Now serving: Indian fusion at Indy by Qla

Aayushi Malik Designs crafts a New Delhi restaurant serving global design with an Indian blueprint

19 May 2025

Indy by Qla is not your average Indian restaurant of childhoods past. The 2,200 sq ft New Delhi restaurant favours an earthy colour palette we’re tempted to call jeera meets elaichi, is home to an exciting bar programme, and boasts interiors with nary a paisley in sight. Like any brown child with strict parents, it strikes the ultimate balance — the perfect spot to celebrate your parents’ anniversary by day and a Saturday sundowner you will not (or will, depending on how many Himalayan Martinis you down) forget by night.

As the name suggests, Indy is not just Indian, it’s ‘Indy’an. Brought to life by Aayushi Malik of her eponymous design studio, the restaurant serves a contemporary fare with an Indian blueprint. What’s on the moodboard? A perfect alignment of the plate with the palette!

Artwork by Dilraj Bhatia, furniture and furnishings by Beyond Dreams, lighting by White Light solutions, accessories from H&M Home, Pure Home & Living, Nicobar, Whispering Homes, Vare, Amala Earth, FSix homes, Woodshala and Mora Taara, battery operated table lamps from Rosha; Photography by Avesh Gaur

The palette meets the plate

The west often puts Indian design in a box, albeit a colourful one. Indy champions Indian dining for the 21st century in this global context. As Aayushi affirms, “We wanted to create an experience that drew inspiration from contemporary India and our diverse design culture, whilst being relevant today.” But the earthiness is not just an attempt to subvert stereotypes. It draws from India’s centuries-old spiritual wisdom that preaches looking inwards. Nurturing that seed of calm, the colours are muted, the material palette meditative yet impactful. It is the tinier details that draw you in.

Indy takes quintessential household staples outside the walls of an Indian home. The linen furnishings sport a block print pattern, a decor staple found in every cupboard. Solid oakwood frames for all furniture, rustic earthenware as an accent. Mandalas that proffer a more minimalist take on its original, colour-soaked form. Layered together, it is a winning recipe that could rival what’s on your plate.

The restaurant serves a fusion of Indian aesthetics with global design sensibilities; Photography by Avesh Gaur

Flooring by Kasa Décor, planters by Stone Art, curtains by UDC Homes, solid oakwood frames for all furniture have been paired with beige travertine tabletops, while the bar back has been crafted from metal; Photography by Avesh Gaur

A toast to grounded design

For Aayushi, the bar space was the most challenging yet rewarding space to design. “Our vision for the bar was for it to be a point of convergence between the soulful Indian themes of the space and a western-modern language,” she explains. With recessed coves painted over in textured paint, the bar isn’t an impassive monolith. It curves to the space’s rhythm. Topped with wooden louvres and a stone top, it paints the perfect backdrop to a night of revelry or even a few curious cocktail sips!

When the night gets busier (as they often do) and the bar top is filled with drinks and arms seeking more drinks, the tiny hooks on the bar front are the perfect place to hang up your handbags. A welcome detail, especially for those who often end up keeping theirs in their lap for the entirety of the evening (guilty as charged!).

As humans, we’re hardwired to find comfort in things familiar to us. And yet, in a culinaryscape dotted with new launches announced every weekend, it becomes essential to differentiate oneself instead of banking on relatability. Indy by Qla fuses two familiar design languages to craft that sweet spot where all who enter walk away with something new and something old — whether that be twist on a classic childhood recipe or a new anecdote amidst old company.