Whenever I visit Thiruvananthapuram, there is one place that I am eager to go to for dinner. This place serves the best chaats and Punjabi-style food that you cannot find anywhere else in the city. The Dhaba Project, true to its name, serves dhaba style food. It is a bit pricier than the food you get in dhabas of course, but I’m not complaining since it’s much cleaner than usual dhabas and worth every penny. I love everything about this place, right from the way its interior is done to the chilled lassi they serve.
The restaurant is done up in a kutcha style with brick walls and thatched roof. Once you enter, you have the option of choosing a cabin or the open area seating. I always go in for the open area seating because of the ambiance and the colourful pillows that adorn the benches. Oh, and you cannot miss the Daler Mehndi numbers and other Punjabi folk songs playing in the background. In fact, most of the time, I have to strongly resist the temptation to do a “balle balle” right there!
When it comes to the food, I always start with Chaat, followed by Tikka, Aloo Paratha and end with Lassi. Depending on the people I go with, we also order Biryani, Naans, Kulchas and Curry.