The Project, New Delhi: Well Begun But Not Half Done

Certain kinds of places are meant to be enjoyed on certain kinds of days. For instance, thenewly opened Project at the Park Balucchi, nestled deep in the heart of the Deer Park in HauzKhas, is meant for those post rain, monsoon-y days of this city – when everything around you seems fresh and dewy, a light breeze is on, the birds are chirping, the deer are running around; and surrounded by the chatter of friends, you down a chilled beer and devour some of the fine offerings of the Project.

Unfortunately, we went there on a scorching May afternoon for lunch. So while outside seating was out of the question, the Project’s glass house décor still meant we could enjoy the sights. One degree removed from the deer and the greenery but thankful for the air-conditioned comfort. The interiors are well spaced out and airy, the design minimalistic. A point of interest is a gigantic Spider Man installation, entirely made up of Mars wrappers, loose keyboard keys, and other recycled material. We don’t know who the artist is, but they definitely did a good job!

For a just launched place in the immediate vicinity of the ever changing one-new restaurant-a-week HauzKhasVillage, the Project hits certain notes to perfection. Ambienceis definitely one of them. That they cater to a range of cuisines- Pan Asian, Continental and Indian – yet another as there is something to suit every palate. Added to this is the fact that the place has this warehouse-y pub feel to it and has been designed to be a bustling and not a quiet place.

That said, the folks behind The Project really need to spruce up service standards.Our servers were extremely slow and often clueless about the details of the order. And sometimes, we were left wishing that the dishes did justice to their descriptions on the menu. But Hey!For now, we will just chalk these down to teething troubles.

So onto the food nowâ€Ś..

What not to miss ?The delectable, fall-off- the-bone, perfectly flavored BBQ Pork Ribs ! The only two places I have had better ribs than at the Project are in Indian Accent and Farziâ€Śand compared to Farzi, the difference wasn’t that great.For the rare Karela connoisseur,there was the Karela Kebab– while the karelas could have been made to be less bitter, the spinach and pea stuffing was exceptional. The Garlic Stuffed Mushrooms filled with gorgonzola and the perfectly creamy grana pedano cheese were light on the palate and just creamy enough – I could have them by the buckets! For the traditional BBQ sauce flavored Jumbo Chicken Wings, pick your sauce well and you will be rewarded – both BBQ and Honey Mustard are delicious choices; the dry house seasoning not so much. And if size matters to you, then these are the hugest wings I have seen in the country beyond doubt.

Not to be missed in the Pasta category was the Butternut Squash Ravioli that did a tremendous job of tying together the flavours of caramelized apples and blue cheese and the texture of honey roasted walnuts – sublime ! The Spicy Linguine too was well flavored though it felt a bit too thick and al dente for my preference.

If you are looking for something Indian, head straight for the Kandhari Rogan Josh. The gravy was light, flavorful and thankfully, not swimming in oil. If I had a favorite comfort food than this Rogan Josh would be it with piping hot rice.

What you can miss and they can do better!

The Murg Potli was just wasted potential. One, the mince inside the potli was just too dry. Two,it didn’t come on the burning sword as given in the menu which is why we had ordered it. So a great concept, but flawed execution!

The Pizza section, overall, felt like we have had better versions of everything on the menu, elsewhere. The team might want to work a bit more on differentiating their pizzas.

Lastly, a word or two on the drinks. The Signature Cocktails left a lot to be desired. Not only was the lack of flavor the problem (nothing orangey about the Orange and Celery Margarita) but also, on every repeat order, our drinks looked and tasted like something completely different.

When asked why a generic name like The Project was chosen for this place, the answer was that it speaks of the theme of things always being dynamic, always a work in progress. In that spirit, one hopes that the restaurant builds on its strengths and focuses probably on doing fewer things but doing them better. Ultimately, when it comes to memorability and repeat value, great taste trumps ambience.

As for you, let’s hope that the Monsoons will be upon us soon, so you can go experience the Project in its full glory.

Ratings (Out of 5)

Food: 3.0 | Drinks: 2.0 | Ambience: 4.0 | Service: 2.0 | Overall: 3.0

Disclaimer: This review was done on an invitation from the restaurant. Due judgement and care has been applied by the author to remain objective and unbiased in the review, but readers need to consider this review keeping this fact in mind.