Exploring Suburban India on a Plate at Carnival by Tresind

Carnival by Tresind has always been close to my heart. Right from their humble hospitality to the creativity in every single dish, this restaurant is more like an artist’s gallery. This is where Chef Himanshu Saini and his talented team display their remarkable art on your plate. When I received an invitation from them extending a warm welcome to sample their Season II menu, I was elated to say the least. In this blog post, we’ll look at some of Carnival’s new signature dishes and the concept highlighting suburban Indian influence on their Season II menu.

With their inauguration, Carnival by Tresind introduced the idea of postmodernist Indian cuisine to the Dubai dining scene. This involved a lot of dishes that brought across nostalgic memories – from the Vada Pav and Indian Fried Chicken (Motichur Laddoo style) to the Airline Meal and Rustom Bakery doll house – everything that took you back to the 90’s.

While their prime concept revolves around serving postmodernist cuisine, the menu at Carnival by Tresind changes with seasons. The Season II menu brings across a whole new idea which focuses heavily on suburban Indian food. Now be prepared, for you are going to read this word “suburban” every now and then.

Amuse Bouche

We all know the Butter Chickens, Dals, Palak Paneers, Kebabs, Parathas, Biryanis & Pulaos that have dominated the Indian cuisine for ages. Season II menu celebrates local suburban Indian dishes that are widely popular within certain cities but have not received the fame they deserve from the rest of our beautifully culinary diverse country. From Meerut to Madurai and Aligarh to Ajmer, the remarkable research team behind Carnival has gone into the depth of every region to bring out the most unique dishes to your table.

Presented here is the very creative Amuse Bouche. The palm holds the famous Mumbai Chutney sandwich that is quite possibly the staple of the hectic Mumbaikar lifestyle. Quick to prepare and delicious to every bite, this sandwich comes with mint chutney spread inside a buttered bread sandwiching boiled potatoes, tomatoes, onions and more. Carnival by Tresind presents a humble version of this classic with garlic infused chutney prepared in a molcajete stuffed inside toasted bread.

Pani Puri is something that is served across the country with slight variations as you move from state to state. This being one of the main reasons to highlight this country-wide chaat, the eye-catching Pink Pani Puri was Carnival’s breast cancer awareness initiative that was introduced back in October. While the chickpea stuffed puri gets its pink color from beetroot flavoring, the pani in the test tube is sweet and tangy pomegranate juice. The combination might sound a little unconventional, but the taste will take you home.

South Indian Dahi Wada

From Mumbai, we moved towards the South of India to experience one of the best street food items of the region – the South Indian Dahi Wada. Here, Carnival by Tresind brought in their lovely and much awaited theatrics by freezing the sweet yogurt in nitrogen to give it an extremely chilled temperature and a crunchy texture. This dish (like many others that will follow) was prepared live at our table by Chef Himanshu himself. Couldn’t ask for more, could we?

Prepared in advance, the deep fried lentil wadas were soaked in warm water to make them a little soft. These wadas were laid onto a plate while the yogurt was undergoing its deep freeze treatment. They were then topped with this nitrogen yogurt followed by lots of creamy cold yogurt. The garnishing included green chili and ginger juliennes, boondi, pomegranate seeds and a generous dusting of gunpowder masala.

The texture of the wadas was smooth with a hint of gritty from the urad dal lentils. The sweetness of the chilled yogurt combined with the slightly salty wadas was so soothing and comfortingly pleasant, it instantly relaxes your senses, leaving you with a feeling of calm.

Here’s the video of the making of the South Indian Dahi Wada at Carnival by Tresind. Look at all that creamy goodness and the beautiful melange of colors through garnishes. Make your reservations for Carnival by Tresind and prepare yourself to experience this creative suburban Indian menu.

Mystery Tea

Is this a tea? No, it’s a mystery.

The Mystery Tea at Carnival by Tresind, served in an English floral tea pot housed a ciroc based cocktail. The mystery was intensified with the use of dry ice that created an enigmatic smoke engulfing the contents of the drink. The spirit was poured over more dry ice dotted by dark red dehydrated raspberries. This concoction highlighted a very refreshing afternoon ‘tea party’ feel with its floral elements and fruity flavors.

Here’s a sneak peek into the making of this Ciroc based mystery tea. Love the whole ‘smoke coming out of the kettle’ concept! Look at the stylish way in which our bartender Varun disengages the teapot from the cup!

Into The Wild

Despite its sophisticated location in the heart of DIFC, Carnival by Tresind managed to take us ‘Into the Wild’, with their version of this exquisitely prepared surf and turf dish. Inspired from the North Eastern regions of India, where people usually have limited access to ingredients, this dish was prepared using the most basic spices and meats.

But what’s more interesting is the style in which this dish was prepared – on a slab! Commonly available in the foothills of Himalayas, the Himalayan pink salt slab is a great alternative (and a very natural one at that) to your regular grills and pans. Plus, its salt content is high enough to flavor your food with enough zest. This means you wouldn’t have to add any extra seasoning.

Our shrimps and suveed beef tenderloin were lightly fried with vegetable oil on the Himalayan pink salt slab. The buttered buns too, were given a quick crust on this very medium.

It was just wonderful to see the shrimps and beef change their color. All this while getting seared to tender perfection amidst all the oil sizzle.
Keeping up to the use of basic ingredients, once the shrimps, beef and bread were plated, they were flavored with two of the most essential, albeit distinctive items. The chilli garlic dressing was as spicy as we could have asked for and the fragrant basil garnish added a picturesque green hue to this ‘wild’ dish.

In all honesty, this was my favorite off the Season 2 menu, and if I had to go back for just one dish, it would be this.

After a satiating bite and relishing all that chilli garlic, I suggested Chef Himanshu start selling the sauce, simply because it was so delicious. But what I shrug off as a joke, turned out to be quite a surprise when we were gifted two jars of the chilli garlic sauce to take back home. Satisfied and humbled. Couldn’t have asked for any better!

Fire & Ice

Watch the smoky presentation of Fire & Ice. This strong cocktail featured a mix of homemade bitter and orange zest along with burnt aromas which were quite prominent when our bartender Varun unveiled the drink. The fire lighting just makes the flavors so much more rustic.

https://youtu.be/qt6WHjy3vWs

Lamb Wengar’s

Since Season 2 at Carnival by Tresind highlights a food journey through suburban India, there was no way they could miss out on the culinary diverse Parsi food which comes from a small community but has made fans across the world, thanks to their unique dishes created by everyday pantry essentials.

Titled Wengar’s after the pre-independence Delhi-based Parsi bakery of the same name, these lamb kebabs were a stylish Parsi version of Shammi kebab. While the classic Shammi kebab is shallow fried or grilled over a pan, these mutton cutlets were coated in bread crumbs and deep fried in oil to give it a crusty exterior.

Alongside the Lamb Wengar’s was a very colorful looking egg salad, which yet again highlighted the use of egg as an important ingredient in Parsi cuisine. The boiled egg salad was garnished with vegetable juliennes and topped with crunchy sev bhujia.

This is quite a must have if you are a mutton fan, or a Parsi cuisine fan, or a foodie. Have this!

Boiling Skull

The Boiling Skull at Carnival by Tresind featured a sweet concoction of passion fruit served with lots of dry ice smoke on a painter’s palette styled plate.

The juice was wonderfully poured over red and blue berries giving the blend a sweet and slightly tangy flavor. This presentation of this drink was truly mesmerising. So unique, so artistic.

Dragon Chicken

Chicken is never a bad idea, especially when it’s wrapped in noodles, and presented with some burnt perfection. The Dragon Chicken at Carnival by Tresind was yet another dish inspired by the North Eastern parts of India as well as Nepal, featuring some Chinese influence in not only its name, but also the ingredients.
Wrapped in wai wai noodles, the chicken was cooked in a marinade of sour and spicy flavors, coated with chicken cheese powder and topped with lots of coriander garnish.

Why is it called Dragon, you ask? Just like a dragon breathes out fire, the coriander leaves were flambeed with a torch to give it a ‘hot’ finish. And to balance the heat, the chicken was served alongside a piece of chilled cucumber on a bed of ice cubes.

This representation of contrasting temperatures and flavors is in essence what suburban Indian cuisine is all about – a memorable surprise in every bite! Watch all the Dragon Chicken blowtorch fire action at Carnival by Tresind performed by Chef Himanshu.

Palate Cleanser

After all those starters, and just before we could be wowed by the mains, we were presented with the Strawberry Murabba palate cleanser. This featured a strawberry coated with refreshing flavors of jaggery syrup mixed with onion seeds and fennel.

Picnic Basket

Can you guess what’s in this wonderful picnic basket?

Here’s Chef Himanshu unveiling the picnic basket at Carnival by Tresind. And trust me, it couldn’t get more authentic than this.

 

This one instantly took us home and struck multiple chords with nostalgic memories from back in the 90’s. An integral part of every packed lunch, every picnic, every road or train trip, this collection of dishes has the very essence of suburban Indian home food.
Packed in very home styled compact boxes, the picnic basket came with jeera aloo, chhole puri, raita and pickle. The jeera aloo was just like mom made it. Really. It was so perfect, so well spiced, cooked just right with enough masala to give it a lipsmacking finish.

These items in fact go way beyond the suburban Indian borders. Growing up as a Dubai kid, the aloo and chhole puri were a must have in every Friday family outing or school picnic lunches packed by mom.
If you haven’t tried the season 2 menu at Carnival by Tresind yet, you should. And you should order this. Trust me, it will bring back all those childhood memories you miss and will leave you feeling content.

Pind Da Khana

If the picnic basket took us back to picnics and gardens, Pind Da Khana took us straight to the heart of suburban Northern India – the beautiful fertile farmlands during chilly winters. This very very wholesome farmer’s meal is not only supremely healthy, but contains all the essential elements you would require for a complete 5/5 food intake.

https://youtu.be/jzaXvov2b6w

The makki di roti – India’s version of cornbread – and sarson da saag – mustard leaf gravy – keep the body warm and fully fuelled for a day’s hard work in the farms. The mains in the thali were served with the most basic, but immensely delicious accompaniments. This included onion salad, pickle, melted jaggery with sesame and the very exclusive homemade white butter, or makhhan. All this with a tall glass of buttermilk chaas to wash down the deliciousness.
I can see how every dish from Carnival by Tresind’s Season 2 menu comes across as a must have. So make sure you go there with family and friends and try all of these.

Three Wood Smoke Barrel

Watch the unique live presentation of this Three Wood Smoke Barrel cocktail at Carnival by Tresind.

Infused with rosemary and woody aromas this strong drink starts on bittersweet notes and moves towards earthy tones. It is garnished with a cherry and dehydrated orange slice to give it a rustic finish.

Jhinga Lala

One of the most famous tourist destinations of India is Goa. And one of the most loved dishes of this state is the Goan styled curry. Anyone who is from this city or has tried this dish knows how it is both appetizing and comforting at the same time.

My lunch date, who happens to be from Goa was impressed beyond words after having a spoonful of this Goan prawn curry at Carnival by Tresind – quirkily called Jhinga Lala. Cooked in the earthenware that it was served in, this shack style thick gravy was accompanied with South Indian kalappam. Poached on a flat griddle these appam breads were dusted with gunpowder masala and were just right to soak up the creaminess of the curry.

Fruit Custard Ice Cream

I still can’t get over the delicious culinary journey I took across suburban India with Carnival by Tresind’s Season 2 menu. Everything about their new seasonal menu is so colorfully diverse, each having an interesting story explaining its conceptualization and presentation. We moved on from pre-starters to starters to mains and finally to desserts. Yes, it’s a plural, because when you are at Carnival, abundance prevails.

Our first dessert was a very North Indian inspired Fruit Custard ice cream. Originated and quite a bestseller in Delhi and Punjab, this ice cream is made using an adorable churning machine. Our dessert chef started by adding cooked blueberries, cooked blackberries, cooked red berries and cooked strawberries into the machine, followed by creamy home-made custard. Honestly, these were the only 5 ingredients that went into creating this marvel.

Once shut, the chef fitted the churning machine with a small spout. The spout was used to add the star ingredient of this restaurant to this dessert. He poured liquid nitrogen in little quantities to the ice cream to give it a quick deep freeze. On the other hand, the constant churning ensured the ice cream maintained its creamy texture.
Where this traditional method of churning ice cream was a delight to watch, the presentation took away the cake. Half of a chilled watermelon, with all its fruit hollowed out doubled up as a serving bowl. He gently placed ice cream scoops inside this watermelon. He finished with garnishes of orange marmalade, pineapple marmalade, fresh raspberries and mango sauce.

The taste of the ice cream really took me back to homemade cold custard and berry creams of suburban areas India (where they are quite a rage). This Fruit Custard ice cream is a must have. It will make the perfect choice for a table of 4 – 6 people.

Shahi Tukda Donut

Another interesting item on our list was the Shahi Tukda donut. A rich rabri base dotted with lots of chopped almonds and pistachios was crowned with a bagel styled donut. As far as my thinking goes, this donut was essentially the richest and creamiest item on their menu. Stuffed with rabri panna cotta it oozed out rich milk and dry fruit based goodness in every bite. To top it all off was the nut flakes and aromatic bada elaichi garnish. Not to forget, the molecular saffron foam that totally stole the show.

Milk & Cookies

Here’s the this very special dessert from Carnival by Tresind’s Season 2 menu called milk and cookies.
Brought to our table in the iconic 90’s style Black & Decker oven, this rich milk gravy soaked cake was dotted with another 90’s favorite – little hearts biscuits.
Once out of the oven and on the table, the soft baked cookie was drizzled with sweet caramel sauce, followed by fresh tart raspberry garnish to cut the sweetness from caramel, and finished with scoops of cinnamon ice cream.

If I had to describe this desert in one word, it would, without a second thought, be ‘comforting’.
Bringing back tons of nostalgia with its mushy, creamy texture and sweet flavors, this dessert has so much love in every little bite. You shouldn’t be surprised if you find yourself trying to wipe off a tear of joy from your eye.

Carnival is anything but regular Indian food. Diners go here not to eat food, but to experience it. And alongside experiencing the food, they experience memories, feelings and emotions. This requires a lot of thought to get carefully imbibed into something so simple, yet so complex.
I highly recommend trying this dessert. And if you can’t finish, pack it up for those late afternoon or midnight cravings.

Pina Colada

Watch the video of Lassi Pina Colada – Carnival by Tresind’s version of an after meal digestif drink.

It was infused with citrusy orange and sweet strawberry flavors along with bitters and lemonade. All these were muddled together in a Punjabi lassi-esque style earthen matka pot. This cocktail was then topped with lightweight whipped cream foam to give it an authentic finish. Finally, it was garnished with a pineapple and cherry on top – staying true to its pina colada roots.

Gud Papdi

To end things on a suburban note, we were offered the Gud Papdi tree. Inspired from the Northern regions of India, these jaggery crackers were dotted with white sesame seeds and caramelized sugar. They were designed to bring about body heat to combat the chilly winters.

These were accompanied by the classic Hyderabadi Fatafat candies – famous for their Ayurvedic cumin-based digestion properties.

They are anything but regular Indian food. But they why would we ever go to Carnival if we wanted anything regular right!

Carnival by Tresind

Location: Podium Level, Burj Daman, DIFC, Dubai
Contact: 04 2759071