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.
