Carnival by Tresind: A Showcase of Postmodern Indian Cuisine in Dubai | Lady & her Sweet Escapes

Aug 29, 2016

Carnival by Tresind: A Showcase of Postmodern Indian Cuisine in Dubai


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. 

Carnival by Tresind Dubai


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.  

Carnival by Tresind restaurant
Carnival by Tresind
Carnival by Tresind Indian restaurant
post-modern Indian restaurant in DIFC
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!

Happy Halloween at Carnival by Tresind
Happy Halloween! 
Makhan Phal at Carnival by Tresind
Makhan Phal - cacao butter hive topped with avocado and lime cream
beverage soup at Carnival by Tresind
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.       

jalebi chaat at Carnival by Tresind
Life is short, eat dessert first - jalebi chaat, yogurt mousse, potato and chick pea
Indian fried chicken at Carnival by Tresind
Indian Fried Chicken - chicken pakora and bondi crisp
Malai Baraf at Carnival by Tresind
Malai Baraf - a sorbet of litchi granita, raspberry rose water, fresh milk skin and gold dust
Pulliinji at Carnival by Tresind
Pulliinji - my favorite among the 15 dishes that we had at Carnival by Tresind
Uncle Chips at Carnival by Tresind
Uncle Chips - a fancy serving of India's iconic chips with beef Tartar
orange popsicle at Carnival by Tresind
Oranjee - orange and kaffir lime popsicle 
mutton dish at Carnival by Tresind
Mutton dressed as Lamb 
dal phulka at Carnival by Tresind
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!

go bananas at Carnival by Tresind
Go Bananas - toffee panacotta, pie tuile, ilaichi banana ice cream
the betels at Carnival by Tresind
The Betels - betel leaf macaron "sweet paan"
kappi at Carnival by Tresind
Kappi - South Indian filter coffee with caramelized lotus seeds
ice cream at Carnival by Tresind
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! 

mojito at Carnival by Tresind
Smoked Melon Mojito
Barbican Fizz at Carnival by Tresind
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!  

mocktail at Carnival by Tresind
a special mocktail - not on the menu - created just for me

Location:
Carnival by Tresind
Burj Daman
DIFC
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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