The Angry Birds movie hits cinemas in May, but the addictive game could find space on a dinner table in the UAE well before then. A dish inspired by the entertainment franchise is part of the menu for Carnival by Tresind, a new “postmodern” Indian restaurant set to open at the Dubai International Financial Centre in March.
When everybody else is turning to pop culture for easy fixes in our age of distraction, why should chefs be left behind? While details on the Angry Birds dish aren’t forthcoming, other wittily named items on the menu include Frying Nemo, a Punjabi reworking of classic British fish and chips and Why This Kolaveri Di, which brings seafood to the South Indian menu vada, a traditionally vegetarian savoury lentil doughnut eaten for breakfast. Beverages include “live” cocktails with such quixotic names as Will You Marry Me and Edison 2015.
“We’re introducing the era of postmodern Indian cuisine,” said chef Himanshu Saini. “Everybody’s doing molecular gastronomy in Indian food, we’re all doing street food in fine dining establishments — but it’s time to go further, to do exciting new things.” He says the food won’t be heavy or overtly spicy, and is cooked using contemporary techniques.
The new 140-seater venue is the younger sister of Tresind, the fine dining Indian restaurant at the Nassima Royal Hotel (formerly the Radisson Royal) on Shaikh Zayed Road. With a score of 4.9 out of 5, the restaurant, where 28-year-old Saini is head chef, was rated Dubai’s most popular among Zomato users in 2015.
“We were ready to expand, but we wanted to do something different,” says owner Bhupender Nath, CEO and Founder of the management company Passion F&B. “We wanted to put the focus on the experience,” he added, without saying how much he’s invested so far.
So are diners going to catapult the food off the plates into their mouths or into the bin? Saini isn’t ready to let us have a taste just yet because he’s still working things through, but he promises we’ll be rocked and awed. Watch this space.
