Design
Inside a glasshouse: Lord Elgin, the new cocktail bar is redefining Amritsar on the culinary map
SEP 14, 2024 | By Pratishtha Rana
Unpredictable discoveries continued to guide my first visit to Amritsar. An immediate mnemonic for the gilded-domed gurudwara, the Golden Temple, the second-largest city in Punjab has kept up to speed with the whirlwinds of modern economy in the last few years. Lord Elgin, the new cocktail bar and restaurant in Amritsar, avows this sentiment strongly. Different, cosmopolitan yet regionally-forward.
Door to discovery
In Amritsar, everyone knows Elgin, it seems. The hospitality brand has several other culinary outposts in the city’s prime neighbourhoods. Lord Elgin being the latest is tucked in the heart of Elgin Cafe (a modern European eatery that has enjoyed much fanfare amongst Amritsari diners since 2021.)
On a sunny afternoon, we strolled through a paved walkway shrouded with trees to a grand, solid wood door stamped with golden dragonfly motifs. This is Lord Elgin, where sundry visuals caress the eyes and remind you of various references: a Bridgerton-esque setting, a hidden garden cave or even a time-travel to a Victorian-era glasshouse.
“It draws inspiration from the timeless allure of British pubs, crafted for a sense of grandeur and intimacy,” explain founders Kavish and Shruti Khurana, who entrusted Sanchit Arora of RENESĀ Architecture Studio to shape the space into reality.
High glass ceilings, revealing glass walls, a central curved bar, bespoke chandeliers and layers of decorative curios only begin to define the details here. “Lord Elgin was to depict a bright, sun-drenched palette set within its own oasis that provides a sense of exotic escapism,” says Sanchit and adds, “The ingenious way of framing and imagining a glass house set amongst the lush greens led to many architectural features such as metal frames with truss roofs and high vents to provide a comfortable and vast experience.”
If you notice keenly, the glass grid here lays out a constant rhythm, dividing the restaurant into sections and lending it a sense of functionality.
What’s on the menu?
Bold flavours and robust spices are mainstays of Amritsari cuisine. And while chole-kulche, dal makhani and tikki chaat are some colloquial staples — chef curators Suvir Saran and Vardaan Marwah have added their seasoned strokes of flavours to Lord Elgin’s menu. Modernistic Delhi-6 chaat packs the sass and depth of flavour that one finds at streetside chaatwaalahs in Old Delhi, “But here we present it with yoghurt clouds that float you away to culinary epiphany,” says chef Suvir, famed for Devi, the now-inactive Michelin-star Indian restaurant in New York.
Another crowdpleaser is Mutton Salli Kheema Pav. Or its vegetarian soy version that has all the heft and authenticity of North Indian home cooking, elevated to a modern status quo with an airy potato mash and crispy Salli paired with buttered pav. “Each bite is familiar yet thrilling,” says Suvir, who wanted the culinary language of the menu to be familiar yet playful, “And comforting with discoveries…”
Not just food, but the story of ingredients is also pivotal to the cocktails here — fusions inspired by popular drinks around the world with a spin. As Vardaan tells, “A standout is El Chapo’s Picante with ancho chilli, passion fruit and kaffir lime elegantly served with a spray of mezcal.” Bramble 2.0 with bluepea-infused gin and berry liqueur was a feisty pink-purple cocktail that the mixologist stirred up that afternoon, alongside an orange sun-hued Paloma.
Together with head mixologist Sunny, the duo has also crafted zero ABV drinks, “Featuring fun flavours and unexpected ingredients like banana and orgeat, catering to the trend of zero-proof cocktails.”
The door to Lord Elgin is in fact rapturous. It contradicts expectations and sets some new ones. It lays out a friendly perch at its many snug corners wrapped in glasshouse walls and sky-facing ceiling, looking outward yet inward. For diners, the restaurant could be a portal to Amritsar’s progressive food directions. Or it could simply be the world’s most tempting inspirations served together with the city’s regional savoir-faire.
Scroll below to tour the restaurant
Read More
