Visited 12 Jan 2025.
My first meal in Dubai was a trio of fish tacos from a Calfornia burrito and taco shop in the Marina Mall. I couldn’t quite hold out until dinner, and so my second meal was at Tresind Studio.
I arrive early, per their recommendation, and sat myself at the bar. The bartender hands me a menu, with photos of the dishes that inspired the drinks opposite an infographic that described their composition alongside the ingredients themselves. The sommalier leaves me with their pairing menu and the wine list.
For a cocktail, I choose the Dal Baati Churma. Delicious.
I fall into conversation with the bartender. He tells me he longs to go to New York to check out the bar scene, try all the concoctions. He asks me if it’s hard to get into some of the bars. I think back to Double Chicken, Please and their reservation process. Yes.
He pulls three bottles of spirits out from behind the bar and pours me samples to try, describing the process and the ingredients. After the first I tell him that it’s not as strong as I had expected after the nose. He tells me I’m the first to say that. I ask him if I should be concerned.
I sense a presence behind me. My table is ready if I can head this way. They ask if they should bring the wine list, but I tell them I’ll opt for the pairing. Once seated, my drink is brought to me.
After having been seated, Namrata brings over a map of India and explains the menu. We’ll be traveling to four different regions of India, The Thar Desert desert in the west, the Deccan Plateau, the coastal plains, the northern plains & Himalayan mountains, each with their own specialities and featured ingredients.
The first drink is brought to the table, bottled and with a label created by their graphic designer. It’s to pair with the first two welcoming snacks.
Snacks
The first snack is a show. A broth is poured into a vase where it reacts with something in the base to smoke. It’s then poured into their take on a popular street snack, the pani pur. The plate designed to look like the Palms, and the dish is placed on the map exactly where I am seated, at the restaurant along the trunk of the palm.
‘Pani puri’ avocado, jicama, green plum aguachile
Shiso khakra, yogurt crémeux, garden herbs Medu vada, gorgonzola dolce, parmesar saaru
The next drink comes for the following two snacks.
‘Not a nigiri’ langoustine, balchao XO
Tomato tikka masala, naan soup-flé
Thar Desert
Namrata returns with the map to describe our next destination and another server leaves a piece of sand art on the table. I watch as the sand falls to the base while I await the next course and pairing.
White asparagus rice no rice, pandan kadhi, asparagus & anise broth
Pickled pepper, tangerine flowers, khandvi ice cream
Deccan Plateau
We move on. The next dish contains cooked coconut. The chef tells me that he feels it takes on the texture of squid the way it’s prepared and he’s right.
Tender coconut kushiyaki, yuzu rasam
Ghee roast crab, burnt cinnamon
The somm brings out a bottle of champagne with the next dish. He encourages me to take a sip of the champagne to cut through the fat of the ghee, making each bite taste like the first. It turns out to be one of my favorite dishes, the cinnamon offering a nice bite to the profile.
Inspiration 'Sadya' Celebration of flavors
The next dish is another performance as servers come out each to add a piece to the dish before it’s complete. It’s based on a traditional custom where different dishes are added to a banana leaf .
Coastal plains
Heading to the coast, the next dishes highlight seafood. A server places a device on the table that see-saws back and forth, causing the liquid within to form waves.
Turbot, black truffle thokku, cauliflower varuval
Lobster tail, pickled carrot, Alleppey curry
Northern plains & Himalayan mountains
For the mountains, a rock sculpture is placed on the table. Namrata tells me that the north is known for noodles and dumplings and I look forward to how chef will interpret this.
The first pairing is Kingfisher beer, the ‘king of good times.’ The server says the last bit with relish, and I cna’t help but laugh. He pours the beer into a glass in the shape of an upturned bottle and then positions it before the rock for a photo.
kebab & kebab scarpetta, sour dough toasts
For this dish, I’m encouraged to eat the kebab tart in one bite, and then to blow out the candle that heats the scarpetta, using the toasts to scoop up the tasty leftovers. The server tells me that whenever cooking lamb, sometimes the best parts are what’s caught in the pan.
King oyster noodles, black fungus XO, morel shoyu
The last savory course is my favorite dish of the night (the pani puri comes in second; the crab third). It’s also highlighted with my favorite pairing of the night, a delicious concoction featuring mezcal. Unfortunately, I’m so full by now with savoury courses that I can’t finish it.
Desserts
Onto desserts! Namrata returns to tell me there will be four, reflecting the four regions we’ve just explored. The first comes in a glass oyster shell and I’m encouraged to shoot it as I would a regular oyster.
Oyster pearl, rambutan, sea water
The next dessert is paired with their take on a lassi. It’s served in a beautiful glass whose interior is shaped like a rose.
Pecan tart, ash roasted artichokes, butterscotch floss, black fruits ice cream
Banana & hazelnut tortellini, miso caramel, South Indian filter coffee
After the third dessert, Namrata returns to put a pot of tea on the far side of the table. It sits, just out of reach, and I wait to see what it pairs with.
Suddenly, the lights go out and Frank Sinatra’s rendition of ‘Fly me to the moon’ plays over the sound system. Servers file in, globes in hand. It’s the final dish of the night, a delicious, light honey concoction perched upon the moon.
It’s the perfect end to the evening and the meal.
'Honeymoon' tea, milk & honey
Afterwards, Namrata hands me a booklet with more information about the restaurant and the meal, including the menu. I ask her if she’ll sign it. She tells me she’ll ask the chef to sign it. I ask her again to sign it, just in case she misunderstood.
She returns with it signed; she’s signed the menu page since she was responsible for guiding me through.