Marine Castanier experiments with hybrid modernism for new Indian restaurant in Paris

Jugaad is a contemporary Indian restaurant unlike any other in Paris. This is the first address in his name from chef Manoj Sharma, who hails from New Delhi. Steeped in British culture, it exudes warmth; where cooking is at the center of the experience. Housed in a former Parisian bistro, near the Opéra Comique, Jugaad has retained some original features such as the wooden bar, the mirrors vintage and ceiling moldings.

French architectural designer Marine Castanier, who helmed this project aimed to create a unique place which is resolutely contemporary. Part Indian, part French, which makes heritage and modernity coexist and creates a unique link between Paris and India. It is on the occasion of the realization of the layout of the UMA NOTA restaurant in Paris, 2018, that a bond was created between Marine Castanier and the associate entrepreneurs Alexandre Guillet and Nicolas Esclapez. "It was during this time that we began sharing the same enthusiasm and project vision. The challenge was to make these traditional Parisian codes coexist with the ambition of a resolutely contemporary Indian restaurant project,” explains Castanier.

Hybrid modernism- An inspiration

In the 1950s and 1970s, many cinemas were built in the south of India. Their architecture is a motley of unexpected influences. French architectural elements spaces gave birth to the style ‘Hybrid modernism. Not entirely Indian, not entirely French, these buildings have taken the best of two worlds for a unique rendering. Jugaad is sort of like hybrid modernism in the heart of Paris which happily associates heritage and avant-garde. In his reinterpretation, Marine Castanier re-employs strong colours and characteristic geometric shapes of this movement.

Contrasting colours

Colour was considered from the outset as a real bias in the restaurant to create both a visual surprise, a warm and dynamic place. "The place had to be inhabited by colour. At Jugaad there is no white, colour is found everywhere, right from the floor to the ceiling!" he says. There are four powerful colours that link the different spaces without ever being redundant and these colours are a nod to the cuisine and the chef’s dishes; sparkling, colourful and daring.

A showcase for chef Manoj Sharma's cuisine

Free to express his vision of modern Indian cuisine, Manoj Sharma revisits the culinary history of his country, bringing him the sensitivity and added value of a chef influenced by British culture and French gastronomic know-how. He signs elegant dishes, delicately dressed, where vegetables and fresh herbs take pride of place, vegetarian tradition obliges. The seasonings are always right, the play of colours irresistible and the apparent simplicity hides hours of work and preparation, with a lot of marinades. To highlight this spice kitchen, two tandoor ovens with golden reflections stand in the middle of the room, arranged around the kitchen. More than a method of cooking, the absolute symbol of Indian cuisine is brought to the fore here.

Custom-made layout and furniture

Eclectic and offbeat, Jugaad's decor plays with graphic audacity. The shock of colours, the mixing of material effects, between leather, zelliges and black parquet. A well-mastered explosive cocktail that makes the experience even more joyful. The objective was to create several atmospheres and dynamics in the same place: a small boudoir lounge upstairs, the chef's tables in front of the kitchen and a friendly space around the bar. “We have accompanied these three environments with three different seat and table heights which induce three types of comfort (low and generous, standard and comfortable, high and efficient),” shares Castanier. From benches to tables, most of the furniture has been specially custom-designed by Marine Castanier and developed with Kann Design, a Lebanese furniture house. French furniture designer Anthony Guerrée also designed and developed for this occasion.