Indulge in the art of elegant dining at this modern Indian restaurant at The Oberoi, Gurugram

Style Essentials Edit Team
Jan 1
3 min read

Set within the serene grounds of The Oberoi Gurgaon, Ziya unfolds as a contemporary dining space where modern Indian cuisine is matched by a deeply considered architectural narrative. Designed by Architecture Discipline, the restaurant balances old-world refinement with a confident, contemporary sensibility, creating an environment that feels both composed and quietly immersive.

Overlooking the hotel’s reflective water body, Ziya draws the architectural language of the Oberoi inward. Expansive glass walls and generous ceiling heights allow natural light to flood the interiors, establishing a sense of openness while maintaining intimacy. The design is conceived as a layered composition, where material, memory, and form coexist without visual excess, each element contributing to a cohesive spatial rhythm.

The experience begins at the entrance, where fire-fused glass meets aged timber, forming a tactile threshold that signals a departure from the expected. At the heart of the restaurant sits a custom-crafted 36-foot liquid metal table, sculptural in presence yet fluid in form. Its sinuous surface recalls molten metal caught mid-motion, defying the rigidity of steel. Pod-like light fixtures emerge seamlessly from the table, transforming it into a luminous communal anchor. More than a centrepiece, it acts as a spatial pause, ensuring the dining areas around it feel equally inviting and connected.

To one side, arched blue dining pods introduce a sense of enclosure and intimacy. Their curved forms, lined with radiating metal-foil detailing, cradle bespoke tables rooted in memory. “The tabletop is inspired by the aroma of caramelised sugar we would encounter as children, from a candy-floss vendor on his bicycle,” explains Akshat Bhatt. Finished in caramel-toned glass and supported by bases modelled on turned Channapatna toys, the tables cast soft, diffused reflections, lending warmth and familiarity to each pod. Adjacent pods accommodate a metallic-leaf bar and a discreet service station, while a private dining room offers a secluded retreat. Smaller tables along the glazed façade open the space to views of the larger property.

The ceiling reinforces this layered narrative. Sinuous grooves echo the fluid geometry of the central table, subtly exaggerating perspective and guiding the eye deeper into the space. Variations in ceiling height and a moody yet restrained palette introduce depth, while seamlessly integrated services preserve visual continuity. Materials shift between fluid steel, molten glass, timber, and metal, redefining materiality through contrast rather than ornament.

Hand-formed glass sconces and custom chandeliers cast a warm, ambient glow, fostering an atmosphere of conviviality. Artworks referencing antique furniture offer a quiet nod to regal traditions, while solid walnut parquet flooring and monolithic seating ground the interiors in timeless comfort, allowing progressive design gestures to sit within a relaxed, nostalgic frame.

Ziya avoids excess in favour of continuity, allowing memory, material intelligence, and proportion to guide the experience, as historical references and a contemporary design language intersect to create a dining environment that privileges conversation, comfort, and the unhurried pleasure of eating together.