Secret Sambar
Secret Sambar began with a site decision. Its smaller rooms, timber, patterned floors, artwork and boundaries became parts of a restaurant that is now open on Senapati Bapat Road.
Watch the two Secret Sambar films →
The decision to choose a bungalow
Secret Sambar began with a choice of setting. In Part 2, I describe comparing a commercial shop in Baner with an old bungalow on Senapati Bapat Road. The shop brought questions around circulation, kitchen flow and an outdoor verandah; the bungalow had its own conditions, including thick load-bearing walls and monsoon runoff from the hillside.
The bungalow’s smaller rooms suggested a sequence of dining spaces rather than one uninterrupted hall. I find that kind of starting point useful: a building is never a blank page, and its particular qualities can help shape a more individual design.
Small rooms, different kinds of gathering
The dining rooms are modest in scale. A tree trunk, grouped tables and green banquette seating give each view a different centre, while the rooms remain connected by the larger restaurant. The intention was not to make every table feel like the same arrangement repeated across a floor, but to let people encounter the meal through a few distinct settings.
Framed openings, patterned floors, timber and artwork mark the boundaries between intimate rooms while keeping them visually connected. Part 2 returns to the bungalow and the dining-room sequence at 00:58–02:21.
Material references with separate roles
Timber pillars and windows inspired by South Indian temple architecture establish a vertical rhythm through the openings and enclosure. Part 1 records an earlier construction-stage account of the timber choices, including the reference to timber from Kerala.
Underfoot, Athangudi tile introduces pattern associated with Tamil Nadu craft, while Kota stone offers a quieter surface alongside it. The contrast matters to me: one floor treatment does not need to carry the entire identity. Pattern can mark movement and give the room a pulse; a more restrained stone surface can let the eye rest.
Light, privacy and the everyday wall
Terracotta screens are part of the conversation about openness and privacy: a boundary can give a room definition without turning every edge into a closed wall. Part 1 describes the intended relationship to light and air. Red oxide wainscot addresses another everyday condition, protecting areas exposed to contact while bringing a warm band through the dining spaces. Hand-painted kolams, Pichwai art and a portrait of M. S. Subbulakshmi add distinct cultural references rather than a single repeated motif. Part 2 discusses the wall finish and artwork at 02:29–03:29.
Above, Mangalorean roof tiles and rain-chain references extend the material story toward shelter and water. I see these decisions as connected, not as a catalogue of decorative details: each addresses a different relationship between people and the building.
A completed restaurant on Senapati Bapat Road
Secret Sambar is completed and open on Senapati Bapat Road, Pune. Part 1, “Traditions Taking Shape,” is a historical view from the construction stage. Part 2, “The Hidden Journey,” follows the site choice and later design decisions; it confirms the restaurant is open at 03:37–03:42.
What stays with me is how the bungalow’s rooms give the restaurant its scale. Timber, tile, stone, terracotta, artwork and roof each contribute a different note, but the setting ties them together. The aim was to make a contemporary place to gather that could be read through its own architecture, rather than through a layer of applied references.
The Hidden Journey · film moments
