almost disposable condition gives a certain spontaneity to the interior; the feeling of being a place that doesn't really belong there.
In keeping with this idea, the display of the facade is made up of intentionally mismatched elements, making the arcades seem detached from the windows on the street, so it is understood as a series of layers that do not fit together.
The kitchen elements, on the other hand, take a fixed position. They adopt a functional and technical aesthetics, using stainless steel as a sanitary surface on which to prepare or serve food. The ceiling extends out of the kitchen, invading the rest of the space with metallic reflections, blurring the difference between the two sides of the bar.
Among all the elements of the kitchen, two stand out above all others. The first is the comal, an adaptation of the traditional pre-Columbian kitchen utensil used mainly in Mexico. It takes a central position, both physically and symbolically, representing all the cooking operations carried out by brutal burrito. It is a shiny stainless steel cylinder, split into two halves, a griddle and an extractor hood, only connected by smoke and flames. The second element is the tortilladora, an apparatus developed specifically to produce tortillas, which is rarely found outside of Latin America.
In this way, the visitor meets the tortilla machine in action, producing the tortillas that will later be eaten, enclosed in a protective display case.
The furniture designed for brutal burrito is based on the aluminum tube bending technique, used mainly for the production of outdoor furniture for small bars and restaurants in Spain.
For the tables and seats, the designers chose a high-density cutting board, commonly used in the kitchen for chopping and slicing food. The repetition of these elements resulted in two large tables for shared use.
Diners can pull up a tubular steel stool and order from Brutal Burrito's menu of classic dishes, including a vegan option with macha sauce and guajillo chili.
It is located at: C. de San Bernardo, 64, 28015 Madrid Spain.