HYDERABAD: The starter is more felt than tasted. Three forks, knives and a spoon lay on a sumptuous dinner table at ITC Kohenur. But, we ought to use none. “Go savage, use your hand. Don’t bite; pop it in,” asserts the waiter as he presents a plate; in the centre lies a bite-size, meshy, crispy, flat-cylindrical potato base with a spherical shell atop. Soon as we pop, the shell explodes, with a burst of cold, a multitude of flavours washing around the mouth. Before we guess the ingredients, it dissolves. And no! we are not getting another pop.
It is the beginning of an over two-hour long, twelve-course menu curated by Chef Nikhil Nagpal for Avartana, which held a dinner pop-up at ITC Kohenur. This chef has reimagined South Indian cuisine and given it a quirky twist with his intelligentsia. In Nikhil’s culinary world, rasam is intoxicating and is freshly sieved through the coriander and cherry tomato in a french press into a cocktail glass. His distilled rasam is served lukewarm and is accompanied nicely by all the dishes on the menu. Though the chef disagrees, it also tastes slightly like Neera. “This is our signature beverage,” the chef says while pouring distilled Rasam. Not much of a chatter, the chef speaks leaps and bounds through his culinary artistry alone.
Bottle Gourds hardly have any gastronomic virtues, but for Nikhil Nagpal, its sensuousness lies in its dressing. The ‘Tempered Bottle Gourd’ is a Bottle Gourd spaghetti. This fleshy veggie spaghetti, carefully dipped in mint green sauce, topped with glistening mustard seed dotted plum preserve, and garnished with chrysanthemum and papad, is deadly delicious.
The chef continues to be wordless and presents ‘Drumstick Dumpling’ and ‘Prawn Dumpling’. Both these dumplings were half-moon-shaped pieces of translucent layer; when ripped open, squishiness is noticeable in drumstick dumplings served with moringa broth. Then Tomato and Millet, and then, Charred Lentil Crisp, before the Lemon Leaf Sorbet arrives. This sorbet is the lightest meal in the course. The salty sourness of the chilled Nannari syrup sorbet, topped with soaked tulsi seeds, gently bites into your already flavour-exposed mouth and makes room for new flavours.
The chef, in most of the recipes, has played curry leaves, mustard, asafetida, pepper, tamarind, and chillies. He hand-picks authentic ingredients, recreating flavour notes that stimulate a trip down memory lane. Local spices, delicate broths, infused oils, and fresh aromatic ingredients lend to the essence of cooking. Uthukuli Butter Morel, Pork Tapioca, Raw Mango Pudding, and Spiced Aubergine are also the highlights of Avartana at ITC Grand Chola.
Avartana, also ranked Asia’s Best 100 Restaurant, will likely come to Hyderabad soon. Chef Nikhil hinted, “We are doing great at ITC Grand Chola in Chennai. For Hyderabad, it is a pop-up to see the responses. We have good space at ITC Kohenur for our kitchen.”