The Bandra Project by Pizza Express, Pali Hill, Bandra West, Mumbai

Restaurant Name: The Bandra Project by Pizza Express, Pali Hill, Bandra West, Mumbai
Phone: 022 6250 6800 / 022 33126246
Address: C 534 A, Ground Floor, HSBC Bank Building, 602, Doctor BR Ambedkar Road, Pali Hill, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050 India
Time: 8:30 AM to 1 AM
Meals for two: Rs. 1,600
Cuisines: Italian, Pizza
Facilities: Breakfast, Home Delivery, Full Bar Available, Valet Parking Available, Card Upon Delivery, Restricted Entry

This ain’t no chain, ‘Pizza Express’. It’s bahut hyperlocal and thoda whimsical. It’s ‘The Bandra Project by Pizza Express’ and we enjoy it. I owe a big thanks to brilliant actor, singer, producer, educationist Vikas Bhalla for guiding me here. He’d dined here along with his foodie daughter Sanchi (foodie partner across Europe) and son Veer (for whom pizza is a staple diet) and loved it. Through the long leisurely meal, I was riveted by his fascinating journey of being a trained Hindustani classical singer, playing versatile roles in the highest rated TV soaps (which starred as him playing son to Rajesh Khanna and currently as a psycho cop in the most popular show) to running his own production company (including one in Canada) and a popular preschool with his wife Punita and mom Neelu. We ate our way through the Sunday afternoon.

The Bandra Project by Pizza Express: Decor

Meticulously researched details of Bandra’s cultural, social and historical context dot the large 3, 000 sq ft cheery intriguing space. Kudos architect Pronit Nath and The Busride studio. The bar is decked up with designs of quaint bungalows and geometric high-rises, kota stone with inlaid marble mosaic rugs, colonial-style marble tables, suspended mirror mobiles, Irani cafes chairs, et al.

The Bandra Project by Pizza Express: Food

Can you eat tasty authentic poha in a “pizzeria”? Or lustily spiced East Indian dishes? In this tribute to Bandra, you can. It infuses and tweaks many a dish with East Indian influences (to celebrate Bandra’s prominent community), lustily-spiced prawns in bottle masala, ribs with East Indian Spices, too. We recommend the thin, crisp meaty pizza, Etna, sparkled with jalapeno. And the hot seller pizza Padana, topped with goat’s cheese and caramelised onion. Pizzatinis are a good idea if you want to check out different toppings. After that carb and calorific overload, balance with healthy (and most importantly) delicious options.

Be it the unique frittered pumpkin pancakes layered with soy and mascarpone or the Guacamole on toast. Intensely spicy and sweetened with Maple syrup, the chicken delights. Creamily delicious Vanilla cheesecake.

Minus Point:

Too noisy. Slow, very slow service. Many an items unavailable (meringue, Stella beer). Lacklustre and cold Salmon with wild rice. Overcooked Prawn Pasta. Ragi pancakes (an otherwise great idea) too hard. Over-sweet Coconut Cake with chocolate sauce.

My Point:

Kudos to this global pizza chain for baking its concept in the local Bandra context. For serving it in an exuberantly apt space (live music through our Sunday lunch). For balancing calorific dishes with healthy ones, Western fare with our very own. No great gastronomic flourishes here. Not needed either. It strikes a pose that’s familiar, modern, nostalgic and musical. Hum khush hue!