Tresind Studio x Gucci Osteria
Dubai continues to show the world that it's a world-class destination for creative cooking, eye-catching collaborations and a progressive melting pot for all things delicious.
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There’s a calypso in Trinidad and Tobago by David Rudder called The Ganges and The Nile. I was not into calypso when I lived in Trinidad. Most people probably think it’s a drink or some child’s entertainer. I can barely tolerate the music now. Still, the song has played on my mind ever since I went to Egypt last May.
The crux is this: The Ganges and the Nile presents each river as an analogy for India and Africa, respectively, pointing out that Trinidad is where those places meet due to each demographic finding their way to Trinidad through colonialism (read: slavery and indentured labourism).
This article is not the place to get woke about the past. Others can champion those causes. Instead, as a Trinidadian, I can testify that growing up in Trinidad was, if nothing else, delicious.
We ate creole dishes directly descended from Africa, lemon-sized kibbeh from the Middle East diaspora, and yellow thick curries of mangrove crabs that haunt me. It was only after moving to Dubai that I realized that my beloved Doubles was chole bhatura, a North Indian dish.
In Trinidad, cultures collided, and the culinary spoils are one of the few things I miss about the place. (And the rum, and Carnival, old friends, beaches and KFC. OK, so a few things.)
But Dubai is both stepping up and stepping in. Collaborations between chefs and restaurants of different strides are all the rage, and some of the city’s best restaurants are leading the charge. Jun’s and Moonrise are celebrated for the ‘third culture’ outlook. Tonight, I sit at a table inside a full Tresind Studio, watching some of the world’s best of the best dare to do things differently—and with abandon.
Tresind Studio x Gucci Osteria Tokyo’s chefs and profiles
According to The World's 50 Best Restaurants List 2024, Tresind Studio is one of the best restaurants in Dubai, the Middle East, and the world. As of this publication, it is lucky number 13. I’ve eaten at Studio for years. I’ve written thousands of words. I last reviewed Tresind Studio here. I wrote the forward to their Rising India menu. Marvellous stuff. The menu, that is. The words, I leave that to you.
Chef Himanshu Saini and his band of merry men are leading a small but growing chorus of modern Indian restaurants that challenge the conventions of what modern Indian food really means. Tresind Studio is rewarded with two Michelin stars for its efforts. There are only four such restaurants in the world (Gaa, Opheem, and Gymkhana are the other three).
Gucci Osteria Tokyo is helmed by Chef Antonio Iacoviello. It is part of the Gucci Osteria empire, a collaboration between the famously charismatic Massimo Bottura and a little-known clothes shop called Gucci. Gucci Osteria cooks Italian food, drawing on Japanese inspiration with dishes like “A Parmigiana that Wants to Become a Ramen.” It also has one Michelin star, three of Gambero Rosso’s forks, and was recently voted the second-best Italian restaurant in the world. I had the good fortune of eating dishes from Gucci Osteria Tokyo before at Ein Prosit.
Tresind Studio x Gucci Osteria Tokyo’s collaboration menu
Spoiler alert: it was excellent. The creativity. The evident capability of two excellent chefs (and their teams). The flow between 19 bites and courses told a cogent story spoken in different accents. Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta would wonder what took us so long.
It did not feel like a greatest hits mash-up. Some lazy cobbled assembly of dishes they’ve made before. These chefs drew on three of the world’s most important culinary cultures and put them on a plate for two nights. It was the spirit of The Ganges meets the Nile.
Here is a quick rundown of the evening’s dishes with a special ⭐️ for my favourites, together with explanations from the chefs about each dish. I also dined with two of my favourites Courtney Brandt and Pallavi Sangtani. Also, see their favourites for fun.
Amuse bouche (Gucci Osteria Tokyo)⭐️ . Ricotta and Sea Urchin; Monaka Parmigiana (Pallavi’s favourite from this kitchen); Anchovies & Butter; Bruschetta al Pomodoro.
From chef Antonio Icacoviello via Vipin Panwar, “we start with the bruschetta al pomodoro. Generally, tomato is used in bruschetta, but instead, chef [Antonio Icacoviello] has used fermented plum with oregano with a drizzle of olive oil. Second, we have a take on a famous dessert from Japan. It is a sandwich which is filled with red bean paste, but instead, the chef has used eggplant parmigiana from his town of Naples. The third is a crunchy corn which is filled with coconut and avocado, soy butter, Hokkaido seaweed and anchovies. The last one is a chawanmushi and uni.”
Amuse bouche (Tresind Studio). Tomato Tikka Masala on Nasturtium Leaf ⭐️ , Garlic Naan Soufflé ⭐️ , Black Lentil Brodo; “Salad Skewer” King Oyster Mushroom, Salsify and Oyster Leaf; “Tartlet” Lamb & Turnip Kebab, Jicama, Fig Leaf Dust ⭐️ . (Note: no pani puri on this menu! #IYKYK).
From Chef Himanshu Saini, “Here we have another set of amuse bouches for tonight; the first one is the lamb tartlet with turnips, which includes jicama on the top dusted with fig leaf powder. We have a salad skewer made from the king oyster mushroom, salsify, which is the oyster plant. the skewer is marinated with rosemary and green chilli. Then we have got a tomato tikka masala and in the glass in a butter naan souffle and the broth is made from tomato and black lentil.”
Milanese Nigiri; Langoustine Nigiri ⭐️ , Balchao XO, Kokum Sake; Lardo Fake (Gucci Osteria and Tresind Studio).
Vipin Panwar: “Here we have a Milanese nigiri made with a risotto of beef stock combining both Italy and Japan, which is topped with tuna and flowers.” Chef Himanshu Saini about the langoustine nigiri: “This is an Indian and Japanese combination; we’ve made it with the langoustine and a quenelle of Balchao, which is a Goan pickle then dusted with some garlic chutney.”
Scallop, Black Truffle Thoku, Cauliflower Varuval ⭐️ (Tresind Studio) (A Courtney favourite.)
Himanshu Saini: “Here, we have some scallops seared and then finished with a thoku made of black truffles. “Thoku” in Tamil Nadu means smashed, so we pickle the black truffles and then make a sauce out of them. We pair it with a curry of varuval of cauliflower. On the side, there is a poppadum made with the cooked cauliflower, and then we grate the raw cauliflower.
Anguilla in Porchetta (Gucci Osteria).
"Traditionally, porchetta would use pig stuffed with pig offals, but this is Chef Antonio’s version, where he used eel paired with two sauces. One sauce is made of pistachio, and the other is a chicken sauce with sansho pepper leaves on the top, paired with a sour eel broth on the side.”
Lobster Tail, Curry Leaf Oil, Pickled Carrot, Alleppey Curry ⭐️ (Tresind Studio).
Duck Ragu, Lapsang Chettinad, Lentil Vada Gnocchi (Tresind Studio). (A Pallavi favourite).
Himanshu Saini: “Here, we have a lentil gnocchi, which we paired with a duck ragu. We then add spices from Chettinad which gives it a bit of a kick! It comes with a small spoon of masala mashed potato and tomato.”
Deer & Bamboo (Gucci Osteria).
Vipin Panwar: “Here we have charcoal-grilled deer coated with bamboo shoot and three different sauces: egg sauce, hazelnut and bamboo shoot sauce, then topped with some sansho pepper.”
Banana & Hazelnut Tortellini, South Indian Filter Coffee (Tresind Studio). (A Pallavi and Courtney favourite.)
Himanshu Saini: “So here we are serving pasta for dessert! It is a tortellini filled with banana and hazelnut butter then we caramelise the tortellini with some miso. The sauce is a South Indian filter coffee with a hint of Baileys. We have some hazelnut biscotti on the side.”
Mai dire Ma…S? (Gucci Osteria).
“The chef has prepared various types and textures of corn, including ice cream made from caramelised corn and ponzu made from corn. Here, we have popcorn, baby corn, a corn cookie, an almond cookie, and a corn cream with a cucumber flower on top.”
This was a two-night, one-off collaboration dinner on 2 - 3 August for AED 1095 per head, including taxes. You can read other Liam Collens reviews. Liam was invited to this dinner courtesy of Tresind Studio.
"It did not feel like a greatest hits mash-up. Some lazy cobbled assembly of dishes they’ve made before." Agree to all of this.