Bhupender Nath launched his first restaurant in Dubai as a tribute to his father. At a young age, Nath had seen the pain his father had gone through when he was forced to shut down his dream, a restaurant, because he was cheated by someone. Young Nath had vowed to gift a restaurant to his father. This is how the first Tresind came about.
Today, his Dubai restaurants are in Michelin Star lists and two of them even have Michelin Stars. He brings Carnival by Tresind to Mumbai with all its fun and his favourite dish Mr. Nath’s Favourite – chilli chicken - on the menu. This chilli chicken, though a part of the Small Plates, should be eaten with Kallappam and you have a delicious meal in itself.
You are greeted by masks on the wall and masks on the faces of a few servers. The bartenders and their head Rahul are the excited faces behind the masks who explain the exquisite signature cocktails created by them. The cocktails adhere to the carnival theme as they play with different elements to give a feel of carnivals around the world.
Being a Goan, I couldn’t resist the one called MOG. MOG means ‘love’ in Konkani and this cocktail is made with love – Coconut fat washed feni, guava shrub, lemon juice, sidr honey skillfully mixed and served with love and a big bubble on top. The best thing about this drink is that it retains the flavours of feni but eliminates the odour. Must have if you like to experiment with your cocktails and love your Goa. Next was an ode to Brazil – Samba de Mundo. With cachaca as a base, this drink has homemade acai berry shrub, dash of lime juice and is garnished with mint. Little sweet, but interesting. “All our shrubs, infusions, tinctures, and liqueurs are homemade,” informs Rahul Kamath, their chief bartender.
I had to taste the Candy Flip as its base was Campari. Never thought that Campari could be mixed with beer to create a cocktail. The mix was enhanced by grapefruit, muddled and dressed with thyme. If you love your beverage a little bitter, then this can be your ‘go to’ drink. They also have a Gin trolley that allows you to create your own version of G&T with their in-house tonic water and other ingredients like fruits and herbs. “If you like it, it’s ours. If you don’t remember you created it,” quips Rahul.
Between the drinks, we were served Jackfruit Cutlet and Avocado Galouti Kebab. The jackfruit cutlet was served on a bed of blue cheese sauce that proved the umami. Covered with Pol Sambal ( a Sri Lankan delicacy that merges sweetness of coconut and pungency of red chilly and scallions) and tamarind chutney, this was a textural delight – softness of cutlets, crunch of sambal and smoothness of blue cheese. . The Kala Khatta salad was exactly like it sounds – tangy flavoured. Carnival Kale Salad is also a good salad option – kale, pomelo, berries and avo tossed in a tasty, citrusy dressing.
It was time for some Flower Power - Vodka, Amaro Montenegro, green apple juice mixed with clarified red grapes juice. Recommended for vodka lovers like my sis who accompanied me and loved this herbal, slightly sweet concoction.
What followed was a visual delight as well. Chef Sarfaraz insisted that we should try at least one of their ‘live’ dishes – dishes that were assembled on the table. He said he will make us a Vada Pav. A box arrived at our table which displayed an array of condiments on opening. We discover that it is a lobster vada! Sarfaraz deftly layers the pav with yuzu kosho that’s infused with garlic and some tamarind chutney, sprinkles some powder chutney before stuffing it with the lobster vada and serving it to us with the traditional fried chilli. A delicious twist to the city’s Vada Pav. The Duck Croquette was a subtle and delectable croquette served with a black lemon tzatziki and some shawarma seasoning. The Kombdi Rassa that followed was a disappointment. Chicken dumplings that floated in a coconut curry along with water chestnuts was a fusion of Asian and Indian cuisine. The coconut gravy gave a distinct coconut milk taste without allowing any other flavour to come through.
The Recado Negro was a tasteful surprise. Tender mutton cooked in the traditional Maharashtrian kaala mutton masala came along with a carrot and cabbage slaw and buttermilk. The tempered buttermilk poured over the slaw was an excellent condiment with the perfectly spiced mutton. Fish lovers should surely try Pil Pil Pollichathu – grilled sea bass with Malabari masala. They should also go for the Carta Farta in the mains – a Malabar fish curry served with Malabar paratha. The curry leaf tadka sure tempts your palate. Zimbly delicious!
If you eat pork and don’t mind spicing your life up, don’t miss the Champaran Style Carnitas. The pork shoulder slivers are marinated and cooked in the traditional Bihari Champaran masala and served with scallions and sour dough tortilla. Scoop out a generous portion of pork and on the tortilla, sprinkle some of the condiments, roll it, and eat it.
Vegetarians have enough options as well in mains. Saag Florentine highly recommended – kothimbir vadi (coriander dumplings) float in a variety of sauteed leafy vegetables gravy. Also try the Ram Babu Paratha that’s served with pumpkin curry.
Desserts! Their seasonal Aam Sutra is a compilation of mango sorbet, coconut rasmalai, rabdi foam and mango-passion gel. The textures explode and tease your palate as the coconut and mango combination delights it. Their deconstructed Tiramisu is deliciously different – filter coffee tiramisu morsels and bailey’s ice cream.
Make sure you have time when you visit this place as Mayank will come to your table and trick you into being his bakra for his card tricks like in any carnival place.
RS. 4000/- for two
