When we were creating the concept of SEEDS we were still working at the five-star Banjaran Hotspring Retreat in Ipoh, a magical place nestled in the green lush rainforest and caves of Malaysia. After being engaged for so many years in the high-end fine dining business and hotel management, we felt like setting up a new contemporary restaurant in Myanmar for the young generation. The idea was definitely to point away from the heavy colonial past and to focus on the future in terms of architecture, interior, ambiance and lifestyle. Luckily we found this beautiful plot of land—reminiscent of a semi-island—on the shore of Inya Lake. We transformed the existing house entirely and used as much as we could of local materials and suppliers.
SEEDS is a kind of passion project for us. Having been awarded and rewarded from top to toe in the past, we wish to give back at our stage of life. We realized ideas which we have appreciated from our customers, such as our Birdnest-Dining-Pavilion, a bamboo weaving located within a tree, or a floating pavilion over the lake with its own private jetty. SEEDS is offering diners a green, clean and relaxing environment and therefore a contrast to the busy city of Yangon. To dine here is an experience. We produce each and every ingredient fresh, from bread to pastry items, and homemade. As we have an open kitchen there are no secrets and guests can even dine at the Chef’s Table and watch our team at work. We just cook what we like ourselves, combining European techniques with Asian flavors. Sometimes we also serve Mediterranean inspired dishes especially with a Spanish, Italian or French twist.
We only hire local people. Some come back from abroad, some are very young and at the beginning of their career. Our team is the core strength of SEEDS. We also provide lots of activities not directly related to hospitality, especially in supporting sports and arts, from yoga to running, dress creating, dancing and many more. We are both very artistic people, love all types of creative work and practice a lot of sports to balance our life—therefore we do not only share our profound professional knowledge but also our passion and love for life. This is the key essence of our strongly branded logo, the SEED OF LIFE symbol, which stands for inspiration, creativity and development.
We also take care of our environment—every diner contributes US$1 into our foundation, which we use to build schools.
Lucia and Felix Eppisser are the couple behind SEEDS, winner of the Restaurant of the Year at the Myanmore Awards 2018. Swiss born and classically trained Michelin star chef Felix Eppisser leads the kitchen team at the fine dining restaurant.
