ITC expands its culinary bouquet with Avartana – an elevated experience of Southern gastronomy

South Indian cuisine has long been a victim of oversimplification. Despite its rich and diverse culinary tradition, in most parts of India, the menu cards largely reduce the region to idly, dosa, and sambar – familiar dishes, which barely scratch the surface of what the Southern kitchens have to offer.

Enter Avartana, the latest addition to ITC Maurya’s lineage of fine dining experience. Here South Indian flavours are reinvented for the sophisticated palate. The result of Chef Nikhil Nagpal’s innovation and research, Avartana distills, known flavours with culinary artistry into a degustation experience that explores the depth and nuance of South Indian cuisine. Avartana means iteration or evolution— and sets the tone for the evening of exploration. The experience is a deconstruction of tradition and recreation of an avant-garde feast.

The restaurant offers an array of tasting menus: Anika, Bela, Jiaa, Maya, and Tara – each, a unique experience weaving in diverse textures, presentations and flavours. For the true connoisseur, the 13-course Anika is an unmatched experience, the most elaborate in the menu book, displaying drama and experiments around taste and colour.

Nothing will look or feel like the idly, dosa, and sambar that you associate with South India. It will challenge many notions and create new ones. Expect freshly garnished rasam elegantly presented in a martini glass; kokum in a tequila cocktail, quail eggs, and coconut-inspired desserts. Each dish is thoughtfully arranged to please the eye and the palate. 

The curated experience unfolds over two indulgent hours ideal for those who appreciate the subtleties of slow, mindful dining. Each course has a narrative, and the degustation experience factors in the space for appreciation. It is the best kind of evening, reserved for a rendezvous with a gourmet.

The aesthetic of the room at the New Delhi avatar of the Avartana, compliments its culinary vision. The matt gold and white décor are minimal and evocative of all things South – its tranquil coastlines and lush coconut groves. Detailed to perfection, the immersive dining experience feels like an artistic expression that speaks to your senses. 

Avartana is already an established name at ITC Grand Chola, ITC Royal Bengal, ITC Maratha, and Colombo’s ITC. Quite clearly it adds to the lineage of culinary excellence like Bukhara and Dum Pukht. For the discerning gourmand of New Delhi, Avartana unfolds a journey of hitherto unknown flavours as it challenges convention and elevates the capital’s fine dining experience. If you are looking for an evening of gourmet indulgence in the capital, you now have a worthy option.