Salvatore Cuomo Cafe designed by architect Tomaso Piantini

Tomaso Piantini

Architect Tomaso Piantini of architects, a Milan based architecture firm designed Salvatore Cuomo Cafè which was awarded the prestigious 2022 BigSee Award by the Slovenian design association.

Architect Tomaso Piantini of arcHITects, a Milan-based architecture firm, has signed the design for the Salvatore Cuomo Cafe, a restaurant in Manila, Philippines, in 2019 by Salvatore Cuomo, an Italian from Naples, a chef best known in Japan, where he runs more than 100 establishments with a specialization in pizzerias, and who also runs establishments throughout Asia.

In the Manila restaurant, the first Salvatore Cuomo Café, to open in the Philippines, the pizza concept is less present, although the iconic, Salvatore Cuomo branding stands out on the imposing oven encased in a column of riveted copper panels, and the striking hat above the bar is made of oven blades that recreate the pizza theme in an original way. Salvatore Cuomo Cafe has a light and fresh format and is located inside the centrally located mall, The Podium, in Manila’s business district.

Popular for both business lunches and dinner, it offers a relaxing space within the chaotic city. The restaurant covers 200 square meters with well-divided bright spaces and a patio with a veranda, totaling more than 80 covers.

The Podium mall is characterized by numerous natural references, starting with the green covering of the facade. In conceiving the design for the Salvatore Cuomo Cafe, architect Piantini chose to recall the green idea suggested by the mall’s exterior inside the restaurant. Many of the tables have incredibly realistic plants in the center, and the large Benetti Moss wall at the entrance to the restaurant is a scenic reminder of green.

The Benetti Moss wall measures 5×4 meters and was designed so that it would become one of the distinctive elements of the restaurant. It is one of the few supplies imported directly, while much of the furniture was manufactured or purchased locally. Made from Cladonia Stellaris, a 100% natural and stabilized lichen collected from the forests of Northern Europe, the wall offers a distinctive image with great aesthetic impact. The collaboration between arcHITects and Benetti Home has developed over time in other projects where the vertical garden was included for a shopping center and in a major office renovation in Milan.

According to the architect, from a technical point of view, the Benetti Moss wall is a product of great natural appeal that efficiently solves the criticalities of using green indoors, as it does not require maintenance, it is stable and – a very important aspect in this project – does not attract insects, of which Manila is full, given the tropical climate. The Benetti Moss wall repels mold and was chosen for its unique characteristics – better than other products – allowing it to withstand Manila’s 90% humidity very well, even if the restaurant room is enclosed and glazed and is not directly exposed to the outside climate.

Chef Salvatore Cuomo was very favorably impressed with the result. The fact that the outdoor mall was covered with real plants made it especially important to find the point of appeal with a manageable green component in an indoor space. The biotic component of the environment’s covering was further confirmation of arcHITects winning choice.

Manila, Salvatore Cuomo Cafe was awarded the prestigious 2022 BigSee Award by the Slovenian design association, a recognition that draws support from prestigious brands such as Gaggenau, Hansgrohe, Geberit, Nordica, Tekcell. The award for the interior category was given to arcHITects on May 5, 2022 at an event held in Ljubljana.