Luxurious and Stylish: This Royal Restaurant Is Known For its Design
Luxurious and Stylish: This Royal Restaurant Is Known For its Design

As travellers engage with history at the City Palace, Baradari heralds the future. Contemporary in its approach to gourmet cuisine and award-winning design, Baradari preserves all heritages of the centuries-old structures with contemporary elements derived from ancient Rajasthani geometrical motifs and local craftsmanship.

“At Baradari, we welcome guests from all over the world while staying connected to traditions and heritage.”
~ Office of the Royal Family of Jaipur

Baradari is luxurious, stylish, and a gastronomic delight.

Baradari at City Palace, Jaipur, has won the awards for its F&B (food and beverage) space. The Royal restaurant sits within the oldest-walled quarter of the historic city of Jaipur abutting the City Palace Museum, which was built in the 18th century. A section of the City Palace continues to serve as the home of the Royal Princess of Jaipur Rajgharana, HRH Diya Kumari, now a minister in the State Government. The concept creates a balanced interplay of historical revelations and contemporary additions - both drawing from and interpreting the underlying Indo-Sarcenic influences of Jaipur’s architectural history.

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Baradari provides a fine-dining experience within the historical precinct. 

The Architecture – Then and Now 

The old restaurant was accessible through the Jaleb Chowk, a prominent ceremonial opening to the palace precinct through its eastern flank. The Chowk and the main seating of the old restaurant were connected by the admin office’s courtyard through a narrow opening beside the toilet block, which opened into the courtyard. This was used as an opportunity to connect the Palace to a different side of the walled city by opening up the courtyard as a connector to Jaleb Chowk.

The project was undertaken by Studio Lotus as an exercise in exploring whether it is more important to recreate a version of what was or reveal what lay beneath the layers of paint to expose the historic shell and juxtapose that with contemporary expressions for traditional material and artisanal skills.

This manifested itself through two key gestures: the reveal of the original structure and its distinct materiality, and the creation of an important spatial node through a markedly contemporary take on archetypal Rajputana built element a Baradari, the free-standing pavilion.

Constructed as a finely crafted marble-and-brass pavilion, the Baradari (literally translated – a pavilion with twelve columns), functions as a spatial anchor for the courtyard, and in doing so also connects the public urban fabric with the private hospitality space. The lightness and contemporary expression of the Baradari pavilion creates a counterpoint to the surrounding heavy historic structures.

Another key intervention comprised of stripping back the old layers of cement plaster and paint to reveal the original rubble masonry. The original structure was then repaired and restored using lime mortar - its natural texture and intricacy of construction giving the shell a rich texture. Distinct dining zones were created on the periphery of the courtyard, connected to the open space through verandahs and enclosable vestibules along restored arches.

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The newly-designed areas now accommodate 200 covers across its breadth of spaces comprising the bar, lounge, restaurant and private dining room, reveals Ambrish Arora, Design Principal, Studio Lotus.

The Décor 

In line with the intent to create contemporary expressions of traditional craft, the restored rubble shell was populated using these new expressions – either through using new forms to implement them or through new manners of using them. Drawing from the rich Indo-Sarcenic influences of Jaipur’s architectural history, traditional crafts like Thikri, marble fluting and inlay, metal casting and foundry work have been incorporated in the space through new idioms – be it the intersecting halos of Thikri work on the walls of the dining spaces as a departure from its traditional floral motifs, or the movable marble Tables outdoors.

The expertise of the local craftsmen in marble has been also been displayed through the dado work, the fluting along the Baradari pavilion, the table tops, and the chadar-inspired water cascade in marble towards the Eastern end of the courtyard, which also helps cool the courtyard. Mild steel and brass have been used for bespoke lighting and folding fenestration. A frugal approach to execution also encouraged the team to repurpose and restore salvaged furniture from the Palace. 

The Menu 

Baradari, the royal restaurant, serves iconic Rajasthani cuisines, like their legendary (secret royal recipe) Laal Maas, the young Maharaja’s favourite, Ker Sangri, a selection of tandoor, as well as authentic Italian pasta (made fresh), wood-fired pizzas, and contemporary global cuisines.

Innovations like Mozzarella Kachoris, Keema Pao Benedict, and Apple Jalebi, are a twist on traditional recipes and pair excellently with wines, cocktails and mocktails.

With a view of the Chandra Mahal, the Maharaja's residence at the City Palace, a meal at Baradari is an unforgettable royal dining experience.

 
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