The Conservatory: A Community Space in the Heart of Bangalore
Bangalore’s Conservatory is a space that brings the community together around a shared love of food, experiences, and an appetite for the unusual.
Where in Bangalore can you sit down to a breakfast of congee by one of the best chefs in the city, an izakaya-style tasting menu from out of town, or a party inspired by Christmas eats from around the country — all in the span of a few weeks?
When Akhila Srinivas envisioned the Conservatory, she found inspiration just down the road: at Lalbagh. “There is so much history, so much to be proud of, but somehow Lalbagh has moved to the very back-end of our contemporary way of experiencing Bangalore.” The Conservatory, as its name suggests, is modelled after a glasshouse — the glasshouse in Lalbagh, in fact. With deep-green rafters and a glass roof through which guests, mid-meal, might look up to admire a 100-year-old rain tree whose branches gently sway in the crisp morning air, or as a cloud-burst sends down a torrent of rainfall on an early October evening, or simply soak in the sunlight on a crisp December afternoon.
The word ‘conservatory’ comes from the Latin word conservare, ‘to preserve,’ and that is precisely what Akhila and her team are focussed on. What began as a way to channel the keen interest in food that developed during the pandemic — from cooking, baking, and online lessons, and the resulting sense of community that developed, with restaurant chefs and home chefs harnessing the power of Instagram and WhatsApp — the Conservatory, was designed as a space for workshops, popups, and events. In a way, the pandemic only accelerated the need for it. “A lot of good chefs came out of professional kitchens (during the pandemic), and we had access to that talent.”
The first official event took place in June 2022; a South-East Asian pop-up by Chef Gautam Krishnakutty. “We wanted to start out with an OG Bangalore chef, and I thought Gautam would be perfect because he’s just Bangalore for me, in many ways,” explains Akhila. Krishnakutty is a Bangalore-based chef, and the name behind several of the city’s most iconic restaurants, including Smoke Co., and Thulp. Since that first pop-up, there have been more than 15 ticketed events and numerous private events, and as the Conservatory approaches its 6th month of operation, more than 1500 people have walked through its doors. Over the months, there have also been pop-ups by restaurants from outside Bangalore. The first of these was the Bombay Canteen pop-up that truly showed Akhila the scale of possiblity. “We sold 290 tickets in a matter of hours. It showed us we have both, the potential and the audience for it.”
Most recently, Mumbai izakaya, Mizu, did a 4-day pop up at the Conservatory. “We had 240 seats, and we sold 250,” recalls Lakhan Jethani, Head Chef and owner. “What came as a surprise to me is that the audience in Bangalore is more attentive than any other place I have been to. Before every service — there were 8 services in total — there was 100% silence.”
The audience at the Conservatory is a testament to the power of word-of-mouth. A mix of new, and returning guests, Akhila finds that the audience is not just there for a good meal. They are invested in the space, and believe in the larger story of building out a more interesting, thoughtful, and of course, delicious eco-system around food. From showing interest in learning more about the how’s and why’s of the events, to feeling invested enough to offer criticism, and still turn up for the next event, “they believe they are part of the story,” says Akhila.
Akhila’s long-term vision for the Conservatory is to create a no-rules playground — an atmosphere for chefs to experiment without worrying about how things will be received by an audience. As for her guests, she wants the Conservatory to be a place of discovery and pushing the envelope in terms of culinary experiences. The beauty of the Conservatory format is that unlike in a traditional restaurant, it frees chefs from the worry of hitting a certain turnover every month. The goal for both chef and the customer is to foster an environment that gets them thinking about food in new ways, and push the conversation around food into new territories.
The one thing the pandemic afforded a few lucky people was the luxury of time. Time to bake a banana bread, cook a dish from your childhood, sample the new baker in your foodie group on Whatsapp. As life resumes its pre-pandemic pace, a meal at the Conservatory feels like slowing down a little, if only for a few hours. In a glasshouse illuminated with candles, surrounded by fellow diners eager for a new experience, conversations and connections flow a little more easily. And if you’re lucky, you leave with a full belly and a new friend. After all, what is food without community?
Read more about upcoming events at the Conservatory here.
Aysha Tanya is a co-founder of Goya Media.
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