What’s it like eating at Gaggan: Asia’s Best Restaurant

“To live is the rarest thing in this world. Most people exist, that is all.” Oscar Wilde.

There are great restaurants and chefs all over the world. They embody fine dining, technical expertise, and receive Michelin stars for their work. Their restaurants are full, reservations hard to come by, and I’ve eaten at my fair share of them. None compare to what you will experience at Gaggan.

My desire to experience Gaggan was probably similar to most: I’d watched Chef’s Table. After seeing it…I knew I would go.  It wasn’t an if, I just knew I would.

It’s often the case that great stories are told of a place or person, only to have the real thing fall short. This was not the case, and if anything, the experience was exponentially greater than expectation and became the highlight of our trip to Bangkok.

Gaggan is a story. A “work of fiction,” as he describes.

Gaggan, named after the creator, owner, and executive chef Gaggan Anand is an experience. A Story. The man himself, Gaggan, is a vibrant, shoot from the hip, insanely engaging, and generous chef who aims to pull you into his story rather than have you observe his excellence 3rd person from the table.

The setting is a home and you’re welcomed as such. You’re approached and continuously interacted with in a fresh and fun way – one of our favorite people was Vladimir Kojic – Gaggan’s “wine boy 🙂 ” who loves sharing the wine experience as if you’re part of his family.  Yes, the staff describe and educate you to the dish, but it’s done in a way that is effortlessly accessible, and makes you feel as though you are a character in their adventure story. Ever had that at Le Bernadin?

This is what makes this experience so special. Yes, the food is insanely delicious and Chef bends your mind in terms of presentation and preparation, and like any good mystery novel your expectations are toyed with purposefully at every turn.

But, it’s the 1st person experience that makes Gaggan unique.

You’re not just eating 25 courses that have been prepared and brought to your table. You’re taken on a journey with 25 destinations – each incapsulated in a bite, of which more than 20 of them are experienced with your hands.

Stories get retold. Made into folklore. And so will Gaggan.

Gaggan is closing in 2020

Gaggan lives, he doesn’t exist.  In order to live you have to seek new challenges, new view points, and summits to see them from.  He thirsts for the next adventure, but he also does so charitably. The physical restaurant will be handed over to someone else to pursue their dreams, and he will open a new restaurant in Japan.

When have you ever heard of a restaurant, or its Executive Chef, achieving such notoriety and then handing the baton over to someone else to pursue their dream? He’ll do this, and challenge himself to tell a new story, from a new perspective, fusing culture, food, and the expectations those ingredients bring to table.

I’d be remiss in trying to tell the story of Gaggan myself, it’s yours to experience. Instead, I’ll leave you with its cover.

 

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