Gaggan: Asia’s Best Restaurant

Thailand’s culinary scene may be best known for its street food. Bangkok has some remarkable meals for less than $2, but it’s also home to the 5th best restaurant in the world: Gaggan. Named for the quirky, alchemist chef, Gaggan Anand from Kolkata, India, Gaggan is Thailand’s first Michelin Star-rated restaurant (* *) and pushes all the boundaries found in modern cuisine.

I first heard of Gaggan from the Netflix documentary Chef’s Table, which profiles top chefs in the world. This documentary explores Anand’s childhood in India and the miraculous email which landed him an apprenticeship at Ferran Adrià’s elBulli in Catalonia, Spain. Adrià is widely considered to be one of molecular gastronomy’s founding fathers, and it was under his watch where Anand learned and perfected the ‘deconstructivist’ techniques which are on display at Gaggan today.

In lieu of a gaudy, leather-bound menu that you might expect from a two Michelin Star restaurant, Gaggan opts for a single, white sheet of paper, with nothing more than a vertical list of emojis to represent the night’s 25 delectable courses. I asked the wait staff why this was chosen, and they said it’s two-fold: (1) they don’t want to bias your taste buds — surprises are part of the adventure here, and (2) if you really knew what it is, you might not enjoy it (or eat it). Let’s just say this ‘burrito’ won’t be found in San Diego’s taco shops.

Every single item on the menu was memorable — beautiful, delicious, exotic, and in many cases, bizarre. Here are some highlights from the 25 course menu.

Yogurt Explosion (cumin-spiced mango yogurt)

This is Anand’s marquee dish, and as he claims, it’s Indian cuisine’s answer to Spain’s (i.e. elBulli’s) spherification of an olive. I was lucky enough to try a spherified olive at Gaggan when the waiter brought these to accompany my vodka martini.

Anand creates this dish by mixing cumin-spiced mango yogurt (think of a Mango Lassi) with sodium alginate (a thickener often used in jams/preserves) and then submerges it in a calcium bath. The end result is a yogurt-filled flavor bomb, contained in a water-tight sack similar to the outer membrane on a soft boiled egg. It’s bizarre and will throw your taste buds for a loop.

Goat Brain Burrito (Indian Foie Gras)

This was the biggest surprise of the night. We knew goat brain, or “Indian foie gras” as Anand calls it, would be on the menu — it’s one of the restaurant’s staple dishes. However, to ensure we could properly enjoy it, the wait staff refused to share which dish had the ‘magic’ ingredient until the very end of our meal. I was confident this was it after my second bite: rich, gamey, and a creamy texture. I had never tried anything like it.

Foie Gras Yuzu Marshmallow

This was one of the most beautiful and simple presentations of the night. The dish was a complimentary blend of salty, savory and sweet.

Gin and Tonic Uni

This miniature uni hand roll was my second favorite of the night. The seaweed roll was filled with lime shaved ice, suspended in black sesame seeds, and the uni was topped with green caviar. I would have had a second serving of this one, despite twelve courses remaining.

Pork Vindaloo

This unique twist on an Indian classic was everything you’d hope Vindaloo would be: packed with sugar-sweet ginger, tart vinegar, and subtle hints of chili pepper and spices.

Scallops and Uncooked Curry

Scallops and curry always make for a perfect pairing, but the two big surprises here were the coconut ice cream and saffron. These exotic and unexpected flavors made this my favorite dish of the night.

Asparagus Charcoal

The outside was charred and had a rough, chalky texture, just like a brick of charcoal. The inside, however, was filled with mashed potatoes, cheese and asparagus.

Beetroot Rose

This elegant and delicate dish was the perfect transition from the mains to the deserts. It was only a palette cleanser but they nailed the presentation.

Mango Ghewar

This sweet cake from Nothern India was soaked in sugar syrup and topped with freshly sliced mango and gold leaf. It was the sweetest dish of the night and any time you have fresh mango it Thailand it’s a special experience.

The Conclusion

At the end of the meal, the wait staff finally explained the adventure, course by course, answering my questions had along the way. As a final souvenir, I received the completed menu to shed some light on the emojis that stirred my  imagination throughout the night.