A truly amazing culinary journey through the Indian cuisine at The World’s 50 Best No. 11: Restaurant Trèsind Studio (4. May 2023)

When I visited the Trèsind Studio back in May 2023, the restaurant was No. 2 on The World’s 50 Best MENA list – and since this visit, it has further increased its ranking, now being No. 11 of The World’s 50 Best – and I must say, it’s a well-deserved promotion. It’s a bit uncommon that you see people dining alone here, but given the circumstances, I decided to give the place a shot, and I was not disappointed. I was brought to the bar to wait until my table was ready.

And at their “Botanic Bar”, they are offering an interesting selection of different cocktails. One thing I find amazing is the fact that they distil infusions of pretty much everything themselves and then use this to create their own cocktails.

I went for the “Sol Kadi (tanqueray gin, coriander and chilli spirits, coconut syrup, home-made kokum syrup, coconut milk)” (85.00 AED) as a starter, and I must admit, it was not only a nice drink, but also a rather intense one, which was great to get your palate started.

Next in line was the “Jumpover (yogurt spirit, mango yogurt whey, persimmon, marigold fizz)” (85.00 AED), which was lovely in terms of flavour, but had, for my personal gusto, too much ice in it.

Then, it was time to be brought to the main dining room and I was placed at the table right in front of the kitchen (which was amazing to watch their kitchen ballet).

I went for the “Tasting Menu” (850.00 AED) with the “Cocktail Pairing” (550.00 AED), which is quite a price, but it’s one definitely worth paying!

The focus of the evening is laid on “India” and the menu is divided into four flights of four courses, each of the flights focussing on one of the regions. It already starts nicely since the concept is explained to you at the table.

Even though I had received a menu at the end of the dinner, it was sometimes a bit hard to attribute the single dishes to the respective entries on the menu. The first starter was served in a fiole, which was somehow using liquid nitrogen for the effect.

The result of that ended up in a little pani puri placed on “The Palm”, i.e., where the restaurant is located in Dubai. And it was not only a nice optical effect to get started, but it was also a tasty dish (if you managed to eat it in one bite).

The next amuse bouche was simple in it’s way how it was served, but it turned out to be a tasty and enjoyable bite.

Then it was time to get into the first region of India – the “Pursuit of the West“, which started with a “duck cafreal, pickled cabbage, nasturtium leaf” and that was an absolutely mouth-watering start. Nothing to complain about really – tasty, full of flavour, just very enjoyable.

Next in line was the “puran poli, shrimps, ‘aamti’ sour lentil broth”, which was rather simple, but had an interesting intensity to it.

The “blossom chaat, pumpkin mash, chutneys” was at first a bit confusing, especially in the bowl it was served in. But it turned out to be rather tasty – and I loved the attention to detail, i.e., the little butterflies, which were placed on the blossoms.

Then it was time for one of the most interesting dishes in terms of flavour combination. The “pickled pepper, buttermilk curry ice cream” was really something unique. I mean, when have you ever had curry ice cream. I, for sure, haven’t had that before!

After the West, it was time for the “Splendors of the South“, which started with “medu vada, gorgonzola dolce, tender coconut kimchi”, which did not only look incredibly pretty the way it was served, but was also a super exciting bite.

The course after was the “ghee roast crab, burnt cinnamon, curry, leaf crisp” and, man, I must say, this was truly amazing. it looked so tiny, and so simple, but it was a flavour experience you wouldn’t want to miss. Again, I absolutely enjoyed the attention to detail, i.e., the little ‘stars’ on top of the crab meat.

Given we were close to the ocean on the map, it was time for “charred lobster tail, thakkali thokku, corn curry”, which reminded me somehow of the combination you get in the south of Portugal with Carabiñeros and curry. And it was absolutely mouth-watering.

The next course was something truly interesting, as it was a sequence of ingredients, which were brought to you … and served on your plate, one after the other. The “‘Sadhya’ Payasam, pickle, papadam & rasam” started with a plant in front of you …

… continued with a plate …

… and started building based on roasted pineapple with a sauce …

… which was then refined with grains …

… yet another layer …

… and another layer …

… as well as a little soup to the side. It was definitely enjoyable, but the story telling around it made it even better, since it really created this ‘experience’. If you would eat this in traditional India, there are apparently around 25 times that someone comes to your table to ‘create’ the dish in front of you.

Then, it was time for the “Grandeurs of the North“, which started with a “shiso leaf papadam, yogurt crémeux, garden herbs”. If you look close enough, you can see that the dish is served basically on the skeleton of the leaf! I had asked them how they produce it, and they told me that they buy it (and don’t do it themselves). In any case, though, the dish was not only good because it looked nice, but because it was actually tasty.

The next course was a “kofta kebab, pickled kohlrabi, quince curry”, which was super intense in terms of flavour combination. Absolutely to my liking, but I can vividly imagine that it is too much for a lot of people as the flavours are incredibly strong.

Then, it was time for yet another ‘event moment’ with the “kebab scarpetta”, where the idea is to let it cook until it thickens up and gets almost a bit stuck to the glass pan.

And subsequently, to take it up with the “sour dough bread”, which was nice, but a bit too oily for my personal gusto.

Then, it was time for the “king oyster noodles, samphire, wild mushroom AO” and, frankly, it was a bit unusal to have noodles created from king oysters, as they had a very different texture than regular noodles (d’uh!) …

… but with the “very aromatic broth”, this actually made for an amazing dish.

Lastly, it was time to travel to “The rising East“, which started with the “miso & chilli tartlet, raw banana, smoked tomato chutney”, which was nice. While I loved the plate, the dish itself was somehow not that mindblowing for me.

What I absolutely enjoyed was the “peach & passion fruit jalebi with Himalayan pink salt ice cream”. Pink salt ice cream?! Yes! And let me tell you, it has an interesting and enjoyable flavour profile.

Then it was time for the “strawberry paan”, which was a bit confusing at first, since the bunch of roses seemed like a bit too much, but it was actually just the top strawberry.

Then the kitchen came to their last act and served the “pandan payesh, sour milk ice cream, crispy milk froth” …

… which ended up right in front of you where a little “honey comb cube” was placed in front of you for you to enjoy. And, it was enjoyable.

Honestly, I’m (unfortunately) not easily blown away by dining experiences anymore these days, but the Trèsind Studio is a place, which I really recommend you visiting! It is such an amazing experience – from interior to service to quality of the dishes. And, even if not cheap, for what you get, it’s absolutely okay in terms of pricing, I even dare saying “a good deal”.

Make sure to book sufficiently in advance – I even imagine that now, with the ranking having gone up, it will become even harder to get a table. Keep in mind, the whole place can seat maybe 16 to 20 diners, hence, booking early is key. Keep also in mind that there is a down payment, so, only book if you’re sure to go (a bit atypical for Dubai, admittedly). In a nutshell, the Trèsind Studio is definitely one of the places you absolutely must visit, when you’re in Dubai!

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Trèsind Studio

R002, East Wing Rooftop

near The View, Nakheel Mall

The Palm Jumeirah

Dubai (UAE)

Tel.: +971 4 242 1666

Cell: +971 58 895 12 72

E-Mail: tresindstudio@passionfandb.com

Homepage: http://www.tresindstudio.com

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.