anhattan's East Village is famous for it's dive bars, egg creams - and it's tight and peculiarly shaped built environment. One such space, located by 1st Ave and 8th Street, was embraced by FL for the Chinese restaurant, Mala. Specializing in dry hot pots, it is a one of a kind restaurant on the lower Manhattan.

The shape of the 500 sqft. space proved challenging for fitting a commercial kitchen and restrooms, while providing ample dining space. The solution was to cluster all kitchen and restroom facilities into a long succession configuration, freeing up the large central area of the space for dining space. The "serving-served" contrast is further clarified by wrapping these elements with sheets of blackened steel.