Royal biryani, giant naan and edible ghee candles: A culinary journey from north to south India

Iwasn’t expecting to be chowing down on lamb brain fritters in one of the fanciest fine dining restaurants in Chennai, possibly in all of India. But as the flavourful crunch of the well-seasoned batter fried in lemon scallion brown butter gave way to the hot, melting creaminess of the textures within, it wasn’t just a jolt of eye-widening scrumptiousness – it signalled the start of many more surprises on the plate.

I was at Avartana (the last “a” is silent), currently ranked among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and recently named India’s top restaurant by Conde Nast Traveller India, in addition to many other accolades. With a name meaning “rhythm, mysticism and magic” in Sanskrit, the dining experience is full of unexpected touches bringing little pockets of delight to what would otherwise be yet another starched-tablecloth meal.

I also wasn’t expecting, for instance, the server to come by with a lighter and ignite the tiniest of flames on my raw mango pudding, a dish of unripe mango pulp cooked with ghee, sugar and corn flour, served with chilli, mustard and cashew nuts. Turns out, there was a fingernail-sized edible candle sitting on the plate, the wax made of melted and set ghee, and the wick made out of dried lotus thread. The yellow micro-candle burned with all its little might before melting in seconds into the dish, a culinary wink and glimmer of playfulness.