Some of India's most memorable food traditions live beyond cookbooks. They are found in family kitchens, festive meals, royal kitchens and recipes passed from one generation to another. Exploring this connection between food and memory is Goonj, a new 75-seater Indian bar and restaurant on 100 Feet Road, Indiranagar, Bengaluru.

Spread across 2,500 sq. ft. on the fourth floor, Goonj brings together lesser-seen Indian recipes, traditional cooking techniques, contemporary cocktails and elements of Indian hospitality.

The concept has been developed by Chef Pratik Sharma, Research and Development Chef at Kompany Hospitality, and Manjunath U Gouda, Beverage Head at Kompany Hospitality. The name Goonj, which comes from the Urdu word for “echo”, represents the way food, traditions and cultural experiences continue to stay with people long after the original moment has passed.

Instead of recreating traditional food literally, Goonj takes familiar Indian references and presents them in a contemporary setting. The food menu draws from the country's diverse culinary traditions, with a focus on slow and considered cooking processes associated with grand kitchens and dum pukht traditions.

At the centre of the menu is Daastaan-e-Zaika, a selection inspired by recipes and techniques that are becoming less common on contemporary menus. Dishes include overnight-cooked Dal Bukhara, Indore's Bhutte Ka Kees Chaat, Kashmiri Nadru Yakhni and Paneer Jalebi served with fried ice cream.

“The soul of the dish has to remain intact. The presentation can evolve, but the flavour and the process must stay honest,” says Chef Pratheek.

The restaurant's culinary approach places importance on the patience, technique and knowledge behind dishes that have travelled through generations, while presenting them in a setting suited to contemporary dining. The same approach continues at the bar, where Manjunath, Beverage Head at Kompany Hospitality, uses familiar Indian ingredients and cultural references in a contemporary cocktail programme. Techniques including clarification, infusions, carbonation, distillation and foams are used along with house-made components.

Ingredients such as raw mango, jasmine, sandalwood, banana, tulsi and Indian spices form the foundation of the drinks. The cocktail menu is divided into two sections, Nostalgia and Colour. Nostalgia features drinks including Nazaakat, Sawan, Alaap, Murki, Darbaar, Raaga, Jugalbandi and Antara, drawing inspiration from monsoons, gardens, family kitchens, royal courts and Indian music.

The Colour selection includes Saffron, Gulal, Asmaan, Hariyali, Kohinoor and Sooraj, interpreting India's visual identity through flavour, aroma and texture. Classics and a dedicated zero-proof menu complete the beverage offering. For Goonj, hospitality is also an important part of the dining experience. Inspired by the warmth and ceremony traditionally associated with Indian dining, the restaurant introduces small rituals throughout the meal, from the welcome and amuse-bouche to mukhwas served at the end.

The interiors follow the same idea through a contemporary interpretation of Indian design. Neoclassical influences are combined with Indian colours, motifs and materials, while the concept of an “echo” appears through repetition, rhythm and ripple-like forms across lighting, partitions, patterns and curves. The overall space aims to use Indian visual language without depending on overtly traditional décor.

At its core, Goonj explores how cultural memories can evolve. A recipe passed through generations, an ingredient connected to a particular place, an aroma from a childhood kitchen or even a melody linked to a particular memory can become the starting point for something new.

“Goonj is about the India we remember. We wanted to take familiar flavours, aromas and memories and interpret them in a way that feels relevant to how people dine and drink today. The idea was never to recreate tradition literally, but to create an experience where people can recognise a part of India while discovering something new,” says Shashaank Shekhar and Siddharth Kumar Gupta, Founders, Goonj.

With its focus on lesser-seen Indian recipes, traditional cooking processes, contemporary cocktails and Indian hospitality rituals, Goonj brings different expressions of India's culinary memory together in a contemporary setting in Bengaluru.