Anjeer, a new restaurant in Gurugram from the team behind New Delhi’s hugely successful Fig at Malcha, carries the brand’s ingredient-forward approach into a contemporary, intimate, Indian dining offering. The design—a collaboration between Studio Lotus and Studio GreyMatter—<rt-red>roots the space through craft and material authenticity yet stays contemporary and playful in its experience.<rt-red>

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A key gesture—radical in the context of Indian restaurants particularly—is the decision to treat the front and back of house as one continuous experience. <rt-red>The kitchen unfolds into the dining space, integrating cold stations, a bar and a coffee counter as visible parts of the guest journey.<rt-red> The spatial gesture puts the brand’s food philosophy at the front and centre of the dining experience.

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Intimate clusters of tables for two and four invite individuals, couples, and smaller groups—<rt-red>a contrast to the communal, family-style seating<rt-red> often associated with the cuisine. A chef’s table serves up <rt-red>an intimate, interactive dining format<rt-red> while a small group dining space at the far end with direct lines of sight into the hot kitchen with its tandoor, provides experiences quite distinct from the rest of the space.

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The material palette of timber, terrazzo, stone, and fabric signals a contemporary Indian voice—<rt-red>crafted, considered, and quietly expressive.<rt-red> In the largely monochromatic shell, texture plays a defining role in creating atmosphere. Bush-hammered Gwalior Mint sandstone in four hand-dressed finishes recalls woven fabric. <rt-red>Embroidered fabric panels—a contemporary take on kantha<rt-red>—notionally separate the communal dining space from the rest of the dining area. The gesture of using fabric extends into the main restaurant space, where the semi-sheer layers of the custom-made light fixtures cast a soft, diffused light over the solid oak furniture.

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Injecting the space with a solid pop of colour is the gantry—a slick, glass box in the <rt-red>brand’s signature bright pink<rt-red>. The colour also finds resonance in the terrazzo flooring, albeit in a more muted shade. White terrazzo inlay takes the form of gentle ripples in select spots in the dining area.

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Anjeer is, in many ways, a gentle provocation. It challenges what a restaurant serving Indian cuisine can look like, how it can feel, and who it can be for. Without spectacle or excess, it <rt-red>shifts the conversation—from themed to thoughtful, rooted and reimagined.<rt-red>

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