Having notched up some years of designing experience down south in his fatherland, Siddarth Gopalan decided it was time to add some spice to his motherland. Siddarth's mother is a chhetri from Dharan and father is a South Indian brahmin, and at 25 this architect is already making his mark in Kathmandu.
After getting to Kathmandu three years ago and designing a resort-farmhouse in Chitwan, word of the simplicity and elegance of Siddarth's work spread quickly. More assignments followed: Sipradi, the Australian Embassy, and (ahem!) our very own Himalmedia. Now, the best example of this young Indo-Nepali architect's talent is not swanky offices and the bedrooms of the rich and famous, but on full display at the newly-opened Roadhouse Caf? in Thamel.

Tired of having to pay the same old architects for designs he had to dismantle almost on an annual basis, Chandan Kayastha was on the look out for someone who could make his diverse Roadhouse Caf? crowd feel at home. Having already turned off a few other eager beavers, Chandan's imagination was immediately captured when he saw what Siddarth had to offer.

"One should always respect one's culture, but at the same time be bold enough to use the imagination. What we have done here is not purely Nepali but at the same time there is a bit of Nepal too. Tourists relate it to the Caribbean Islands, some to Mexico and some to huts in Tharu villages," says the designer.

Sack loads of ammonite stones transported from the banks of the Kali Gandaki stud the walls. ("Some of them have ammonite fossils inside, but we haven't opened them yet.") The walls have that muddy brown "lipeko" touch so familiar in traditional Nepali homes. Dried corn and garlands of chili and garlic hang from the walls, while the antique window grills give a touch of the old aristocratic Kathmandu.

Siddarth has made a point of using material leftover from previous eras. Old wooden beams (uninhabited termite holes intact) provide ceiling support, water pipes are reincarnated as wine bottle holders, cement mixing plates serve as light shades (we liked the way the pinpoints of light poetically illuminate our cigarette exhaust) and there is even an antique wooden door leading to the kitchen.

Siddarth is busy designing the yet unfinished garden at the Roadhouse, as well as working on plans for La Dolce Vita, the Italian restaurant owned by the Kayasthas and other dream houses for the nouveau riche. It's a fine balance between kitsch and Ikea-like minimalism, and Siddarth treads it every day. "You can use a lot of glitter and make a place look tacky, or you can use a little mud and have a classy place," he explains. Siddharth's balance of new and old, spice and style has turned him into an original fusion artist in Kathmandu's mongrel landscape.