Punjab Grill, part of an award-winning family of restaurants celebrating the rich culinary and cultural heritage of India’s most fertile region, opens its first outlet in the United States with its downtown Washington, DC outpost. Unlike Western grills, the Eastern use of the grill encompasses a melange of cooking styles from across Punjab, from aromatic tandooris to tender kebabs.
No two Punjab Grills share the same menu or the interiors; each location offers guests a distinct journey through the region’s culinary heritage while reflecting and embracing the culture of the place where it is established.
Location
Washington, DC 20004, USA
Design and Curation By
Incubis Consultants
Fabrication and Installation By
AKFD Projects
Textile Design
Peter D'Ascoli
Year
2018
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The Inlaid Bar
The bar is the most sought-after seat at Punjab Grill. Designed as an island bar, it offers seating on three sides of a roughly square counter, accommodating up to 15 people.Solidly built with brass, onyx, and fine inlaid marble, the bar is a statement in itself. An overhead rack with integrated lighting illuminates the counter, making the exquisitely inlaid mother-of-pearl glow.
The inlay technique, known as Pietra Dura, has been crafted by descendants of artisans who once executed similar work with semi-precious stones for the Taj Mahal. Custom-made brass fittings have been developed specifically for the bar, while the overhanging shelf uses traditional sand casting techniques. The glowing onyx beneath the counter originates from Turkey. A stunning stone wall in hand-carved Indian sandstone holds a place of pride within the bar.
Carved from four-inch-thick sandstone, the wall itself weighs over eight tonnes and required special structural retrofitting for installation. Its patterns are derived from Mughal and Punjabi architectural styles. The white, glowing marble tabletops come from the Makrana mines and are flanked by custom-made brass bar stools. The faceted ceiling recalls squinches seen in many Indo-Islamic monuments. Its geometry is derived from the site and cleverly conceals building services within its form.
Fine Dining
Tucked behind the bar is the grand fine dining hall. The dining area is wrapped in rich gold and turquoise wallpaper, with a continuous banquet seat upholstered in custom-printed Peter D’Ascoli fabric.
Two large marble tables on either side feature inlaid renditions of the Nishaan-e-Phool, a medallion once worn with great pride by the erstwhile rulers of Punjab. On the opposite side, a series of arches offers a modern interpretation of palace colonnades, creating an intimate banquet seating arrangement for two. The inlaid arch, featuring a floral arrangement, is inspired by panels from a palace in Gwalior, central India. The fabric used here is a contemporary pattern derived from traditional Punjabi Phulkari embroidery.
The custom-made dining chairs include a built-in shelf at the base that can be pulled out to serve as a storage space for a purse.
The Sheesh Mahal
The Sheesh Mahal, the absolute jewel in the crown, holds pride of place at Punjab Grill. With over 100,000 small hand-cut mirrors arranged in intricate patterns across the room, it is quite literally a palace of mirrors. These panels have been crafted using the ancient technique of Thikri, which - like in many other parts of the restaurant was traditionally used to embellish palaces and temples.
A custom-designed ceiling, inspired by the ceiling of the Amer Fort, glows like a thousand stars. A mirrored dining table, topped with black inlaid Italian stone, forms the centerpiece of the dining space. The surrounding chairs are custom-made and upholstered in rich, custom-printed Peter D’Ascoli velvet. An iconic peacock lamp by Klove Studio from Delhi greets visitors as they arrive, setting the tone for an unforgettable dining experience.
Passage To India
Between the bar and the Sheesh Mahal lies the Passage to India. Inspired by India’s extensive railway network, the seating is arranged with seats facing each other, creating intimate dining spaces on either side of a solid walnut table supported by beautifully carved marble columns.
This space is screened from the entrance by a custom-made, modern interpretation of traditional Indian marble screens, known as jaalis. The walnut ceiling follows the Khatamband pattern, commonly found in the palaces of Punjab and Kashmir. The joints in the ceiling are cleverly concealed with hand-carved roundels in American walnut.
