Avartana - ITC Maurya — Restaurant in New Delhi

Overall, an exceptional menu and chef, but severely let down by front of house team. The food was excellent and the plating superb.

The two pools of lotus flowers grace the entrance and walking past the well stocked bar to the table, the thoughts a pre-dinner cocktails almost seems mandatory. The dining room lighting is far too bright, encouraging the potted plant in the centre of the table to grow rather than illuminate the diners and dining experience. I do understand it is difficult to find the right level, it would do well to have table lighting rather than florescent down lights.

The tinged, almost clear, warm rasam soup infused with coriander through a French coffee press and served in a martini glass, not only delighted the pallet but reminded me of the surprise of Heston’s tomato clear consume water soup. Tapioca dish presented perfectly with a dusting of curry leaves not only added visual appeal but a depth of flavour to the dish.

Not all the dishes came out in order, with the palette cleaner of frozen lemon sorbet appearing mid mains as an unfortunate cool liquid and failed.

The tender pan seared filleted quail, served on “aerated rice cake” topped with a light salsa and petite fried quail egg, elevated the flavours of a string hopper or idli to a gastronomic master of restraint that played on fond memories, almost encouraging conversation of the past by its sheer presence on the plate.

I loved that the table was set with an array of cutlery, rather than the single set to the side so often seen in degustation destinations. The cutlery was replaced, not with finesse but with a plonk, plates removed before closing them and the table next to us turned over with the table cloth flung in the air like a hotel maid changing a top bed sheet. Waiters repeated the dish descriptions listed on the menu provided, but couldn’t elaborate or explain the ingredients beyond that.

The small matters of front of house lets down the kitchen. We don’t think of the enormous work behind flying a jumbo from Delhi to London but we complain bitterly about the airline over the vegetarian option and cramped seats. So too here, bright lights and lack of serving skills, is the difference between an exceptional experience and one that was nice. Would I return, absolutely, as the food was simply amazing but next time I’d probably have a smaller set of courses and move on to another venue for drinks, ambiance and...

Plated meals and set menus from the south of India that go beyond dosas and idli. Not exactly the kind of stuff delhi restaurants are known for, so full marks to the ITC folks for the courage and enterprise in trying to push the envelope here.

We had the 7 & 11 course menus and the biggest disappointment was the food with most dishes being very unremarkable. The thinking that miniaturizing classic items (eg, appam, parottas) makes them interesting or innovative dominated the meal. As did the focus on presentation (test tubes?). Now both those boxes can certainly work in a meal, but a meal cannot stand on them alone. The chicken starter was very average — the curry leaf tempura was actually more novel. The lobster and the steamed sea bass were chewy and overcooked — not expected at this level. The shrimp dumpling came out of nowhere and did not fit with the menu. The char grilled pork belly had no char or smokiness. The lamb rice was nice, but with tiny morsels of lamb that had to be searched for. The uthukuli chicken was a regular chicken curry, with extremely heavy pairings in the butter toffee and parotta. The desserts and cocktails were the best part of the meal.

I really wanted to have a nice meal — having heard much about the Chennai branch — and am sad to be writing this, but there was not much redeemable here. (To top it off, I saw a server pick up a fallen garnish and place it back on the dish with his bare hands (not Dominic)).

I really hope this was a one off and they get better from here because the north of India really does need to experience the full glory of South Indian cuisine.

TL;DR: great idea, poor...

I'm writing this with the intent of seeking improvement in taste.

Fabulous presentation, right portion size and fantastic in terms of the 9 course design.

But where I feel that there is need for serious reconsideration is in the taste. The chef's menu is heavily inspired from Kerala which I must say is not a representation of South Indian cuisine. Almost every dish has curd in it which makes the 9 course dull.

The chefs must travel to wider parts of the south to draw inspiration for a better curation of the menu.

My suggestion is for the chef to have a look at Kripal Amanna's gourmet on the road channel as he covers the best of best south indian eateries. Then visit the same and take inspiration to craft your fine dining.

My personal favourites that I would like to see in your reimagined menu would be: Horsegram Palya/Subzi +Akki Rotti from Malnad region of Karnataka

Some spicy dishes from Tamilnadu

Some sumptuous additions from Andhra too!

Key message: Reduce the Kerala touch and curd based dishes increase a more inclusive southern touch! Cheers! I love you guys and hence an...