On Bandra's Hill Road, having replaced Pronto, the name brings to mind a very hipster, vegan space. But, the approximately 25-seater restaurant is anything but that
Vegetable wrap
As we find our place behind the table, the speakers blare the last few lines of Rockabye Baby. Once that's over, Mr President sings Coco Jambo. Almost immediately, we are transported to a treadmill, walking endlessly to nowhere, sweating that fat out. But, gym music is perhaps not really out of place here. This is, after all, Protein House.
On Bandra's Hill Road, having replaced Pronto, the name brings to mind a very hipster, vegan space. But, the approximately 25-seater restaurant is anything but that. Even its menus are more 'regularly designed' and come laminated and not on handmade paper or wooden blocks. The first to catch our attention is the breakfast option. Out of the five items, four are eggs. While you can opt for a made-to-order, you also get to pick between Kunal's and Onkar's post work out meals. It is quite heavy duty, and not quite what we're looking at for lunch. Therefore, we skip a few categories — soup for the day and salad — and land at the mains.
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Protein cold coffee
For a vegetarian chasing protein and trying to avoid eggs, the idea of Protein House is literally like reaching fitness haven, but here, the space disappoints a bit. For those who opt out of meat and eggs, options like sprouts and legumes are missing. We'd think that would be the first bet. The vegetable wrap ('219) — made out of beetroot and spinach tortilla flatbread — looks appetising and light. And the salsa and cumin sour cream served with it are light options. Soon, we discover that the wrap has mushrooms in it. And, as someone who dislikes them, we carefully remove each annoying piece, till such a time that the wrap almost unfolds. But, the two dips are perfect. Not heavy, not spicy. It does feel like a healthy, light meal.
Each dish has been promised with 20-25 gm of protein. The chef says this of course includes all the veggies provided. We look sadly at the mushrooms. Next on the order is whey protein cold coffee ('219). The day is hot and another cup of black coffee might just make the gut explode. The drink is heavy on the stomach and light on the palette. It's kind of perfect really (but is filling enough to be an entire meal or snack in itself). Eating everything in one meal is not feasible. So, we get the kale pizza, made in ragi flatbread ('249), packed for work. It does not travel well. Ragi perhaps makes it necessary to eat fresh off the oven. The bread felt stale. We also wanted to try the quinoa beetroot steak with pumpkin coulis, but it wasn't available. It does however, sound promising. Our verdict: The food is quite decent. That it comes with a healthy, protein rich tag is a plus. If you're trying not to cheat on your diet, this might be a good, cheap option. Don't expect your mind to be blown, though.
Protein House didn't know we were there. Sunday mid-day reviews anonymously and pays for meals
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