Back To The Future

Neo-Gothic Walls And Windows With Colonial-Style Furniture Recreate The Old-World Charm Of Yore At Gymkhana 91.

- Maria Louis

When your father has been catering for a gymkhana since you were three years old, you know how this institution could be like a home for its members. Bearing that in mind, owner Aditya Hegde always wanted to create a space that people could relate to on a daily basis. What else could he think of as a name for his first venture into the restaurant business? “I have seen how gymkhanas have evolved over the years – hence the name has always been close to my heart,” admits Hegde. Since +91 is the ISD code of India, Gymkhana 91 was born. A contemporary take on the charm of colonial gymkhanas, the restobar serves an eclectic mix of gymkhana favourites and global cuisine, including chopstick favourites from Japan and China as well as some American standards.

As soon as the interior designers saw the space, they realised it has a great frontage. “The site had all that it needed to be a forever-been-here gymkhana,” recalls Keith Menon, co-founder of Spiro Spero SA Private Limited. “It was rickety and there was a lot of work cut out for us, whether it was restoring the wooden roof or cutting out the skylight – but the potential was exhilarating.”

The client brief was pretty simple, as he already had the name and basic idea of what he wanted – a gymkhana and something that wasn’t too loud yet seemed classic and balanced enough to not overwhelm or underwhelm guests who might visit. The designers were in sync with that. “Very few clients have a clear vision of what they want, and Aditya is amongst the few. He gave us the freedom and placed his trust in us; and we tried to bring that vision to life keeping modern sensibilities in mind,” discloses Menon. “If you see the 3D we had made while deciding on the look and feel, this stands 80% close to that.”