Bangkok is a city that keeps on giving. Red Bull’s birthplace, Wong Kar Wai’s magnum opus In the Mood for Love — and yet another addition to Delhi’s culinary scene making Mumbaikars red with envy. The space in question? BANNG, the hottest new Thai spot in Gurugram serving a delectable design and dining fare alike.
Renesa Architecture Design Interiors Studio dips into electric reds and motifs handpicked from the city’s pulsating streets to bring the interiors to life. The restaurant is a joint endeavour between two Michelin star chef Garima Arora and F&B stalwart Riyaaz Amlani of Impressario. Garima is the brains behind the Indian fine-dining extraordinaire Gaa in Bangkok, while Riyaaz is behind most of your favourite weekend hangout spots like SOCIAL and Smokehouse Deli.
Sawasdee, Bangkok
Picture dramatic, dim interiors, red accents lit hazily under origami-esque lighting and culinary creations (and cocktails) intent on making sure you reach home with your palate blessed and brain light-headed. BANNG is a visual crash course on Bangkok’s electric nightlife. “We have great Thai restaurants but they tend to be quiet and family-style restaurants. There was a big vacuum for a fun and funky restaurant that captured the energy and spirit of the city,” explains Riyaaz.
“I fell in love with Bangkok when I saw its culinary scape through Garima’s eyes,” he confesses. Hook, line and sinker, his ardent admiration for the city shines through every detail of the space.
For Renesa Architecture Design Interiors Studio, Bangkok’s duality emerged as the perfect muse. “It’s a city where street culture is as influential as fine dining,” avers Principal Architect Sanchit Arora. The design team’s interpretation skilfully reflects this contrast through the layout and the materials. Time-worn, gritty surfaces co-exist alongside gilded accents, posters with popular cultural symbols and cheeky murals.
Hot off Bangkok’s streets
Gurugram’s concrete jungle pales in comparison to the restaurant’s vibrant facade, coloured in brilliant blues and reds with gold accents. Monolithic elephant-shaped figures stand guard, inspired by their stature as Thailand’s national animal.
Indoors, the walls are awash with gritty, red concrete. Wainscoting panels frame posters with popular Thai cultural symbols and phrases. Vintage-inspired partitions divide the seating area into individual zones, each with its own quirks. Adding to the drama, sculptural lights with origami-like folds act as both a lighting source and an eye-catching accent.
Akin to Thailand’s buzzing street food eateries, diners can watch flavourful delicacies sizzle and crackle in the kitchen through a window. The mammoth bar, complete with a patina blue finish and brass accents curves across the restaurant’s heart.
All cocktails on the menu are divided on the basis of alcohol volumes, a cheeky nod to Muay Thai weight classes. By day, BANNG’s gripping textural interplay and bold accents hold attention effortlessly. Come night, the lights dim, painting over the interiors in a sensuous, electrifying red.
BANNG’s distinct design and culinary narrative bank on Bangkok’s cultural capital to deliver an immersive experience. The strategic spatial storytelling stays true to the city’s electrifying essence. After all, good boys go to heaven, but Thai lovers go to BANNG!
Read more: Inside a glasshouse: Lord Elgin, the new cocktail bar is redefining Amritsar on the culinary map
