Trèsind Studio - Dubai
Dining room with a view of the open kitchen
Rating: 17/20
Where: Dubai, UAE
When: Dinner for 1 on 28 May 2025
Cost per Person: Tasting menu 1095 AED, Beverage pairing 750-1500 AED
Accolades: 3 Michelin Stars, #13 on World's 50 Best Restaurants list (2024)
Why: First Indian restaurant to receive three Michelin stars
Michelin is branching out: for the first time ever, an Indian restaurant has received three Michelin stars. Dubai's “Trèsind Studio” originally started in a backroom of an Indian restaurant, but in 2022 moved to its current stand-alone location, in a rooftop garden next to the St. Regis hotel on the Palm. The name of the restaurant is a combination of the French “très” (very) and “ind” for Indian.
Trèsind Studio aims to take diners on a culinary tour of the country, represented by four different regions and their different ingredients and cuisines. No dish was served straight, though - everything was reimagined through a fine-dining lens. No simple saag paneer or butter chicken here.
I was asked to arrive twenty minutes early for my 6pm reservation, probably to make sure that all guests would be on time for dinner - a necessity since all tables were served roughly at the same time. Coming late might mean missing courses. However, the restaurant’s bar was definitely worth coming a few minutes early. The house cocktails were very inventive, incorporating spices and ingredients that one might expect in Indian dishes, but not necessarily in drinks. At the recommendation of the bartender I went with his take on a margarita - quite good, not too sweet, and probably a bit “tamer” than the other cocktails. Next time I’m in Dubai, I’m tempted to stop by just to try some of the more unorthodox drinks.
The restaurant’s dining room had only minimal decorations - it was just a few white table-clothed tables facing an open kitchen. The lighting on the tables was excellent, and indeed the whole dinner “production” seemed designed with an eye towards social media. It’s no accident that the restaurant has been rated highly on the 50 Best list (where PR-savvyness counts for a lot).
Trèsind Studio served a fixed tasting menu, and dietary restrictions were accommodated by substituting dishes from the vegetarian tasting menu. Since the vast majority of the dishes were vegetarian to begin with, changes would likely be minor. There were two beverage pairings on offer: a traditional wine pairing for 1500 AED, and a pairing of house-made alcoholic drinks for 750 AED. Interestingly, the sommelier recommended the latter, since the drinks had been created specifically to match the food. Never one to say no to a sommelier's suggestion (and happy to avoid Dubai's inflated wine prices), I tried the non-wine pairing. It turned out to be quite good, with varied preparation methods and diverse choices of spirits. The drinks did a good job of complementing the spices in the food. The alcohol level was generally pretty low - there was little danger of getting tipsy from the ten glass pairing. Not all dishes were paired with beverages, since many of them already came with sippable broths on the side.
Our dinner started with four small bites, each representing a different region of India. First was the restaurant's version of a pani puri. A pani puri shell came filled with avocados, jicama, green clover and verbena flowers. It sat on a dish shaped like Dubai's Palm, with the pani pura placed at the restaurant’s location on the map. Our server proceeded to pour a green plum water spiced with a chili essence into the shell. Said water had previously been bubbling on the table thanks to the addition of some dry ice. The pani puri was very crunchy, its filling creamy, but the “water” was unexpected: oddly fizzy and not particularly spicy. I don't know if the fizziness was due to the dry ice, but it gave the odd impression of eating a pani puri filled with soda. Overall not bad, but I would have preferred the traditional version: more spice and less fizz 17.
Next, inspired by papadums, we got a shiso leaf cracker that was topped with yogurt, a mango chutney and fresh herbs. Not quite shiso tempura - the batter was different -, but otherwise a nicely crunchy bite, with a creamy yogurt topping that was herbal and a bit minty 17.
The following dish was clearly South Indian: a little donut made from lentil flour. Uncharacteristically, it was filled with Gorgonzola cheese, and topped with tamarind and a house-made red cabbage kimchi. On the side was a broth made from rice starch and Parmesan cheese. The crunchy donut was served warm and its filling was creamy with a blue cheese note, the kimchi adding a tangy crunch and an aftertaste of spice. A great combination of textures and flavors, and not too heavy for a fried dish. The broth had a great masala flavor 18.
A seafood bite represented India's coastal regions. A langoustine was served on short grain rice and topped with pickles fashioned after a Goan dish called “balchão”. The servers emphasized that this was not a nigiri, even though it vaguely looked like one. Since the rice was much stickier than sushi rice, there was no real risk of misidentification, though. The spicy, flavorful pickles were another giveaway. In fact, they were so strongly flavored that the langoustine was mostly there for texture. The spice lingered nicely afterwards. An ostensibly simple dish, but very tasty 17.
The last appetizer was a play on tikka masala. One plate held a preparation of tomatoes and chicken served on a big nasturtium leaf, intended to be eaten like a taco. Next to it was a naan soufflé, into which a tomato broth had been poured. The two parts of this dish were quite different. The tomatoes tasted overly cooked, and the chicken didn't have much flavor, either - a disappointing combination (generously, 14 by itself). The soufflé was the exact opposite: flavorful, appropriately spiced, and tasting of bread, even with some burnt parts. It was a really good approximation of what it would taste like to sop up the remainder of a curry with bread - impressive in concept and execution (18 on its own). On average 16.
This brought us to the main part of the menu, which featured two dishes for each of the four regions of India. These origins of the dishes were helpfully pointed out on a map that was brought to each table. First off: the Thar desert in north-western India. This is an area short of agricultural products like vegetables and fruit, but making up the shortfall with lots of dairy products and pickles.
First was a yogurt based dish. It contained white asparagus that had been cut into rice-shaped pieces and then cooked like rice. This was an interesting twist: there was no actual rice in the dish. Also in the bowl: onion butter, a yogurt curry, pandan leaves, sugar peas, fried onions and pine nuts. On the side was a spiced broth made from white asparagus and wild anise leaves. The curry was excellent, creamy, lightly spicy, with a nice mix of textures from the asparagus, pine nuts, peas and onions. The broth was more spicy, with lots of wonderful spices, but no discernible taste of white asparagus. The anise leaves were a nice addition, and didn't taste much of licorice. The curry was good, and the broth was amazing 18.
Next, a breaded and fried padrón pepper served with a pickle emulsion and tangerine flowers. On the side was a buttermilk curry ice cream. The pepper, like most padrónes, was not spicy, and instead got much of its flavor from the tangy, spicy filling. The breading was just right - not too light and not too heavy. The ice cream was a bit sweet with a light curry flavor, maybe it was meant to cool down the (not particularly spicy) dish? 17
The second region visited by the menu was the Deccan plateau in southern India, a region known for its spices. A skewer held young coconuts marinated with nilgiri spices, water chestnuts and oxalis leaves. On the side was a broth, also made with nilgiri spices in addition to yuzu. The two textures on the kebab provided a good contrast: the young coconut with its light firmness (my server compared it to squid) and the softer water chestnuts. The spices on this part of the dish were relatively subtle, they slowly grew on one as one ate more, but slightly stronger might have been even better. The broth on the other hand was very flavorful, with lots of spices and tanginess. The contrast unfortunately made the kebab seem even more underseasoned 17.
Crab cooked with ghee-roasted masala had been baked in a cinnamon bark and was topped with potato crisps and bean flowers. The crab was tender, but tastewise, this dish was really more about the sauce, which was buttery and fruity, reminding me almost of a combination of tomatoes and mayonnaise. Ok, that's probably unfair - it was a really nice sauce, but I had hoped for more interesting spices. Incidentally, the cinnamon flavor was very subtle, too 17.
Taking a break from regional cuisines, we were served the restaurant's version of a “sadya”, a communal dish usually eaten from banana leaves during harvest time. A series of chefs and servers stopped by the tables, each adding one component to a slowly growing dish: pineapple pickle, rice cream glazed with mango curry, black lime pickle, banana vinegar, tiny Indian almonds, coconut ice cream, shavings of a spice stone, and a papadum. We were instructed to split the dish into four pieces and eat them each with a piece of the papadum. On the side was a broth made from tomatoes and sweet spices. The first thing that struck me about this dish was how sweet it was: essentially pineapple and cream with some crunch - not quite a dessert, but getting there. The broth was lightly spicy. A dish that was executed well, but again felt a bit light on spices 17.
Back to our tour of India, we now visited the coastal regions, home of spices and seafood. A filet of turbot had been slow-cooked in butter and was topped with a cauliflower “pâté” and raw cauliflower slices glazed with a truffle pickle. A cauliflower curry was served next to it. The fish was tender, the sauce nicely velvety, and the flavors good but unfortunately very light - for example, the truffle was hardly detectable. A bit more oomph would have improved this dish 16.
The second seafood dish was a lobster tail, aged for 24 hours in curry leaf oil, then charred and glazed with fermented chilies. Also present: a carrot seasoned with pickling spices and an Alleppey curry made from green mangoes. The lobster was expertly cooked, having some bite without being chewy. The curry had some light fruitiness and a noticeable spice. So much spice in fact that it was hard to detect the flavors in the rest of the dish - a problem I had previously encountered in Thailand. The carrot was nicely cooked as well and not too sweet 17.
The final region to explore were the Northern Plains close to the Himalayas. Here, there were culinary influences from other cultures, such as the Mongols and China. The next course contained two preparations of lamb. First, a roti tartlet topped with a minced lamb kebab and a piece of turnip. The kebab felt a bit too finely minced, and was cooked well-done - bigger, juicier pieces would have been nice. The second lamb preparation was on a glass plate heated by a tea light. It was a kebab “sauce”, meant to be eaten with the supplied slices of sourdough bread. The sauce was spiced, and a bit better than the tartlet, but the accompanying bread was not very distinctive 14.
Our final savory dish was inspired by Chinese noodles. But just like the first dish that didn't contain any actual rice, this one didn't have any noodles. Instead, king oyster mushrooms had been cut into the shape of noodles. They were served with a wild mushroom XO sauce, pieces of morel mushrooms, spring onions and a mushroom broth. The mushroom “noodles” had an al dente consistency, while the morels were somewhat softer. The XO sauce tasted a bit fruity, but was also quite spicy, making this an enjoyable dish whose flavors were unfortunately somewhat hidden by the spice level 16.
A pre-dessert shaped like an oyster arrived next. Sea water, cucumber vinegar, rice vinegar, black tea and a light soy sauce made up the sauce. There was a piece of rambutan (a fruit), oyster leaves and a “pearl” made from white chocolate and filled with lemongrass and sour milk. Slurping the dish like an oyster was encouraged, but a spoon was also available just in case. The white chocolate and rambutan were quite nice. Overall, this dish was not very sweet though, and there was no discernible oyster flavor 16.
For the first proper dessert, we got a presentation that looked a bit like a tree. It consisted of too many ingredients to count (or to jot down while they were recited at a fast clip): chocolate, roasted artichokes, caramelized milk, butterscotch floss, ice cream made from black fruits (pineapple, mango, ...), dates, yogurt whey, oranges and wood sorrel leaves. This was a light dessert (not a given since chocolate was involved), not too sweet and with a nice balance of flavors and textures: some crunch, including from the chocolate, and creaminess from the ice cream 17.
The second dessert were tortellini (real pasta this time) that were filled with bananas and hazelnut butter. They had been caramelized with a miso caramel and were covered by a foam made from South Indian style filter coffee and toasted hazelnuts. Banana desserts are a difficult thing to get right, but this one was a glowing success. There was a touch of banana flavor, but not too much - just the right amount. The al dente pasta was delicious and the hazelnuts added some nice crunch 18.
After that, the lights were suddenly dimmed, and Frank Sinatra started to sing “Fly Me to the Moon”. A procession of servers proceeded to deliver glowing orbs (“moons”) to all tables. On top of each moon sat an airy white chocolate cube drizzled with honey. A simple and sweet bite to end the night 15.
This dinner was really quite different from the one- and two-starred Indian restaurants that I’d been to before. In terms of elaborate presentations, but also in terms of deconstructing dishes that others would have served more or less straight. Not sure if the latter is an implicit requirement for three stars - I presume not, since it isn’t for other cuisines.
The service throughout the night was on point, and I appreciated that I was asked not only for my favorite dish of the night, but also for my least favorite one - to me, the sign of a kitchen that continually wants to improve its game and not just keep the status quo.
Overall: A dinner that was category-defining - for Indian three-star cuisine. I liked that the dishes told a story, in this case of a whole country. There were several outstanding dishes that easily hit a three-star level. But in other cases, I felt that the flavor intensity was often dialed down a bit too much. With a cuisine as flavorful as Indian cooking, that was a bit disappointing. In the end, though, I had a wonderful time. I learned something, the service and the beverage pairing were great and I got to see the future of Indian fine-dining cuisine 17.
