En - The Japanese Restaurant | Feature Friday by Houssup.com

By:- Palak Suckhlecha
Photos courtesy:- Mitul Sharma
___________

“En” is a holy word in Japan. Such as “Karma” or “Satya” in Hindi.

“En” means synchronicity as significant co-incidence, blessed relationship, invisible connection, fate and destiny.

Dwelled with the meaning of the word “En” and holding the pure Japanese authenticity, the beautiful looking contemporary place has a peaceful and radiating aura which gives us an opportunity to create our own “En”. The place provides solace to the many tired hungry travelers trapped in the scorching heat by giving them the subtle breeze of calmness through their charming interiors and majestic views of one of Delhi’s most famous monuments, the Qutub Minar.


COLORS OF CULTURE

One can say India has a great chance to win its first gold medal in Badminton at the Rio 2016 Olympics. One can also say I’ve visited many culturally authentic restaurants. Would you be able to guess which one of the above two statements is an understatement? Its safe to say that India’s inclination to welcome other cultures and traditions despite having numerous of its own is to stay and develop. Japanese is one such culture gaining it’s popularity through its cuisine just like this hidden gem of a Japanese restaurant En at Kalkadas Marg, Mehrauli, New Delhi.



Engrossed in their elegant culture, combined with tasteful furniture and decor in their spacious interiors, En stands out in providing the best of the experiences to its customers. What makes En interesting and different is the connection of En’s promoters to the country Japan. Thus this strong connections along with being aware of the Japanese way of life, makes it possible for En to maintain and bring Japanese authenticity to the plates of their customers.


ENCAPTIVATING INTERIORS

The uber sophisticated restaurant situated in an over 100 year old heritage building, gives a mix of old retained world charm with Japanese contemporary culture. The fine dining experience is perfectly balanced with En’s refreshing and calming interiors. Warm shades of browns and whites used with three dominant colors- gold black and red, makes the place more oriental. Displaying a huge collection of Japanese artifacts, like the Samurai headgear and Samurai swords along with Buddha’s idols placed all around the restaurant gives a feel of a typical Japanese home.


En maintains a classy, understated look, with an almost minimalist touch. The place is spread out with private dinning rooms and party spaces along with outdoor seatings with multiple terrace views. The table spacing is done with perfection, giving the customer an illusion of privacy and comfort. Its needless to say that the place is impressively laid for both large group get togethers as well as intimate romantic meals.


Simplistic furniture, old doors painted golden, arch shaped windows, high ceilings, decorative Japanese artifacts, huge subtle paintings, wooden flooring, flushes of white and lush of daylight, everything compliments to give this restaurant its enthralling Japanese vibe.


.

EPILOGUE

The encapsulating authenticity of this place along with the finely prepared and served cuisine, makes a person indulge in this experience again and again. This along with the many emotions felt while dining at En - The Japanese restaurant, secures it’s place at Houssup’s Feature Friday column.


Tonino Ristorante | Feature Friday by Houssup.com

The Tuscan Villa

By :- Prerna Kapoor
Photos courtesy :- Mitul Sharma and Sameera
___________ 

“It has to be about the ambience, about the experience; it has to be about the romance of Italy! “

Well, it’s a marvellous night for a Moondance, with the stars up above in your eyes, a fantabulous night to make romance, underneath the cover of October skies!

A beautiful Tuscan villa with warm exterior & classic wooden interiors, inspired by the enchanting villas from Siena & San Gimignano in Tuscany, Italy, Tonino is named after Mr Tonino Generale of Napoli, whose enticing recipes bring the most authentic Italian cuisines to New Delhi.

D:\Houssup\Content\Feature Friday\09_Tonino\Images\DSC_7089.jpg

WHEREABOUTS

Tucked away on MG Road, Tonino provides the romance and sensual indulgence as one savour food from a varied menu. The cuisines comprise of the best pizzas in the country along with regional specialities from various parts of the Italy, right from the mountainous Alps of Italy in the North to the warm Sicilian islands in the South.  It’s an oasis of sorts, circumscribed with fruit trees amidst courtyard and veranda, the moment you step on the other side of the wooden door, this place teleports you to a divergent world altogether.

D:\Houssup\Content\Feature Friday\09_Tonino\Images\DSC_7166.jpg

In this landscape, however, the visual weight of the kiosk, standing proud along the walkway, plays beautifully with the surrounding architecture, adding to the overall composition while drawing visitors up the walk to the front door.


THE STORY


Conceptualization of Mr. Parmeet Sawhney of Eagle Groups of Companies, the finest custom-made upholstery, the unerring use of Tuscan hues, the bar infused with exquisite wine, the nut-brown coloured floor or the flawless setting for a romantic lunch, this place looks endearing in every sense of the word. The restaurant or ristorante (as they call it!), adorned 12 years ago by Mr. Rajiv Narain out of an antiquated property and enhanced time and again by one of the owners, Ms. Simran Sawhney and carefully picked artwork by her sister Ms. Remen Chopra, is designed so tastefully, that you cannot help but gawk around when you visit for the first time. 

D:\Houssup\Content\Feature Friday\09_Tonino\Images\DSC_7103.jpg

Tuscany is wine country and you can’t go wrong sampling one of its phenomenal wines Tonino has to offer from it’s packed up bar!



D:\Houssup\Content\Feature Friday\09_Tonino\Images\DSC_7096.jpg


Headed for a cosy date, an evening with your pals, or for an elaborate meal with your family, you’re definitely in for a delicious slap-up meal. The walls exploded with distinct number of carefully picked artefacts, brought together from places around Italy overlooks the restaurant.



D:\Houssup\Content\Feature Friday\09_Tonino\Images\DSC_7117.jpg

Hand-troweled plaster walls, painted with colors found in nature, add a Tuscan touch to Tonino’s interior. Muted browns, greens and warm earth tones paired with wood trim offer rustic Italian charm. Authentic handpicked furniture is solid wood, heavy and designed to serve several generations.


D:\Houssup\Content\Feature Friday\09_Tonino\Images\DSC_7104.jpg

Large bars and kitchens, complete with stone fireplaces, are in nearly every traditional Tuscan place. This is where friends and beloveds gather to celebrate good food, good wine and good conversation.



D:\Houssup\Content\Feature Friday\09_Tonino\Images\DSC_7137.jpg

Strains of bucolic Mediterranean rhythm fill the mood of the air. The electric purple sky hovers over an old red-brick villa. Perfect for a peaceful, serene experience, there is something about this place which stays with you, mingling in your head even after you leave.



EPILOGUE

It is the intimate goodness of flawlessly cooked meals and pastries prepared in the bakery combined with a desire to provide a cosy, welcoming and picturesque venue, for experiencing dining under moonlit skies or the relaxed candlelit lounge, that constitute the cornerstone of the Tonino. The old world charm of the Tuscan Italy at its best!

The Bikers cafe | Feature Friday by Houssup.com



“ONLY A BIKER KNOWS WHY A DOG STICKS HIS HEAD OUT OF A CAR WINDOW.” 


By:- Palak Suckhlecha
Photos courtesy:- Mitul Sharma
___________    


ADVENTURE IS NOT OUTSIDE MAN, IT IS WITHIN !
Biking in these harsh environments on Indian highways with freedom in their hearts and goals in their mind, what keep these bikers going are their dreams to finish their journeys. Giving the same feel of fulfilling dreams and living free, is the Biker’s cafe in Emaar MGF Palm Spring Plaza, Sector 54, Gurgaon. 

Opened after the three year old Bikers cafe in Vasant Kunj, the gurgaon cafe was made to uplift the bikers feel even more by creating an atmosphere where they can reminiscent about old road trips and plan for the upcoming ones. 

The place pays tribute to all the bikers and the unique bikes made, by using various elements like the metal bodies of the bikes and biker’s themed quotes plastered on the walls, the detailed cutleries, the headlights and helmets from World War-I used as lighting fixtures, the hooks behind the chairs to hang jackets and the menu featuring the entire history of bikes, etc to design the entire space. Teleporting you to great roads on amazing bikes what makes this place stand out is the fact that this place is a bikers'-art house. 

The Bikers Cafe, Vasant Kunj

The Bikers Cafe, Gurgaon

 FUN, FOOD AND FREEDOM 
“Fun, Food and Freedom are the words that the cafe revolves around”, say Mr. Sanjay Yadav the mind and heart behind this great journey of ‘The bikers cafe’. Traveling through all the ups and downs, this place has rare souvenirs procured from all around the world. Blending all the elements of fun, food, freedom, games, sports and music, these two bikers cafe brought to the world an inspiring creative mix of international and desi lifestyle. 

The eclectic whole adorned with warm lights, small metal bikes, custom-made furnitures, road tiles, hand made paintings provide the space with it’s own biking culture. Both the bikers cafe are exceptional addas for all kinds of customers to come relax and have a pleasant time. 

  THE INTERIOR STORY


An element of craft is visible everywhere in the cafe – whether in furniture, lighting and wall paintings – making each zone feel informal, interesting and comfortable.

The wooden accent is used in the entire space giving it a very rustic yet classy look.


The most significant zone of the project became the bar – shifting the traditional cafe look into a cocktail’ cafe cum bar where visitors could sit around and rejuvenate. The counter tops are scratch and heat resistant with wooden finish. 


The exposed materials like the bricks are used in favor of the aesthetics of the place.  


The use of road tiles with zebra crossing or highway signs painted, enhances the feel of being a biker who is constantly on the roads. 


Open and versatile, the restaurant is split into two looks — the alfresco look is combined with the dark and cozy feel of the inside space to create a balance in the openness. 


This dark wooden look is supported by the creative lighting fixtures used, giving the space it’s warm and intimate feel.


The use of world war I helmet as a lighting pendant, the wheels of a bike as a lighting chandelier, the headlight portion of the bike as a walll sconces, etc, compliments with the bikers theme.
There are huge paintings done by bikers displayed all over, portraying the message of freedom that a biker feels along with metallic boards with inspiring quotations written to intensify customers energy and enthusiasm.  


The entrance with Mr. Sanjay’s Harley Davidson displayed is the perfect depiction of the beginning of the journey of the cafe and after entering their is a wide field of freedom that the cafe brings for the customers to dwell upon. 


“RUN WITH A DESTINATION AND YOU CAN FINALLY SEE WHAT FREEDOM CAN BE.“


An Effort by - Houssup.com

Rustom's Parsi Bhonu | Feature Friday by Houssup.com

 FOR ALL THE DIKRAS AND DIKRIS  

By:- Palak Suckhlecha
Photos courtesy:- Mitul Sharma
___________    

  

Rustom’s Cafe and Bakery
                          

BE FEARLESSLY AUTHENTIC.. 

Rustom’s Parsi Bhonu 

Entering the two authentic places of Rustom’s, you can instantly harbor images of the warmth and tradition of a Parsi home. These places  can transport you to another world where the feeling of meeting uncle cyrus coming from behind the lace curtains, can excite you in a flash. This bona- fide experience showcased with the use of different elements, in creating a replica of her own house and a British tea house, Kainaz Contractor has done an exceptional job in bringing a pukka feel to the customers. The finesse with which all the distinctive elements have been pulled together into a congenial whole, is really something commendable. Named the places after her father, ‘Rustom Contractor’ and employing her mother’s recipes in the food that is served, she began the journey of opening Rustom’s with the blessings of both her parents. 

                                                              
Rustom’s Cafe and Bakery

FOR A RIDE ON UNCLE RUSTOM’S SCOOTER 

The rides first stop is in the midst of Delhi’s Aurobindo Marg, first floor restaurant Rustom’s Parsi Bhonu. Started in the early 2015, this restaurant has made it’s mark as the best custom-made experience of Parsi’s culture and tradition. Setting a great example as a small space capturing all that it needs to provide a fine dining experience, this place has it’s own aura of an old school design. The ornamental and beautiful characteristics are something completely different from the bare, monochrome looks of the Mid- century and Scandinavian interiors of today’s time. Enjoying the bumpy ride of the narrow lanes, the next stop is the Rustom’s cafe and bakery which was recently opened in Khoj Studios, Khirki Extension, Delhi. Having the colonial british touch, the place is perceived as a colorful British tea house with a mix of Parsi’s memorabilia. To enjoy the ride, remember the best is yet to come.


                                                        Rustom’s Cafe and Bakery 

Rustom’s Parsi Bhonu

TO LIVE LIKE THE DIKRAS AND DIKRIS

Just when the Dikras and Dikris get off to their first destination, there is a sudden vibe that encaptures them in their surrounding interiors. Known for the best authentic Parsi food, this place doesn’t lack behind in their stylized and simplified decor. The heavy teak wood in their round tables and captain’s chairs and the cement heritage tiles, enhances the Parsi touch the most. With the restored antiquity crockery cabinet, the vintage grandfather clocks, the lace curtains, the folding screens and the creamy yellow walls, the place is transformed into an eclectic Parsi paradise. The photographs framed all around the place is one of the many elements that gives the place it’s playful and innovative look. Kainaz personalized attention and the background music of old classics uplifts the mood and provides the place it’s overall charm.   


Rustom’s Parsi Bhonu


Rustom’s Parsi Bhonu

The second destination’s neutral backdrops, combined with gorgeously colored floral patterns done by Vintage Nutters differ from the first destination as this one is a stylish blend of both British and Parsi elements. This is a perfect place to chill and relax with a sip of coffee and a choice of pastry or a bombay snack unlike the authentic Parsi dining experience of Rustom’s Parsi Bhonu. The cafe has beautiful and stylish planter chairs with flowery patterns on the fabric and the ceramic plates with arabic designs placed on the neutral walls along with all the antique frames from Chor bazar, Delhi, giving the place it’s stylish mainstay. The glass wall on the entry side provides sufficient day light to lit the whole place. The most interesting element in the space are the small windows with pink lacey curtains giving the view of a small Delhi lane. The shelfs in one corner has antique metallic piggy banks, ceramic potlucks, tea kettles and plastic foliage setting a tone of mesmerizing British ambience. Satisfying the customer with amazing food and attracting interior, Rustom’s has made Houssup a fan by making it to our Feature Friday. 


Rustom’s Cafe and Bakery 


Rustom’s Cafe and Bakery 

Rustom’s Cafe and Bakery 


BE YOU .. BE FREE.. SHARE THE AUTHENTICITY !

With all the whites and the creams, the vintage and the unique, let’s be a little parsi and enjoy the ride. Being original brings itself with authenticity and tradition, and these places have kept both intact. Let’s be us, let’s be free and let’s share our tradition. 

So when are you getting that Parsi? 

Rustom’s Parsi Bhonu


Rustom’s Cafe and Bakery 



bhane. | Feature Friday by Houssup.com

SHOP. EAT. CHAT. REPEAT.

By:- Palak Suckhlecha
Photos courtesy:- Mitul Sharma
___________
  
WHAT THE HUSTLE IS ALL ABOUT?

 Walking down the street of Meharchand market, Lodhi colony in Delhi, I came across a very attractive glass panel with a sneaker shoe drawn in geometrical patterns. This is when I lift my head up through all the hustle and noise to come across bhane., which has adaptively reused their clothing line to create an impressive interior space. It also has an attractive spiral stair case to take you to their authentic custom made cafe and a corner of Must-Haves sneakers.

Nicknamed as “dil walo ki Delhi”, those who know Delhi will have an idea about it’s reputation as a fast moving, always in a hustle metropolis. It’s a city where noise, color and feelings all clash to leave you struggling to catch your breath. When I came to Delhi, I was passionate to explore something different and leave a mark, but seeing the competition around left me overwhelmed. This is when bhane. became an inspiration and made me realize how important it is, to not be  ordinary but to stand out and be unique.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE UNIQUENESS

Struggling with the same challenges and competitions, ‘Anand Ahuja' an entrepreneur and the brain behind bhane., started bhane. as a clothing brand. Between all the Delhi blues, bhane.’s passion and motive of being different and unique got them to where they are today.

Starting as just an online clothing merchandise, around 2 years ago they stepped their first foot in the real world through their authentic retail store. They then extended their reach by attracting customers through their thoughtfully made cafe merging with their existing retail store. And within the past 3 years, bhane. also expanded their business to New York.  “You are whatever you settle for”, this Motto of their's kept them from settling as just another clothing brand. From their custom made ice- cream varieties to their elegant interiors of the retail cum cafe, all was set to make customers relate to their clothing. Voila! We got it all.


AND THE EXPERIENCE

 When I entered bhane. it was a breathe of fresh air away from the bustling road outside because of the intelligently and intentionally designed and incorporated interiors.
But what attracted me the most was their competent approach of filling my stomach with a refreshing coffee and a scoop of ice cream along with making me feel good and comfortable in my body, by their street style clothing. bhane made it impossible for me to walk out of the store empty handed even though my pockets got empty. The overall experience was breathtaking and the satisfaction was all-consuming.


AND OFCOURSE THE INTERIORS


What to look out for ?
                                      
The spiral staircase
Cork wall panels
Exposed structure used for seating
Wooden furniture  
Accent color bhane. cloth frames
Cardboard boxes #bhane.LOVE
Curved metal display sheets
bhane upholstered pouffs  



A strong vibe rooted in versatility and elegance greets you at the door of bhane. Using the existing structure as their USP and enhancing it by using bhane’s  waste cloth for interior decoration gave them an edge for an impeccable interior design. Furnished with so much variation in materiality one might assume it to be a little mind- boggling, but instead what bhane. accomplished was a very trendy yet a minimalistic interior space to sooth and capture our interests.  
Beginning with the very charismatic wooden staircase which upheld my attention, it can provide the customer with a very smooth transition from the retail store on the ground floor to the cafe on the first floor. This very experience created by the staircase perfectly suits and executes their idea of mixing the two commercial acts (retail and cafe) into one. The staircase is placed to the right as soon as you enter, making it very approachable for customers. But the attention from the clothes was still kept intact due to the use of pipes that goes all around the space, used for hanging and displaying clothes.

As you move to the first floor, the curved metal sheets used to display the expensive and most wanted sneakers gives the feel of luxury and youthfulness at a glance. The use of denim blues in the cushions and upholstered poufs, and accent color fabrics for decoration on the walls, mixed along with accents of neutrals in their wooden furniture sets a playful tone in the space. The cork wall panels are definitely something that won’t go unnoticed and are doing complete justice with the overall feel of the space.



Out of the many inspiring ideas from this innovative commercial space, my two favorites are the cardboard boxes with #bhanelove written in the kitchen area of the cafe and the beautiful windows created in between the structural poles to keep different games and magazine for customers to rejuvenate are exceptional intriguing.

AND STRONG ENDINGS (AKA BEGINNINGS)

By successful encapsulating the customers in their chiconomic and distinct clothing style and by providing them with the warmth and refined opulence through their elegant interiors, they stood out as a must for Feature Friday by Houssup. #bhanelove brings you a taste of rising sun, a title well justified by its brand.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)