On March 26, during an award ceremony in Seoul, the prestigious list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants was announced. Topping the list for the 5th time was Bangkok’s Gaggan, a restaurant that offers a progressive Indian menu with influences from across the world.
The eponymous restaurant is owned by Kolkata-born Gaggan Anand who clinched the top spot post the unveiling of a reimagined version of his culinary concept at a new location in 2019. This revamp was preceded by the restaurant securing the top spot for four consecutive years—2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Last year, the restaurant dropped to the third place on the same list.
Founder Gaggan Anand is a former drummer who swapped his sticks for pots and pans when he started off with a trainee position at the Taj Group. He then progressed to work at El Bulli in Spain alongside Ferran Adrià. This experience instilled in him a love for gastronomy and led him to start Gaggan in 2010.
Gaggan saw a temporary shutdown in August 2019 only to return stronger a few months later with a reinvented and revamped space in a new location.
Music, colours, and creativity blend on the menu at Gaggan, bringing its diners a 22-course meal featuring progressive Indian dishes with a fine-dining twist. The food also has influences from cuisines from across the world, including French, Japanese, and Thai. It is a restaurant that pushes its diners to celebrate food from all your senses.
The team at Gaggan welcomes you to the analogue of theatrical cooking, where the diner is taken through a multi-sensory journey of touch, sounds, smell, lights, taste, and a sixth element of surprise, all rolled into one evening at the restaurant.
From their Onion Has A Brain, and Salmon Eggs Ghewar to Momo Methi Malai to Colours of Eggplant, all their dishes are unique. Their Yoghurt Explosion and Tom Yum Kung are some other hits from their menu.
The restaurant and its owner also aim to transform and disrupt the common idea of what a fine-dining experience entails. From using emojis to represent each of the courses to pushing diners to eat with their hands or even lick the plate, Gaggan goes beyond the typical fine dining experience you would expect. Yet, it holds a charm and authenticity of its own.
Gaggan comes with a vibrant yet intimate atmosphere featuring rustic designs, neon lights adorning the walls, high ceiling, and blue chairs. The space is divided into two sections: one is the G’s spot, which is a chef’s table with a seating of 14 people; and the second is Arena G, which is a more conventional space with tables arranged around an open kitchen.
Speaking to organisers after his recent win, Anand described a visit to the restaurant as one where you will come to witness five different cultures, languages, and religions blend into one table.
He also mentioned that they always aim to keep the diners entertained. “We live in a culture where people are on their phones all the time. We have switched to eating with one hand now while the other one is occupied by the phone. At the restaurant, we aim to break away from this addiction,” said Anand in the same interview.
While you are at the restaurant, you will be left with no choice but to marvel at the gastronomical creativity. It'll be an experience of a lifetime, and possibly the best!
