SOUTH INDIAN FOOD REIMAGINED

AVARTANA AT ITC GRAND CHOLA, CHENNAI IS ELEVATING THE SOUTHERN INDIAN CUISINE WITH ITS VARIED INNUMERABLE INTERPRETATIONS

- BY NAMITA GUPTA

Avartana flips the script on South Indian food effortlessly. With the stamp of ITC Hotels, it whips up bold, inventive and innovative dishes that remix tradition with modern flair over a seven-course menu. Think comfort food, but cooler, smarter, and totally unexpected oozing with a burst of fresh flavours. Taking its name from the Sanskrit word for rhythm and repetition, Avartana surpassed all our expectations of a magical afternoon with a modernist approach to time tested South Indian gastronomy. Avartana was also in the news recently as it toured France for two exclusive pop up dinners in April this year.

Drawing from the rich culinary traditions of South India, each dish pairs timeless ingredients - curry leaves, coconut, native spices, with techniques from across the world, creating flavours that feel both comfortingly familiar yet strikingly new. From Maya to Jiia, each tasting menu here is like opening a chapter from a flavourful story. The newest, Anoma, offers a rare glimpse into elevated ingredients and inventive pairings. With every course, tradition is reimagined, an edible ode to the rhythms of the South Indian peninsula.