ITC Narmada food festival marks hotel’s fourth anniversary
ITC Narmada marks fourth anniversary with food trail across three states
A meal at ITC Narmada in Ahmedabad is taking diners through three states this week, with a menu built around foods from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The hotel has organised ‘Journey of Narmada’, a food festival at Adalaj Pavilion, its all-day dining restaurant, to mark four years of ITC Narmada. The event started on August 8 and will continue until August 15, with brunch served from 1 pm to 3 pm and dinner from 7 pm to 11 pm.
The idea follows the Narmada River from its source in Madhya Pradesh towards Gujarat, bringing dishes linked to places and communities along its route.
The Narmada begins at a spring in Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh’s Maikal hills. According to the Central Water Commission, the river runs for 1,312 km before reaching the Arabian Sea through the Gulf of Cambay near Bharuch. It flows through Madhya Pradesh and also forms parts of the boundaries between Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The river has a strong cultural and religious place in the region. Madhya Pradesh Tourism describes Amarkantak as the source of the Narmada and lists several important places along its route, including Omkareshwar and Maheshwar. The Narmada Parikrama, a pilgrimage in which devotees travel around the river, is also closely associated with the river’s cultural history.
At the Ahmedabad food festival, that regional connection is being expressed through familiar dishes rather than a single style of cooking.
Madhya Pradesh is represented by dal bafla, made with baked wheat dumplings, dal and ghee. Maharashtra appears through puran poli and shrikhand. Puran poli combines jaggery and lentils in a sweet filling, while shrikhand is made with hung curd.
Gujarat has rotlo and bharta on the menu. The selection continues at live food counters. Diners can find dabeli, ghughra chaat, live dhokla, fafda-jalebi and ghotala pav among the Gujarati offerings.
Maharashtra is represented by vada pav, pav bhaji, misal pav and sabudana vada. Indori poha and dahi wada form part of the Madhya Pradesh selection.
For Ahmedabad diners, many of these foods are already part of everyday eating culture. The difference here is that they have been brought together under one restaurant menu, allowing customers to move between food traditions from three states during the same meal.
The choice of the Narmada as the theme also fits the identity of ITC Narmada. ITC Hotels says the Ahmedabad property draws on the river and on Gujarat’s architecture and culture in its design. The hotel has 291 rooms and suites, five food and beverage outlets and six banquet and meeting venues. It is also registered with the US Green Building Council for LEED Platinum certification and is described by ITC Hotels as Gujarat’s first LEED Platinum-certified hotel.
The environmental side of the hotel’s operations is part of the wider ITC Hotels approach. The company says its hotels work on areas such as renewable energy, water conservation, waste management and local sourcing. Its policy on sustainable supply chains also says the company encourages procurement from suppliers using responsible practices.
Akshay Kavra, General Manager, ITC Narmada, Ahmedabad, said the anniversary event was planned around food traditions from the three states.
“At ITC Narmada, our rich and beautiful four-year journey has been all about creating experiences that are deeply connected to the region we call home. The ‘Journey of Narmada’ culinary showcase brings together the culinary traditions of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat through ingredients, recipes and flavours that tell a story of the communities along the river. The initiative has been conceived in line with ITC Narmada’s commitment to responsible luxury. We strongly believe that indulgence goes hand in hand with conscious choices, including our focus on local sourcing and supporting regional producers. As we celebrate this milestone, we look forward to continuing to create experiences that are authentic to Gujarat while staying true to our larger commitment to responsible and sustainable hospitality,” said Mr Akshay Kavra, General Manager, ITC Narmada, Ahmedabad.
The event also includes a discount wheel for diners. Depending on the result, guests can receive discounts ranging from 15% to 50%. Prizes include an OG Cake and Nutmeg Hamper.
The food festival comes at a time when hotels are increasingly using regional cuisine to give diners a stronger sense of place. ITC Hotels has long used local food traditions as part of its dining offering. Its corporate material refers to programmes such as Local Love and Kitchens of India, which focus on regional and lesser-known Indian food traditions.
For ITC Narmada, the anniversary menu places that approach around one river rather than one state. The result is a table that moves from dal bafla and Indori poha to puran poli, vada pav, rotlo and dabeli.
The festival will remain at Adalaj Pavilion until August 15. Guests are advised to reserve tables in advance. Brunch is available from 1 pm to 3 pm, while dinner runs from 7 pm to 11 pm.
