cafe immigrant- a cafe based on the immigrants who settled in delhi!!

Immigrants Project- A Cafe in History is a dedication on the culture centre to all those IMMIGRANTS who made Delhi their permanent home at any point in the history. The concept is completely based on immigrants in Delhi. Interesting menu, simple décor, a ghee dabba for cutlery and much more. This is not a regular café. Either by coincidence or by cleverly planned design, the interiors of Immigrant Project call to mind the rough and ready decor of yesteryear, when refugees came pouring into Delhi. Some dishes on this menu do espouse that theory by having western and oriental dishes with a desi tadka added on, but others don’t.

i went to this cafe with some of my fellow foodies, and well after having a rocky start with not so well prepared beverages,barring a few….we were in for a solid food journey!!

Ambiance:
after climbing a narrow flight of stairs with one side of the wall adorned with an array of framed posters, the moment you enter, you stand face to face with their kitchen/mess area, alongside a mini rooftop sitting, which is good as one can see their dish in the making and have a lil chat with the chefs!! upon entering one is welcomed by the tallest bar delhi has to offer on one end and various seating options like sofas with bright cushions, or normal table chair arrangement and even sort of bar stool kina arrangement spread across!! the decor is rustic with few great posters and social media tags hanging!!! the music played in the background is also somewhat from the 70’s or 80’s era!!!

service:
the service id say was good…the staff was courteous, attentive and fulfilled all our requests in no time…the dishes were served along with a brief description as to what they are…all in all the service was smooth.

food:
coming down to the food journey….well because we were a gang of 7-8 ppl, we tried quite a few of their shakes/smoothies…though barring 2-3 i didn’t personally liked the beverages….and i think immi need to work on this big time….but fortunately the last few ones and the food served along was great and well compensated for the shaky start we had earlier!!
we began with:
chawanprakash and mint smoothie: oh well this was one hell of a weird yet flavorsome combo iv ever tried….though one takes time to develop a taste for this combo but it is a nice and refreshing change from the usual beverages served elsewhere….as soon as you take a sip, a strong punch of mint hits your palate leaving an after taste of chawanprash!! weird yet different…

adraki watermelon: it tasted like diluted watermelon with a very subtle ginger taste, served with a chilly on the brim, which unfortunately didn’t add to the taste!!

pomegranate, celery and avocado: this drink failed to impress as i could hardly taste any celery or avocado flavor…it again tasted like diluted pomegranate juice!!

muskmelon kiwi mint ginger: like other, this too was a fail for me….no proper taste of the above elements!!
 the problem with their shakes/smoothies was that the ingredients were not mixed properly…after a while the composite separated!!

these two were the best of the lot!!
vanilla bacon shake: yes, our favourite bacon with vanilla…what more can one ask for!!! a think vanilla shakes with minion particles of bacon which gave a very subtle yet noticeable taste of the same…loved it!!

strawberry shortcake and maple syrup smoothie: a pretty looking smoothie with a strong hit of strawberry and over the sweet(no doubt with strawberry and maple syrup together) taste was another highlight!! 

well after having such weird combos and some not so good beverages i wasn’t sure about the food…but i was well surprised and then set at peace with each dish that was served to us!!!
for starters we binged on:
stir fried chicken with hoisin and basil in betal leaf: tiny morsels of stir fried chicken strips wrapped in betal leaves like a parcel was serves along with hoisin sauce…the sauce was okayish and the parcels were decent too…though for me the chicken was a bit dry!!

hot chicken wings with cream cheese dressing: eight pieces of moist chicken wings were served with cream cheese dressing which was good !!

koliwada fish fingers: crispy fish fingers mixed with koliwada spices from maharashtra served along with original tartare sauce filled with capers, olives and a slice of gherkin was yummy and flavorful…

mattar and khajoor ki shammi kebab: they looked like hara bhara kababs but with a twist of filling!! made from peas, with a subtle taste of date and filled with cheese which oozed out on every bite was a nice twist!!

by now though are tummies were half full we still braved ourselves towards the main course, wherein we had:
roasted tomato, fried basil and mozzarella pizza: a thin crust Margarita pizza with a slice of roasted tomato and few sprinkle of fried basil leaves on top was tasty but i would have preferred it more had the base been a tad bit more crispy…!!

penne with grilled zucchini,pesto and cream: a yummy looking, green colored cheesy penne pasta with frilled zucchini which added so much to the flavor and texture….!!

penne arabiata with chicken: omg what a great paste it was….penne pasta in red sauce with grilled chicken strips, keema mixed all along the sauce which tasted like indian chicken gravy was a nice and super yummy…comforting twist immi offered!!

sage chicken with ham and bacon; need i say more?? it was the star dish for me….bacon wrapped succulent juicy chicken with sage atop and a dollop with mozzarella cheese oozing out, served with sauted veggies is one of the best dishes immi has to offer!! a must try….

grilled sole with tomato onion compote and creamy caperberry sauce: again a super hit for me….perfectly grilled fillets of tender sole served on a huge bed of creamy mashed potato served with tomato onion compote done up in mustard oil is another highly recommended dish!!

finally to end this fantastic food journey we had:
kalakand cheese cake: baked cake of kalakand atop a sweet orange sauce finished with carrot murraba over the cheesecake was one hell of a fusion…each element complemented each other perfectly!!

 bread and butter pudding: well a classic…need not say more….a decent end to this flavorsome awesome journey!!

the main course is the highlight of all….coupled with good music and some great poster here and there…one is bound to have a great time here…!!