While Trèsind Studio in Dubai became the first Indian restaurant to earn three Michelin stars, Trèsind’s India story began in 2018 and quickly found its footing in the country’s fine-dining scene. Now, Trèsind Mumbai returns with new verve.
There’s a moment when you settle into your seat that you realise something has shifted. The restaurant now has a new look. The modernist interiors at Tresind Mumbai have been completely transformed to mirror its culinary philosophy. It’s elegant, thoughtful, and guest-centric. The light in the room is soft at the edges, golden near the bar, and there’s a gentle warmth that pools over the tables.
From the vibrant energy of the open bar to intimate round tables and refined private dining spaces, the restaurant simply settles into its skin, assured, evolved, and ready to be rediscovered.
Behind Trèsind’s evolution are two familiar names: Chef Himanshu Saini, whose modernist lens has shaped Indian fine dining globally, and Chef Sarfaraz Ahmed, who leads the Mumbai outpost with a clear vision. Together, they’ve created a dialogue between heritage and imagination. Their philosophy remains unchanged: to take diners on a culinary journey across India through a menu that feels both mature and daring.
The restaurant has been known to stand at the crossroads of nostalgia and newness. This relaunch distils that essence into a sharper, more personal expression. It’s less about theatrics and more about textures, aromas, and aftertastes. Every dish borrows from a familiar place and places it in a contemporary setting. It could remind you of your grandmother’s kitchen, a temple feast, or a holiday in coastal India.
The tasting menu reads like a curated travelogue with familiar routes and surprising turns. The opening amuse-bouche is a take on the Pani Puri. While the fine-dining world seems completely infatuated with this crowd favourite, the one at Tresind Mumbai is top-notch. It is infused with carrot kanji and black lime, taking us right back to the winter Gajar Ka Anchaar that sits in my mom-in-law’s glass jar, back home.
Then comes the tomato and strawberry chaat. The strawberry’s acidity rounds the savoury tomato ragda, and a hint of shoyu lingers at the back of your throat. It’s playful and precise, like a chef’s inside joke you’re invited to share.
The team outdoes itself with the duck-and-waffle that follows. Southern kitchens inspire the dish, and the waffles are made with Medu Vada batter. This is served with a ghee roast glaze and a drizzle of the most delicious curry leaf honey. The textures land in perfect sync: the crisp waffle, the tender duck, and a sweetness that ties it all together without tipping over.
The chef’s trip to Kolkata led to the Chicken Bharta tart. The dish is a refined ode to the classic, layered with smoky aioli and served on a delicate poppadum base. Elsewhere, the familiar aloo zeera turns playful, reinvented as a prawn and asparagus salad with aloo zeera espuma and a tangy tomato rasam.
As the courses continue, you learn to trust. You stop trying to anticipate, and instead, surrender. The Maas ka Soolah with smoked chilli curry and missi roti feels primal and hearty. The Coastal Lobster is a celebration of restraint: chargrilled, lightly brushed with tomato-shellfish curry, and brightened by a curl of lemon foam. Then there’s Gushtaba, with Parmesan Yakhni, reimagining Kashmir’s beloved dish. It’s a pairing that shouldn’t work but somehow does. The broth is silk, carrying whispers of saffron and garlic.
The kohlrabi, paired with yoghurt crèmeux and a smear of raw mango chutney, is a crisp explosion that wakes you up, makes you sit straighter. The much-talked-about Khichdi of India often divides the room when it appears on a fine-dining menu. Ours, though, brought a smile. It was a thoughtful nod to shared roots, plated with the grace of haute cuisine. We were sceptical as ingredients from across India came together on one plate, but the result was harmonious, heartfelt, and deeply satisfying.
The Khandvi ice cream, served as a palate cleanser, deserves a moment of its own. It arrives with traditional accompaniments of pickled papaya and chilli. There are familiar notes in an entirely unfamiliar form. The first spoonful stops you mid-sentence. It’s creamy yet sharp, comforting yet surprising, and it leaves you with that rare sense of wonder.
For dessert Pazham Pori, reworked as banana custard with hazelnut and dark chocolate ice cream, turns the everyday Kerala street snack into something elegant yet recognisable. Then there’s the Caramel Milk with roasted barley ice cream, finished with a rose cookie.
TLM Loves
By the end of the meal, you realise that with Chef Sarfaraz, you taste experimentation, but also restraint. Trèsind Mumbai, in this new avatar, feels less like a comeback and more like a conversation with itself. It’s where the old stories are told again, but this time softer, with more depth and reflection.
