Gurugram: Scenes from the Sistine Chapel, the famous statue of Laocoön and His Sons wrestling giant snakes, Thomas Couture’s The Romans in their Decadence painting — Rome has come to Gurugram, but not in a museum. It is now in a restaurant.
India’s first museum-themed restaurant, Begeterre, opened its doors to patrons on 7 September 2024. Spread across 11,000 square feet and two floors, the ‘white palace’ with its arches and high ceilings is an ode to Rome. Begeterre is a reflection of the growing trend in the restaurant industry—dining isn’t just about star chefs, fancy cocktails, and fusion food. It is also about designing an experience. It’s about ambience, storytelling, and immersive themes.
“The sculptor spent over two months crafting Laocoön and His Sons. It cost us a bomb — Rs 2.5 lakh. Compare it to the one in the Vatican, and you’ll be doing a double-take—it’s that close,” said restaurateur and businessman Sanyam Kalra (26), who started Begeterre with his best friends, Daksh Bali (25) and Prateek Chaudhary (33).
The Laocoön and His Sons sculpture in the Vatican is around six feet and ten inches tall, but the one at Begeterre is nearly 10 feet to match the restaurant’s interiors.
In its attempt to recreate a Renaissance moment with copies of famous art, Begeterre joins the growing list of international fine dining brands that are more than just restaurants. From interactive menus and live food preparation to decor that sparks conversation, the experience is as important as the meal itself, elevating dining out into an art form.
Norway’s Under allows diners to enjoy a meal 5.5 metres under icy water. New York City’s Burp Castle is a monastery-themed restaurant that prides itself on its beer, monastic murals, paintings and its rules for diners. People have to stay calm and quiet. Begeterre’s vastness is almost cathedral-like. And while it’s a homage to Rome, its culinary offerings are akin to Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days, from India to Turkey to Mexico and Asia.
“I’m not just selling a restaurant; I’m offering an experience. It’s not just about the ambience or the interior design; it’s also about the food,” said Kalra.
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A painstaking process
Kalra and his co-founders credit SALT, a Delhi-based design studio, for bringing their ideas to life. Mrigank Malik, co-founder of SALT, recalls the meticulous process that went behind bringing the Roman sculpture to life.
“It began with crafting a 3D model of the statue,” he said.
Once approved by the founders, SALT’s team translated the 3D designs into detailed drawings. These were passed to their sculptor, who shaped a basic clay model. Malik and the founders reviewed the model, suggesting adjustments. Once finalised, the sculptor built the framework using metal and wood, eventually covering it in fiber to achieve the final masterpiece.
Additionally, Malik and his team followed the same process for every Roman bust sculpture, a total of 10, present in the restaurant.
SALT has previously designed over 60 corporate offices, retail spaces, and residential projects, but Begeterre marked its first venture into restaurant design and is one of their most “challenging projects” to date.
“The restaurant’s structure, intricate details, windows, sculptures, wallpapers—everything about Begerette was complex,” he recalled. “The founders had a clear vision and wouldn’t settle for less. The experience was thrilling and intense, to say the least.”
Their first design for the restaurant didn’t make the cut. Kalra outrightly rejected it, saying it lacked that much-needed ‘wow’ factor. The co-founders sat down with the design team to perfect even the minute details of the design.
“When we showed the final 3D design to friends, everyone was impressed, but many were skeptical about whether we could recreate that magic in the actual space. Well, we did it, and I think we all deserve a pat on the back for that,” Malik added.
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Art and aesthetics
At Begeterre, the walls aren’t just for decoration—they’re a trip through art history. One side of the restaurant features a massive poster of Raphael’s fresco The School of Athens, painted between 1509 and 1511.
Next up is Couture’s masterpiece, which was unveiled in 1848. It debuted as the most highly acclaimed work of the Paris Salon in 1847, a year before the 1848 revolution and is now housed in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
And for a touch of grandeur, there’s ‘Assumption of the Virgin’ by Titian, his first major church commission for the high altar and the largest he ever created.
“I always wanted to blend the aesthetics of two of my favourite restaurants — Paris’ Le Train Bleu and London’s Bacchanalia. With Begeterre, I have tried to achieve it,” said Kalra. Le Train Bleu is at the Gare de Lyon railway station in Paris, while Bacchanalia is at Mount Street in London. “My experience at both restaurants has been mind-blowing and I felt India needed something like it.”
Begeterre boasts eight to nine different Roman art-themed wallpapers, covering walls, windows, and even the ceiling — a feature that cost them around five lakh.
“It took five people just to put up ‘The School of Athens’. We had to make sure it looked flawless, without visible lines. It needed to look as real as possible. Now, no one can even tell it’s wallpaper unless we point it out,” Malik said.
From the table lamps and wall lights to the cutlery and even the carvings on the wall — every element has an interesting story behind it.
“The POP (plaster of Paris) carvings, Kalra’s favourite design in the whole restaurant, was broken thrice because it didn’t click with our vision,” Bali said.
The men had to park their cars and take an auto to travel into the narrow lanes of Delhi markets in sweltering heat to just finalise a particular form of table lamp.
“You won’t find this lamp for the next six to seven months in any restaurant or shop because Kalra gave the contract with this clause as mandatory that they won’t create these lamps for anyone,” said Bali.
Just three Delhi men
Kalra, Bali, and Chaudhary are typical Delhi men with a love for classic dishes like dal makhani and butter chicken.
Kalra had the opportunity to continue his family’s pharmaceutical business. However, with a journalism degree from Amity University and a lifelong passion for restaurants, he chose a different path.
The restaurateur is now aiming for a second hit with Begeterre after his previous venture, Buen, became massively successful.
Both were high-energy bars, but Kalra never drifted away from his childhood dream of owning a fine-dining restaurant.
Earlier this year in January, after Kalra signed the property papers for Begeterre, his first stop was Bali’s house.
“When Kalra called me with his proposal, I was in Chandigarh,” recalled Bali, who took over his family’s liquor bottling business right after Class 12. They currently own the biggest bottling plant of North India in Chandigarh.
“I told him I needed to check with my dad. His (Kalra’s) response was: ‘I’m already standing outside your house, and uncle is fully on board.’ Seven months have passed and here we are,” he added.
A multi-cuisine restaurant
A waiter glides in, pushing a stove on wheels like a culinary chariot. He places a pan atop the heat, pouring in a velvety white sauce that cascades like liquid silk. He then adds spaghetti, swirling it until it’s embraced by the creamy goodness. The chef finishes off with grated cheese and chopped chives. And the truffle mushroom pasta looks nothing short of divine.
Kalra leans back with a proud smile. He postponed the restaurant launch by a month and a half—just to perfect the menu.
The pursuit of perfection led to countless trials, especially when it came to the Neapolitan pizza.
“We experimented with 10 to 15 different dough recipes before we landed on the perfect one for Begerette,” Kalra said.
Friends became taste testers, including fashion influencers Kritika and Deeksha Khurrana, who have close to a million followers.
“They gathered a group of 10 for a tasting marathon,” Khurrana recounts. “As dishes arrived, we were given placards to rate each one, sharing our thoughts on what we loved and what needed work. The truffle pasta and the baba oram (a small cake saturated in syrup made with hard liquor, usually rum, and topped with whipped cream and some berries) are my all-time favourite dishes. You must give it a try.”
While Khurrana has her favourites, Bali is partial to Kung Pao chicken, and Kalra’s heart belongs to dal makhni.
“We’ve sampled dal makhni from every corner of the city,” he said, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. “Finally, we packed our favorite and handed it to our chef, challenging him to create something even better. I can confidently say this is the finest dal makhni you will ever have.”
The mastermind behind their diverse menu is food consultant Parampreet Luthra, who oversees a bustling kitchen of 25 chefs crafting an impressive 90 dishes.
Dining at Begeterre, a meal for two will set you back around Rs 3,000-3,500, excluding drinks. But drinks are equally important; the cocktail list features 15 options, from classic piña coladas to inventive nutella-flavored concoctions.
“When it comes to liquors, we’ve stocked everything from the Gurugram excise portal. You name it, you have it,” Bali added, with full conviction.
Kalra beamed with pride as he shared the overwhelming customer response. Begeterre was fully booked last weekend, and weekdays are thriving too. Sixty per cent of the crowd turning up are either families or couples, the remaining is the corporate footfall.
“At Begeterre, our mission is to deliver an unforgettable experience—food, ambiance, and drinks, all without making our guests feel cheated,” said Kalra.
For these three best friends, Begeterre is just the beginning. With aspirations to expand to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru and beyond, they dream of taking their brand internationally.
“I envision our next interview happening in London. Yes, we are shooting for the stars,” Bali added.
(Edited by Humra Laeeq)