Avatara- the world’s only Michelin-star vegetarian Indian food restaurant

At Avatara, the dreaded bitter gourd karela, and turnip are dusted with pixie dust and are reinvented as forever young.

Dubai-based Avatara has a new location in Mumbai, India. / Ritu Marwah

Avatara, the only vegetarian Indian restaurant in the world to hold a Michelin star, is located in Dubai and has recently expanded to Mumbai.

From Passion F&B the family which includes Mumbai gourmet restaurants Tresind, Tresind Studio and Carnival, this new fine-dining experience in Mumbai is four months old. It is a 14-course set pure vegetarian offering that uses no onion and garlic.

At Avatara, Chef Himanshu Saini, ex-Indian Accent and group chef at Tresind, and Chef Rahul Rana, from Dubai’s 2-Michelin star restaurant Tresind, have given old vegetables new life. The dreaded bitter gourd karela, and turnip are dusted with pixie dust and are reinvented as forever young.

Carrying this crispy, tangy buttery offering come peacocks, lotus flowers, yogi’s and mithai boxes. Each course is a new scene in this ever unfolding drama of creative juices to get the gastric juices flowing. Each course has its own color scheme, eating vessels and silverware that form the backdrop to that delicate morsel of crispy popness.

Sometimes the crisp is provided by the single fried leaf and at other times by the hidden pastry which comes carrying a masala explosion. At least three courses must be popped whole into the mouth and the melange of flavors unfold their secret sauce within closed lips.

Each course is a distilled essence of the traditional cuisine of a region of India: Kolhapur, Kashmir, Ladakh, Bihar and so on and so forth. Each has a kick and a crunch.

Embellished with flowers and jewelry, the dishes are a feast for the eyes as much as the palate. The new menu in the making of a 16-course meal has taken 6 months of development. The restaurant’s concept was developed in a year.

“Avatara aims to change the narrative around what true vegetarian dining means and redefine the possibilities with Indian produce,” say the creators. The meal itself, like a good theatrical performance, takes 2-3 hours of production served by carefully orchestrated team members. The chefs prepare the dishes at an open kitchen bar carefully tweezing each piece into the tapestry of the dish.

“They are committing an unthinkable sin by eschewing garlic, mushrooms, potatoes, onions,” said the reviewers. The diners on the other hand taken up by the drama of the meal production don’t want it to end. Many repeat orders for each course are requested by the diners.

The meal begins with a peacock platter bearing the Naivedhya or temple offerings of makhan mishri with a white chocolate shell filled with panchamrit. It ends with a pop of pan liquor encased in a ball of milk chocolate served on a smoking cold platter of peacock feathers. The unfolding complete.

“For some the 14 courses are not enough. The menu is therefore being expanded from 14 to 16 courses,” said Omkar Dhande, the diners’ personal guide and handholder through the experience. “ Diners who have come again and again with their friends and family need a new gourmet offering.” The menu expands to 16 new creations in October 2024.

The theatrical dining experience will have a new opening night. The Varanasi-born chef Rana is a staunch advocate of repurposing traditional vegetarian family recipes.