Belying high expectations

Average fare

There is no doubt about the fact that Punjabis of Delhi, especially west Delhi, love their butter chicken and naan. All rationale would fail if they are pushed to shift from inherited palate of rich, creamy gravy and succulent chicken or buttery dal makhni to a more Westernised cuisine.

These impediments haven’t scarred the spirit of entrepreneurs in the hospitality business who have opened a sea of cafes and fine-dining restaurants in upmarket Rajouri Garden to attract the young and old, and everyone in between – by offering global cuisines on their menu.

There was a palatable anticipation when Metrolife headed to a few-month old West Side Story, hoping to understand how the fine-dining restaurant was faring in the heartland of Punjabis as the eclectic menu offered Continental, Thai, Mexican, and expected North Indian food.

The minimalistic and brightly-lit decor, with an open kitchen on one side and bar on the other was pleasant for a balmy November afternoon. We were very clear in the brief: the idea was to stay away from North Indian food and highlight the hidden gems that weren’t ordered frequently; and avoid any kind of chicken preparation.

We skipped soup and headed for salads instead. On chef’s recommendation, we opted for Asparagus Parmesan Salad, a combination of green leafy lettuce with shredded parmesan cheese. Sharply-cut asparagus were well cooked and hints of parmesan cheese elevated the taste. However, the coherent element in any salad– a generous amount of dressing was missed terribly. The dressing issue continued with Chicken Ranch Salad, which they describe as ‘hot and cold’ salad, since the green veggies come with hot chicken slices.

This was followed by Fish Chilly Basil which looked appetising. So we chose to neatly pack our bad salad memories in one obscure corner of our mind and start afresh. But, the fish was clammy and the faintest whiff of basil leaves didn’t do justice to the dish.  While we were still recovering from the hangover, Mushroom Rara Pizza arrived on the table. The thin-crust pizza is a Punjabi take on Italian pizza as it is topped with spicy mushrooms. First bite of the pizza in itself revealed the unexplained story of average food we had before it. The restaurant, despite its western aspirations, has its heart set among Punjabi. That spicy mushroom preparation was extremely delicious, even though strong flavours overpowered cheese; it left us asking for more.

For the main course, we settled for Veg Burmese Curry with Rice and the moment it arrived on the table, the strong aroma of the curry lingered in the air for a few minutes till the food was served. And what a delight it was to relish each and every morsel of rice with this balanced curry that was yellow in colour because they used
in-house spices.

For the dessert course, we had already set our eyes at Duo of Chocolate and Vanilla Panna Cota and Rich Chocolate Brownie Sizzler with Orange Cointreau and Chocolate Sauce and again to our disappointment, these items weren’t available. Hence we had to settle for Blueberry Cheese Cake and Chocolate Brownie with Ice Cream. They were fresh and creamy, but nothing extraordinary about them.

Understanding that not everyone would be experimental and hence it makes sense not to have those dishes on the menu that aren’t frequently. But the biggest disappointment for any customer is to hear “No” for a dish he really wants to order, especially if it’s a Sunday when the restaurant is buzzing with people.