Cà Phê Lalot

Viola Waldeck & Lukas Stein

How did this place come about and what made it different from the start?
After a few years of doing caterings and traveling the world as guest chefs, we came to the point where we longed for a permanent space. A grounding base that roots us at home and where we can build a stable life around. We both have backgrounds in the culinary field and bring together Asian flavors and a love for simple and good food. What makes Cà Phê Lalot so special is the personal touch it has. The cafe is run by us – so it has a very personal character. We know our guests and they know us. It’s about the interactions we have, the people who bring their energy to the space. We love building bonds with our regulars. It’s personality and individuality shaped by us and our dear guests.

What part of the day, space, or creative process do those who work here enjoy the most?
Usually it is only the two of us working but our part time employee supports us 1-2 days a week. We always look so much forward to those shifts where we work together. When it is super busy and the 3 of us are in a flow it can feel so light like a choreography and time flies. We also create the recipes together and that brings in so much creativity.

If someone is coming in for the first time, what should they not miss?
Taking themselves the time to wait for the water to drip down the metal filter of the traditional Vietnamese coffee filter (Cà Phê Phin/ Cà Phê Sua) and enjoy it as a break from their everyday duties. 

What has been an interesting challenge that has made you rethink something about the project?
We underestimated the challenge of working within such a small kitchen space, especially when it comes to cooking lunch for many people, who all want to eat around the same time (12:10 p.m.). So we had to adapt our dishes in order to be able to freshly cook them every day and still plating them very fast. First we come up with a basic idea of a dish, then we are thinking about each component of the dish and how we can prepare them within our limited space. Over the last two years we almost have developed a new kind of cooking for our lunch offer and by now it feels very natural to create new dishes that are possible to implement. 

What influence, idea, or reference continues to shape the way you work today?
The act of freeing ourselves from the limited idea of “authentic” exotic cooking and bringing together flavors to develop food cultures further. 

What place, project, or person has inspired you recently and why?
We are in love with South East Asian coffee house culture. Right before we got the keys to our restaurant we were guest chefs in Bangkok, so we took the chance to visit as many traditional breakfast places as we could. Those places are often influenced by the war times, being reflected in the use of products like condensed milk, milo coco powder or Maggi seasoning. Despite those durable, convenience products not being mandatory that much any more, they are still loved by many local people in Hanoi, Singapore, Hong Kong and other cities in South East Asia and so are those breakfast places that have been built around them. For us the atmosphere of those places is the key inspiration for Cà Phê Lalot and the essence of feeding the working people in the neighborhood is basically exactly what we do now.

If your space could invite someone to collaborate for a day, who would it be and what would you do together?
Sandy Liang. Her playful designs are so fun to look at. We would love her to create our work uniforms.

Is there an object, corner or detail of the place that has a story that few people know?
Right at the doorstep when you enter the cafe there was a broken floortile. When renovating the space we decided to fill up the leak with transparent epoxy and placed a Chinese lucky coin inside. It symbolizes protection and luck and is commonly placed close to doors in Chinese houses. It is a tiny detail only few people recognize.

If this project were a city, a book, or a record, which would it be and why?
Lana del Rey, no better sound than her other worldly dreamy voice being played in our four walls and out in the garden area.