Carnival by Tresind is the new culinary offering to Dubai from the same people who started the highly acclaimed Tresind. It is helmed by the culinary genius, chef Himanshu Saini. Even before it could open it’s doors, Carnival by Tresind created a lot of buzz in Dubai.
Carnival by Tresind opened on 3rd of September and I was invited for the preview of the restaurant in the last week of August, before the opening. Naturally, I was excited and didn’t know what to expect.
Located at the plush Burj Daman building in DIFC, Carnival by Tresind offers post-modern Indian cuisine. The term post-modern Indian cuisine means reinvention and reinterpretation of culinary techniques that is inherent to India, in a modern way. Under the guidance of head chef Himanshu Saini, the entire team of talented chefs of Carnival will offer you various Indian dishes with their own unique, creative and modern twist. You can expect the unexpected.
As we walked into the restaurant, we felt like we were transported into a magical world. The decor of the restaurant is chic, sophisticated and classy. It is dimly lit and the copper plated trees with small colorful kites adds vibrancy to the place. Carnival by Tresind is a beautiful space with a restaurant, lounge and bar area. The whole set up is tastefully done up.
The atmosphere is festive and carnival like. All the tables had a red and green ballon tied to a roll of paper. Red indicated a non-veg menu, while green was for the vegetarian. As hubby and me are vegetarian, we chose the green one. When we unrolled the paper, out came an enormous 15-course menu.
When we were having a look at the menu, we were offered Goli Soda in 2 flavors. The Kala Khatta flavor was amazing. Carnival by Tresind are the first restaurant in Dubai to introduce Goli Soda.
Here’s my 15-course menu:
Happy Halloween was the miniature kulcha stuffed with pumpkin. It was a bit on the sweeter side, nevertheless it was tasty.
Makhan Phal was the second course, it was a cacao butter hive topped with avocado lime cream. Makhan Phal was something I’ve never eaten before, it was absolutely divine.
La Tomatina Beverage Soup was the equivalent of tomato Shorba and it was served cold in a bottle that was enclosed with breadstick. The presentation was interesting, but we found it too bland.
Life is Short Eat Dessert First was the jalebi chaat. Can you imagine a chaat with jalebi? It was an outstanding dish and our favorite in the 15-course menu. A definite must-try.
Florets were the crispy fried cauliflower with chili coconut chutney that was presented whimsically in a flower vase along with real flowers. We liked the spicy and crispy cauliflower.
Malai Baraf was a creative take on the humble malai barfi. It was a litchi granita infused with raspberry and rose water. It was served in a glass made of ice. It was deliciously refreshing.
Games of Corns was their modern interpretation of Bhutta or corn. It was sweet corns served alongside coconut cutlet and topped with goji berry chutney and kewpie mayo.
Vada Pav Service is the popular Indian streetfood Vada Pav. But in Carnival be ready for an unique interpretation of this ever popular dish where they pay homage to Mumbai mill workers. This dish was made right in front of us by chef Rahul wearing a mill worker uniform and helmet. The ingredients came in a tool box and he used many different spices to make it. The Vada Pav was outstanding, I am sure even the hardcore of meat eaters will love this.
Oranjee or an orange and Kashmiri saffron Popsicle was the palate cleanser. The saffron taste was strong and overpowering as I felt there was way too much of saffron in it.
Dal Cappuccino, Phulka Cookie was Carnival’s interpretation of the simple dal and phulka. The dal was served in coffee cup with lentil foam, truffle ghee and cumin coco. Miniature phulka was served along with the dal. Absolutely, loved it.
Gol Hatti or Delhi’s Chandni Chowk’s famous palak Chole, steamed kulcha and carrot pickle salad. It was a simple, flavourful and delicious dish.
Go Bananas was their version of a Banoffee pie. Served in a banana leaf, it consisted of a banana fritter, toffee pana cotta and cardamom ice cream. This dessert was light and lip smackingly delicious.
The Betels or the betel leaf macaroon were the paan flavored macaroon. It was beyond amazing.
Kaapi is the South Indian filter coffee. Here they gave us the coffee in a truffle form. It was served along with caramelized lotus seeds. If you love good coffee, you will definitely love this.
Rustom Ice Cream Sandwich was Carnival’s way of paying tribute to the famous Rustom in Mumbai. Rustom is more than a 60 year old Parsi shop that is popular for ice cream sandwiches. We were served 2 bite sized chocolate caramel ice cream sandwiches in a doll house resembling Rustom.
When we visited Carnival by Tresind, they had not yet got their license, so we only tried the mocktails. Apart from Goli Soda, we also ordered a Lavender Lemonade and Passion Fruit Mocktail with non alcoholic beer. I am not much of a mocktail fan, but the mocktails that we tried were pretty refreshing.
Overall, we had a wonderful dining experience. Carnival by Tresind, completely wowed us-be it the food, decor, service or the ambience. We are definitely going back.
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