Bring back childhood with Season 3 at Carnival by Tresind

After taking us down a 90’s themed nostalgia lane with Season 1, and treating us to suburban Indian delicacies with Season 2, Carnival by Tresind is all set to bring childhood memories back with its brand new Season 3 menu.

The welcome, for a change, is not characterized by bubbles, but with a petite bag placed on the table, that exudes all that childhood nostalgia while waiting for our admiration and praise. Printed with pretty florals, this one houses our napkin and glass, and also brings back memories of playing dress up with friends using these miniature bags.

While I still relish all the wonderful flavors of food I brought back with me, let’s hop on for a quick tour of the Season 3 menu over this blog post.

Let’s move ahead with drinks. What would you like? Something rustic or something smoky?

We tried out two of their season 3 specialties – The Summer Special and the Tiki Colada.

Summer Special

The Summer Special has a unique presentation, well but that’s just second nature to Carnival by Tresind. A “broken” bottle tied up with chains brings across childhood memories of throwing these in the sea or burying them in the sand. The cork is quickly popped up allowing all that lychee goodness to flow into a berry accented glass over a massive cube of ice. So refreshing, this one is made with the summer season in mind.

Tiki Colada

The next one is Carnival by Tresind’s version of the Pina Colada. Titled “Tiki Colada”, this creamy coconut and pineapple blend is presented in a funky mug accompanied with lots of dry ice smoke on the side and a miniature tree in a coconut Aloha cup.

While we decided to go all sober last night, you can definitely ask for a little perkier version of these drinks. They also have pretty packet Sangrias and a drink called Viva La Goa which should be just right if you plan on getting a little tipsy.

Tandoori pav

I am always game for some really good truffle. And Carnival by Tresind’s Season 3 menu, gave me not one, but delicious trufflicious items.
Let’s talk about the second one later, but until then, close your eyes and imagine a soft, warm, freshly baked bun, that oozes a slight smoke with every little touch on its fluff. Titled Tandoori pav, this one acts as an Amuse Bouche at Carnival by Tresind this season.

But wait, the warmth and fluffiness isn’t all. What’s astonishing is the wonderful truffle aroma that captivates your olfactory senses, the minute this starter is brought to your table. Topped with parmesan and truffle, it exudes the perfect essence of eloquence with a touch of Indian magnificence, bringing back memories of the local pav wala and the classic bun maska.

Pani Puri Salad

This one was my ultimate favorite dish off the Season 3 menu. Yes, it’s just the starters, but I had already decided my fave from this edition of Carnival by Tresind. The Pani Puri Salad makes for a real showstopper.

While the base is made with a gritty textured mix of sprouts, chickpeas, potatoes and spicy mint chutney, the boondi layer adds the right crunch. A perfect choice for a cold salad, this one is topped with chilled tamarind sorbet and served in an ice bowl. All the classic elements, served in the contemporary Carnival style! What more could you ask for!

Khau Galli

Every city in India had its own version of a Khau Galli. It might be called different names, but a Khau Galli is a Khau Galli.
Carnival by Tresind whips up its own version of eat street with this miniature presentation of classics. Look at those little chairs and tables. They instantly take you back to those narrow steers lined with petite stalls and benches where you’ll see people from all walks of life lining to grab a quick bite.

The first one are crisps filled with yogurt mousse. Just like those finger toppers from the childhood days.

Next is a fresh and tangy mango chaat made using slightly raw mangoes. The sweet and sour flavor of mangoes and masala, paired with pomegranate seeds complement each other so well.

Then we have the dhokla foam. Honestly when I saw this bowl, my first though was that this is going to be really heavy, but the foam had all the flavors of dhokla with the consistency of a cloud. The curry leaves made it just right.

The Monaco pav bhaji was my favorite amongst all. Bringing back memories of different toppings garnished over these tea time crackers, it opened a whole new line of possibilities. While I would otherwise just pair the bhaji with bread or roti, I know I can give it a funky twist and serve it as a dip with crackers now! Any takers?

The last one is nitrogen bhel. The same bhel puri flavor but much much lighter, molecular gastronomy can never fail to impress at Carnival by Tresind.

Have you tried these yet? Which one’s your favorite?

Hawaiian Beef Kebabs

I wouldn’t be wrong if I said I was fully stuffed with the appetizers even before we got to the thought of having main course. The appetizers started off with Hawaiian Beef Kebabs. I usually don’t prefer chunky beef, but Carnival by Tresind’s season 3 menu changed that.

This one came placed in faux coconut shells placed over a plate full of beach sand and under the shade of a pretty palm tree. Instantly took us back to beach picnics and barbeques during childhood.

Coming back to the beef, it was marinated so well, it literally just melted in my mouth. The spices were on point. And to cut all that spice, they had added a pineapple cube in there which gave off a sweet and spicy flavor.

Murgh Malai Tikka

The next one was Carnival by Tresind’s version of Murgh Malai Tikka. Titled Cream Chicken, this savory appetizer was cooked in a grana padano cheese wheel with boiling cheese fondue. Yes, you must have guessed it that this was realllyyyy cheesy.

But to balance it out, the chef added some lovely mixed grilled veggies, coriander oil and crushed pepper. Loved this one to bits.

Kebab mein Haddi

Next was the quirky Kebab mein Haddi. While the previous seasons had mutton dressed as lamb, season 3’s take on this variety of meat included a mutton seekh kebab, grilled spicy to an orange brown hue, skewered around a lamb chip bone. The metaphor comes across quite literally in this one, no?

Jhinga la la

After appetizers, it was time for our stuffed tummies to try out some creative mains. We started with Jhinga la la which featured deliciously tender jumbo prawns cooked in a home style coconut gravy.

The curry was perfectly creamy, perfectly spiced and perfectly thick. I would definitely go back to Carnival by Tresind to have this. This was paired with freshly baked naan bread.

 

Ram Babu paratha

There’s paratha, and there’s papad. But what would you say of a paratha stuffed with papad pieces! Having never been to Agra, or tried this famous street food from the city, Ram Babu paratha was quite a revelation for me. Roasted on a three later griddle with pure Desi ghee, this paratha oozed of rich flavor.

What made it even more interesting was the variety of sides it was served with. Pumpkin mash, aloo sabzi, yoghurt and a very unique banana and grape chutney accompanied this goodness.

Mushroom Management

Another surprise for vegetarians, and especially mushroom and truffle lovers is Mushroom Management. Featuring fried rice with mixed mushrooms – button, Portobello, truffle and more – the dish was extremely aromatic (truffle ftw), and tasted so delicious, I couldn’t help but get it packed for take away so all my friends could try it too!

Kheema Pav

And of course, there was the classic Kheema Pav, presented in a contemporary Carnival by Tresind style. While the kheema was as good as made at home, I was totes in love with the tiny pav pieces.

Mango Gem

Alas! We managed to make some space for desserts. And we were glad we did. Because these season 3 desserts at Carnival by Tresind are not worth missing.

The first one is super dramatic. It’s called Mango Gem, but I wouldn’t have been surprised had it been called Mango Queen either (queen – drama queen, get it?)
This one came with a lovely white chocolate sphere coated with raspberry powder, topped with mango slices and surrounded by lots of tiny Ras Malai balls. First a thick concoction of rabri is poured around the sphere so the ras malai can soak up a bit.

Then the sphere is cracked open to reveal fresh mango juice within that slowly flows into the rabri and combines into a creamy, rich, fruity-milky blend.
I simply fell in love with the mini ras malai. Although quite heavy, they were just irresistible and we couldn’t stop popping one after the other.

Palang Tod

The next and thankfully last item on our elaborate chef’s tasting menu was Palang Tod. This term translates to bed breaker and is quite famous as a metaphor used for couples on their wedding night.

The creamy milk pudding weighs heavy enough to make you plop right on the bed once you are done having it. But that’s not all.

Just incase the cream pudding doesn’t succeed at its task, there’s an extremely thick and creamy saffron milk that’s quite elemental to the palang tod concept, and the dry fruit stuffed dates, that finish the whole show with a sweet touch.

Carnival by Tresind

Location: Podium Level, Burj Daman, DIFC, Dubai
Contact: 04 4573732