Mama’s Buoi in Surry Hills was a labour of love by Giant Design, bringing to life founder Bao Huong’s mother’s authentic home cooked meals. Apart from the obvious play on words, a Buoi is a small grapefruit, native to South  Asia, and grown in backyards of Vietnamese immigrants in Melbourne.

The interior has a warm contemporary rawness with an essence of Vietnam without being too literal. The feature wall has a handwritten mural (which translates to, “do you love mama?) over an aged plaster finish which envelopes all other walls. The exterior awning fabric is used again on the interior, draped over the central seating area and wrapped in festoon lights. The open kitchen is framed by overhead shelving (with all Asian dry goods pushed to the front and lit) and an aged breeze block and tile inlay.