Carnival by Tresind | Season 6 – Books

With so much nostalgia, like it has always offered, Carnival by Tresind has come up with yet another fabulous season with a fresh menu twist. Named “BOOKS”, this seasons is all about grand presentations that take you back to your classrooms and libraries reminding you about everything from small notebooks to hefty fictional tales and everything in between. Featuring some of the most classic Indian and international dishes, quite obviously with their signature Carnival spin, the new menu is not only impressive, but just like their previous seasons, it encourages you to try out more dishes, thanks to their concept of small sharing plates.

We start off with a Biryani flavored drink for my plus one. The spirit is infused with biryani essence for a couple of days to give it the flavor. My friend finds it a little too strong for her taste but the biryani flavor is quite subtle. The drink is served alongside dried coconut and raisins. Also full marks for the bookish presentation. I stick with a strawberry soda popcorn spritzer. A very ‘Carnival’ drink, I love the fact that it’s got something to munch on in the same package. It would be so perfect if cinemas started serving popcorn and drinks this way!

First up on the food train is the amuse bouche that certainly amuses with is creativity in simplicity. A typical pav bhaji, but in a bun, this Bao Bhaji is served under a magnifying glass. I feel a little sad because it’s too good to be so little. I really do wish they start serving an entire main course with these! As soon as we’ve gobbled up our mini baos, we are given entry tickets to Carnival By Tresind’s very own chaat street – Dilli 6. We start our chaat course with a mix of different stuffed puris. Not your regular pani puri, these totally surprise us with their unique flavors. I for one, admit never knowing that dahi puri can taste this brilliant. Not my usual favorite, but I do end up liking the tamarind puri too, only because it’s not all sweet, but has a little savory flavor to it. Although both the puris are very impressive, I decide my ultimate favorite to be the third one which is a spicy puri filled with some potato stuffing and lots of spicy water. We take some pictures with their dazzling tanga and head over back to our table for everything that is to follow.

Just like the drink earlier, our salad course of Tiger’s Milk Ceviche is presented in a book which really makes us go wow, but little do we know that this is just one of the many books that are yet to arrive. Such a beautiful salad, this vegetable ceviche features root vegetable chips dressed with a mosambi yuzu marinade. I love it so much, I feel I can have it almost everyday. The tart flavor of sweet lime and yuzu give it a very refreshing twist, while the colors add to its summery look and feel. The next book comes from the land of the Himalayas. Titled Momo Fuku, this one represents a lovely picture of the classic Nepalese dish. The chicken stuffing is perfect, and the bed of red chili chutney on which the momos are placed, adds the right quotient of spice. Book no. 3 comes all the way from US of A. Hot Sauce Nation features South Indian style shrimp mezhukkupuratti that are marinated in a homemade black pepper tabasco sauce adding a nice kick to the dish. These are simply wow and we finish it off in seconds. The crunchy side poppadums make the perfect pair to the juicy shrimps.

We move on to a non-book dish of Meatilicious. Fabulously grilled and extremely tender lamb chops are covered in a rich gravy and served along with a mini dosa crisp and Mysore masala potato mash on the side. Utterly South India, we agree this is one of the best dishes so far. By this time we feel we are done with starters, but Carnival By Tresind never fails to stuff us plenty, and we are brought our (hopefully) last starter – Samosa. Not your usual fritter, this crushed samosa features a chicken filling inside and is placed over a peanut salan with a garnish of flame grilled padron peppers. I love the nutty sauce and the creativity of the dish.

At this point we are offered mini guava sorbets infused with black salt and lime, placed over a pot full of real fresh flowers and dry ice smoke. An absolute treat to the taste buds, I tell my date we should each have 5 of these on our next visit to Carnival By Tresind. The brilliant palate cleanser reassures us the starters are over and out, and we have a lineup of mains coming up next.

Four different main courses, along with sides of appam, naan and steamed rice greet us next. Five Shades of Pumpkin (served in a book), is definitely a game changer. Served in (1) a pumpkin shell, with (2) pumpkin gravy and (3) pumpkin koftas, and topped with (4) pumpkin flower and (5) pumpkin seeds, it brings together five different versions of the Halloweeny pumpkin. While the koftas are slightly sweet, the gravy tastes exactly like malai kofta. We mop up the gravy with naan and move on to the next two – Encyclopedia of Nilgiri and Artichoke Masala. I find myself not too fond of either of these mains. The chicken cooked korma style in a green sauce is fair, and the slow braised artichokes prepared with a creamy cheese filling possibly call for an acquired taste. We try a little of both gravies and then it’s time for my least preferred – fish. Surprisingly, the Fish Tajine turns out to be my absolute favorite. This Goan styled curry with preserved lemons and kalamata olives tastes so good with both appams and steamed rice, I find it slightly difficult to share the gravy with my date. She accepts my madness and sticks to eating just the fish pieces out of the lovely Moroccan styled plate.

Alas! it’s time for desserts. We are pretty sure one dessert will never suffice the hospitality standards of Carnival by Tresind and gather ourselves for a spectacle of sorts. Newton in a book makes for a lovely cross between apple pie and shahi tukda. Very unique, it features milk khurchan, rose petals and is served with saffron ice cream on the side. The finale is quite the motivational quote. When Life Gives You Lemons comes in yet another book with a tangy lemon tart, dehydrated meringue and strawberry sorbet. Continuing the fusion style, the sour tart comprises of lemon cream surrounded by boondi garnish for that Indian touch.

We end our 3538974 course meal on a happy note and thank the team at Carnival by Tresind for the lovely experience with books.

Carnival By Trèsind

Location: Podium Level, Burj Daman, DIFC, Dubai
Contact: 04 5260416

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