A Pair Of Aces

Minnie Bhatt Creates Two Very Different Spatial Experiences At The Adjoining Powai Outposts Of Sassy Spoon And House Of Mandarin In Mumbai

- Maria Louis

The owners’ love and obsession with vintage Volkswagen vehicles is pretty obvious as you enter the newest Sassy Spoon at Powai in Mumbai. A cheery, yellow and white VW camper van stands guard at the bar, while smaller cute dinky versions pepper the nooks and shelves around this bright, happy space. Though situated within a corporate building, the large windows that form the façade give the restaurant a very alfresco feel.

With the cuisine being transcontinental, vibrancy and varied influences play a key role in the interior styling too. The natural light that bathes the 2,000sq-ft space gives it a light, spring-in-the-air vibe. The restaurant is divided into two zones, a bar zone and a dining zone. The seating at the bar has tall tables with bar chairs, while the dining zone has dining height tables with a mix of couches, chairs and booths.

“I started with the idea of creating a space with an outdoor feel – and first conceptualised the ceiling with greens set on MS space frames, to add a nice nature-inspired canopy for the restaurant,” says interior designer Minnie Bhatt. “I imagined a diagonally striped floor, and we had tiles specially customised for us in grey and off white. The client, Rachel Goenka loves Ikat fabric and cane, so I created the furniture as an eclectic mix of these two elements as well as a combination of teak wood and marble.”

The strikingly bold and courageous choice of floor pattern that runs at a tangent, draws the eye to the creative walls of the restaurant and lends the space a sense of levity and jest.