Tried
tasted
Each month, we review six of the city’s top tables.
Where?
TRESIND STUDIO
Dining experience: Dinner What’s it like? Newly-opened Tresind
Studio is tucked away discreetly behind the bar area of Tresind, a fantastic modernist Indian restaurant, that recently underwent an extensive refurbishment (see bbcgoodfoodme.com for my review on Tresind). The intimate 20-seater Tresind Studio is an exclusive, VIP dining space that offers an elevated experience. Led by talented chef Himanshu Saini, the new studio serves an exceptional 16-course tasting menu, which is available for both meat eaters and vegetarians. The degustation menu showcases a collection of some of Tresind’s signature dishes that have been favoured by diners throughout the years, which chef Himanshu has skillfully refined. Inside, the space is contemporary and buzzing with the sounds of chefs hard at work in the studio’s private kitchen and from the interactive demo counter, and fellow diners admiring the artistic presentations and flavours in front of them.
What are the food highlights?
A feast for the senses, Tresind Studio serves up flavour-bursting food that’s creatively prepared and imaginatively executed. I won’t give too much away, but an experience for your sense of smell kick-starts the experience and whets your appetite for what’s to come – a gastronomical journey through avantgarde-inspired Indian cuisine. The 16-course menu, entitled ‘Chapter 1’, starts with Tresind Studio’s take on coriander and tamarind pani puri, which is served deconstructed in a homemade ice bowl implanted with coriander leaves. The creative serving dish keeps the food
10 BBC Good Food Middle East December 2018
deliciously cool as you dig into the snow-like tamarind chutney, which is fantastically paired with crunchy brokendown noodles made from a chickpea flour (known as sev in India). It may come as a surprise at an Indian restaurant, but only one bread course is served at Tresind Studio, and a very small bread course at that. The most delicious crispy roti is presented hot with a generous knob of butter on the side. This mini portion of roti left me wishing to request another, but with
many more dishes to come I was later glad that I refrained. Bite sized little tart bombs of chaat come next, packing so much flavour, before the mushroom and truffle course, which was ultimately one of my favourite dishes served during the evening. Having visited Tresind over the years, chef Himanshu has consistently served a fantastic dish called mushroom chai. This soup-style dish is served from a tea pot and consumed from a tea cup – it’s absolutely delicious and I was excited to see it re-invented at Tresind Studio where it came in the form as mushroom-stuffed ravioli drizzled generously with mushroom and truffle-infused consommé. John Dory with mustard is course 5 and a delight to eat. The fish comes tightly wrapped in a crispy noodle shell with a spicy honey mustard on the side for dipping. The flavour fun doesn’t stop there, as curried chicken and shisho leaf comes next. The full shisho leaf boasts a light tempura coating, is wonderfully crisp and acts as a bed for the chicken