Chic presentation, whimsical colors and state-of-the-art food theatrics made me a serial stalker of Carnival by Tresind on social media. The restaurant has not opened its doors yet, but already gained quite a number of excited fans. That includes me! And - surprise, surprise - I got to have a sneak peek before the restaurant officially welcomes Dubai's foodie population on the 3rd of September!
Here's what to expect at the highly-anticipated Carnival by Tresind.
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Lively carnival-like atmosphere
Carnival by Tresind is located in Burj Daman building in Dubai International Financial Centre, a thriving financial and business hub. Walking in the restaurant is like being tucked away from all the hustle and bustle of the city. It was pretty much like walking into a carnival! A spectacle of bright colors and festive ambiance made me leave all my worries at the door.
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| Carnival by Tresind |
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| post-modern Indian restaurant in DIFC |
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| Carnival colors loom in a glass of water - which clearly indicates an exciting date night ahead! |
Fantastic welcome
A staff led us to a table for two decked with two helium balloons. The green balloon is tied to a vegetarian menu and red to a non-veg. While we were still yet to decide on which tasting menu to have, a wait staff gleefully welcomed us the Carnival by Tresind way... and that is through a fun bubble shower! Ed and I were not ready for such fancy welcome; hence we failed to take photos and videos. We were both stunned; smiling from ear to ear while looking at the tiny specks floating above us!
Welcome drinks in a smoky bucket soon followed. Two refreshing Goli Sodas (Indian carbonated drink) were popped before our very eyes! I had the Kala Khatta flavor, while Ed had Mangopassion. The latter is an ultimate summer treat - cool, fruity and fizzy!
Outrageous food presentation
Carnival by Tresind serves postmodern Indian cuisine in a very exciting way. Every dish is like a carnival act bound to amuse the audience! First in the 15-course non-vegetarian dinner is a pumpkin kulcha called Happy Halloween. With this, a jack-o-lantern was placed on our table! Next, molecular gastronomy was showcased in a melt-in-your-mouth dish called Makhan Phal. It was then followed with 13 more outrageous food acts that only the culinary team of Chef Himanshu Saini can gracefully pull!
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| Happy Halloween! |
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| Makhan Phal - cacao butter hive topped with avocado and lime cream |
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| La Tomatina Beverage Soup - cold tomato shorba with tomato and cheese breadstick |
Surprising flavors
Our palates were treated to pleasant surprises. We had a starter called "Life is short, eat dessert first" - a lovely concoction of tang, sweetness and spices! Then comes the Indian Fried Chicken - a nugget of crispy chicken pakora and bondi topped with gold leaf!
The main course was just as unpredictable as the starters! Mutton dressed as Lamb was beautifully served in a clean white plate like a piece of art! It is a scrumptious mutton galouti chop drizzled with thick lamb jus and served with warm fermented dough bread.
A few courses later, my greatly overwhelmed senses were comforted by a seafood dish called Pulliinji. It is a flavorful plate of South Indian ginger prawns smothered with palm sugar caramel, garnished with curry leaf crisp.
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| Life is short, eat dessert first - jalebi chaat, yogurt mousse, potato and chick pea |
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| Indian Fried Chicken - chicken pakora and bondi crisp |
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| Malai Baraf - a sorbet of litchi granita, raspberry rose water, fresh milk skin and gold dust |
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| Pulliinji - my favorite among the 15 dishes that we had at Carnival by Tresind |
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| Uncle Chips - a fancy serving of India's iconic chips with beef Tartar |
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| Oranjee - orange and kaffir lime popsicle |
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| Mutton dressed as Lamb |
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| Dal Phulka - yellow lentil cappuccino topped with fresh truffle ghee and cumin coco with phulka cookie on the side |
Desserts with a Twist
Ed and I went bananas over Go Bananas! It is Carnival by Tresind's take on the classic Banoffee Pie. Ingredients are carefully arranged on a banana leaf, giving me the freedom to mix, match or eat one after the other. We also had The Betels - an Indian version of French macaron, Kappi - a chocolate-covered South Indian filtered coffee, and Rustom - an ice cream sandwich served in a delightful dollhouse!
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| Go Bananas - toffee panacotta, pie tuile, ilaichi banana ice cream |
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| The Betels - betel leaf macaron "sweet paan" |
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| Kappi - South Indian filter coffee with caramelized lotus seeds |
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| Rustom - inspired by Bombay's famous K Rustom ice cream sandwich |
Fancy-schmancy Mocktails
In between the courses and the surprises, Ed and I refreshed our palates with Carnival by Tresind's non-boozy beverages. I had the Smoked Melon Mojito. I love it! I couldn't help but give my husband's Barbican Fizz an envious glance though!
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| Smoked Melon Mojito |
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| Passion Fruit Barbican Fizz |
Wonderful Service to top it all off!
After being entertained for two hours at Carnival by Tresind, Ed and I both think that the restaurant and the staff are all set to impress the UAE, if not the world. The servers are well-trained. Aside from being polite and friendly, they know the food very well. The thorough introduction to each dish made us more excited to have a bite.
That being said, we easily gave Carnival by Tresind a well-deserved standing ovation!
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| a special mocktail - not on the menu - created just for me |
Location:
Carnival by Tresind
Burj Daman
DIFC
Website: www.carnivalbytresind.com
Check out Carnival by Tresind's Facebook Page for updates.
We were invited to an exclusive preview of Carnival by Tresind.
Opinions in this blog post are my own.
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