Months of waiting are finally over as one of the FoodeMag’s favourite restaurants, Tresind, has reopened after a stunning refit! First impressions are wow! It’s hard to imagine the restaurant as it used to be, the changes are much more than we had expected and it’s clear to see that a lot of thought has been put into the new design. Dare we say, it was instant love!
The restaurant now has a much more intimate feeling than before and it feels much more of a welcoming space. There are dark blue walls, more comfortable seating, soft furnishings and smaller more intimate seating areas which we love. The lounge now plays an integral part of the overall restaurant, in fact we spend quite a while relaxing in the lounge before we reluctantly move to the table.
Finally, out of view, for now, is a Chefs studio which will be opening soon and promises to be an exciting new venue. With Chef Himanshu at the helm this is bound to be a fun and interactive experience!
Drinks
Master mixologist, Sherine John is at the bar and he fixes up a couple of ‘pre-drinks drinks with a minty palate cleanser on the side’ to start us of which is a nice touch. After that I have a Petit V which is served with some flair as expected for drinks at Tresind! Rose petal infused tanqueray, is dispensed from a chilled clay pot into a smaller vessel below. The tanquerary is paired with pineapple and peychaud bitter and finally splashes over a large ice cube which is topped with dehydrated a smattering of rose petals.
The Petit V is from the petit pour cocktail menu, there are ten of them to choose from and most of them come with an in-house infusion which you can see being infused in the bar area. Infusions include lavender infused Ciroc, rose petal infused tanqueray, vanilla and pineapple infusedCiroc, tamarind infused Jim beam, guava infused tequila to name but a few!
Later, over lunch I have a Thirsty Bird consisting of Hendricks, benedictine, apricot liquor, homemade spice syrup, dehydrated raspberry, angostura bitter which is from the Hall of fame Cocktail menu consisting of some of the most popular mixology concepts which have now become signature Tresind drinks. The drink is served in what I guess could be called a posh ceramic birdbath complete with a long sturdy ice-cube which keeps the drink perfectly chilled.
Teetotalers will be pleased to see that the Lava lamp and Berry blast two of my personal favorites from Tresind’s early days are still on the menu too.
Thirsty Bird
Appetizers
Chef Himanshu and the team are often playful in their approach to plating and assessories, and the pre-appetiser Bento Box is a perfect example as he fuses together the presentation box of one cuisine filled with food representing his modern twist on Indian Cuisine. In the box Okra which is dehydrated and crispy and probably the only way Okra should ever be eaten, my opinion! along with onion and mango focaccia, delicate curls of Curd Rice with cucumber and tangy, spicy and crispy Pani puri which I love!
Our first appetizer dish is made table side and is Butter Pepper Garlic Prawns which smells amazing as it’s being cooked and tastes great too. Presentation needs a little more finesse to make it match up to it’s taste, but that’s a small point overall. Next we move onto Tofu Paturi, mustard glaze, indian chilli chips which is one of two Bengali dishes on the menu. It’s a dish I wouldn’t have ordinarily chosen as Tofu is not a favourite of mine, but I’m surprised how good it tastes when it is unwrapped from it’s banana leaf package, albeit looks a little mushy. The mustard sauce reminds me of a bottled brand of Kasundi sauce which my Bengali Co-Editor Ishita has proudly presented me at her house having been brought back from Kolkata. Chef Himanshu explains that they make it in house and I’m pleased they do as it tastes so good! Whilst I’ve never been to Kolkata, I have eaten some great Bengali food at Ishita’s house, so the sauce alone takes me back to a virtual Kolkata memory.
Cedar wood smoked tandoori chicken with chili marinade
Once again we are entertained table side with the arrival of our next appetizer, Cedar wood smoked tandoori chicken with chili marinade. The chicken arrives wrapped in a thin layer of cedar wood which is scorched by a blowtorch before being placed under a glass dome for a brief time to allow the smoke to do it’s work. I don’t taste the smokiness in the chicken, but do taste the caramelization on the thin slices of pineapple which are also scorched but the blowtorch. The chicken and the sauce themselves are perfect and this is one of my favourite dishes of the day. Next up comes Wagyu Satay, peanut satay, burnt chilli eggplant pickle. The plating is fun and eye catching with a vibrant satay splattered plate with two delicate skewers of tender wagyu which melt in the mouth. Finally, we round off our appetizers with delicate Keema Dosas served with a tomato chutney which I’m a big fan of.
Keema Dosas
Mains
During the intermission between our appetizers and main course, we are treated to a Yuzu and Blueberry sorbet served nestled beneath a vibrant eye catching and Instagram worthy lemon tree which arrives in a dramatic flair with a layer of dry ice at the bottom appear like a winters mist in an orchard. Clever! It’s pure theatre of course, but we love it!
Yuzu and Blueberry sorbet
A flourish of small copper pots and pans arrive to our table with an array of main courses. First up the second Bengali dish on the menu, Bengali Kosha Mangsho, Green Pea Kochuri and punched onions along with Chettinad chicken curry, Thai Black Rice Appam and Kadai Lobster, Stir Fried Snow peas, asparagus & peppers. The lobster is presented in a a wok and is ‘picture perfect’ as well as tasty. Whilst the curries are good, the dishes that I enjoyed the most were the Thai Black Rice Appam and the Green Pea Kochuri. Both were different than the usual offerings and a first for me. The Appam, was light and slightly spongy, whilst the pea kochuri was denser and perfect for scooping up the curries as I mixed and matched my way though the main courses.
Main course selection
Desserts
Desserts are always one of my favourite courses at Tresind, though not at most other Indian restaurants I should add! So I was excited to see what was on the new menu. The first dish called Inspiration Ghewar, angoori rasmalai, raspberry sorbet was not at all what I had expected. Prepared table side it’s the dessert that I would return for anyday. First off a shell of aerated white chocolate which was topped with chopped lychees, small balls of angora rasmalai. This is then topped with a disk of raspberry sorbet which has the texture of a soft meringue before being dramatically finished rose petals which are shattered over the top after being dipped in bowl of dry ice. The final touches include some sparkly glittery and a handful of pistachios. Over the dish was a great hit! I had expected it to be rich, heavy and high on sugar. But in reality, it was light, well balanced and in my opinion a real stunner. This has to be one of the best desserts that I’ve had in a long time.
Inspiration Ghewar, angoori rasmalai, raspberry sorbet
The Pastry Trolley
The grand finale to desserts came in the form of a pastry trolley with a Tresind twist of course! First up, and the most debated was the Pizza tomato halva and truffle pizza, which I think you either love or hate. It wasn’t for me as the savoury meets sweet combination wasn’t to my taste. Yogurt mille feuille was up next, a lighter version of a standard Mille Feuille which worked but wasn’t a wow’ in contrast to the ghewar which we had been served earlier. Perhaps an unfair comparison as I’m sure had I not had the Ghewar I would have rated it higher.