Around Town: Chennai’s award-winning South Indian restaurant Avartana comes to Mumbai; here’s what to expect

Named after the Sanskrit word for rhythm, mysticism and magic, Avartana was started in Chennai in 2017 to offer patrons a kaleidoscope of South Indian flavours from Kerala to Telangana.

(L-R) Fennel Panna Cotta, Angel Hair Caramel, and Spiced Aubergine, Byadgi chilli emulsion and sago. (Special Arrangement)

Last year, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants crowned it their Highest New Entry, and ranked it 30th in its list. In Mumbai, where they began service on Thursday (February 1), guests get the same experience.

The degustation menus, spanning from seven to 13 courses, are named Maya (seven-course, Rs 2,500), Bela, Jiaa, Anika and Tara (13-course, Rs 4,750). All except Tara, which offers presentations from the coast, are available in vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.

At the media preview, Chef Nikhil Nagpal, brand custodian of Avartana, presented a specially curated menu called ‘Kimaya’ borrowing gems from each menu, including the famous distilled rasam in martini glasses. Made from four ingredients — tomato, garlic, cumin and black pepper — and infused with fresh coriander and cherry tomato, it demanded another serving.

Over the next two hours, we sampled a 10-course menu. Imagine a delightful noodle-like bottle-gourd marinated in mint, coriander, mango, and turmeric, served with plum chutney and plated on a beautiful green and blue ceramic plate from Pondicherry; a comforting dish of sauteed asparagus on idiyappam bathed in warm coconut stew; and crunchy crispy chilli potato with a sphere of buttermilk that needed to be poked and spread. The non-vegetarians sang hymns of praise for shrimp-coriander dumplings and their chilli-coriander jam.

Tempered bottle gourd and plum chutney. (Special Arrangement)

After a palate cleanser of lemon leaf sorbet, we moved to bigger portions with a stronger flavour profile. Spiced aubergine, transformed from gooey bharta to a masterpiece with tapioca, nestled inside charred eggplant with a rangoli of yoghurt and Karnataka’s byadagi chilli around it was a riot of flavours and textures, courtesy of fried sago pearls.

The next dish put the spotlight on the famed butter of Uthukuli region in Tamil Nadu. It saw a gravy of butter and vegetables, served with bites-sized made-to-perfection flaky and soft Malabar paranthas and a beetroot butter toffee on the side. It was comforting and indulgent at the same time.

“We wanted to highlight this homegrown local produce from Uthukuli which is a white butter that’s slightly saltier in nature,” said Deepti Jadhav, who is helming the Mumbai’s kitchen of Avartana, adding that although the gravy is very mild in flavours, it has 26 spices, and the Malabar paranthas take about eight hours of preparation before they arrive on guests’ table.

Jackfruit rice for vegetarians, lamb for non-vegetarians, both cooked in banana leaves and served with sweet-sour okra yoghurt, was a mixed bag – we loved the rice, not so much the combination. The raw mango pudding, plated on a heavy limestone hand-carved in Mahabalipuram with lotus-wick ghee candles, promised theatrics but didn’t deliver on flavours. The finale saw a gorgeous golden nest of caramel with fennel pannacotta “egg”, it was lovely as is but when had together, it became a tad too sweet.

“At the end, guests want fennel seeds, I am giving the same taste to them but in our version,” shared Jadhav, adding that the menu includes all the popular south Indian dishes, from idiyappam to neer dosa and curd rice but in Avartana style. “Every dish highlights one South Indian element, be it jackfruit or curry leaves,” she added.

What also needs to be appreciated is their impeccable service. A lot of tasting menus often see a lot of delays and longer intervals, which ruin the appetite but here, the service and the portion size were spot on.

Where: ITC Maratha, Andheri, Mumbai
When: All days, 7 pm to 11 pm
Price: Rs 2,500 onwards per person
Reservations are open, call 022-28303030