When it comes to food, there are many many cuisines that entices me, from the precision and perfection driven Japanese to the just plain delicious Spanish, Ms. Buddha and I have very fortunately been able to have the privilege to have tried so many different cuisines – and one that I love and she has gotten hooked on is Indian food.
Ms. Buddha fell in love with Indian food because of an amazing Indian place we go to all the time in Sheung Wan (more on that in a future post!). And when she recently watched the episode from Chef’s Table on Gaggan – she made it her priority to go there.
Booking here was surprisingly easy (especially with the help of Citi Concierge) – and we effectively asked Citi to book the weekend that Gaggan was available and then circled our flight around it.
The place itself was not too far from the Intercontinental Bangkok, and we actually made an effort to walk there (to burn the calories before the meal). It took about 25mins, but in that humidity and temperrature, normal person might have chosen to take an Uber. When we first arrived, we were led upstairs by the incredibly professional yet friendly staff (already off to a good start as they weren’t uptight at all!) and presented with a very distinct menu.
Ms. Buddha inspected the menu in amusement and we were told that the menu is reflective of each of the dishes that came. In terms of specific “reviews” of each of the dishes (because there are 22 courses, the photos however are in order), I’ll spare you that, instead, I think I’ll share with you what I considered the highlights of the night. For those who don’t have the patience to read the whole post – let me tell you that Gaggan has now become one of my favourite restaurants in Asia – which means that you should make an effort to go.
The first “course” that stood out to me was the “edible bag” – which was made with the slight impression of the Indian flag – you effective pop the flag in your mouth and just let the flavour dissolve into your mouth – the spices and the “bang” (see the emoji) was just right in terms of intensity.
The next that really made me go wow was the sea urchin in the “Ice cream cone” – the urchin was one of the most creamiest and freshest I’ve had – just melted in my mouth. The keen eyes will notice that the “cone” that Ms. Buddha had looked slightly different compared to mine, and that is because mine was made of dough instead of the mango pancake due to my allergies – Ms. Buddha looked even more satisfied – so damn my allergies 🙂
The next one was a Tuna “Taco” which was absolutely excellent in terms of the freshness and the taste of the tuna, the Taco shell that they used were slightly spiced, which complimented the tuna perfectly.
This next one was delicious, but instead just sheer funny in the fact that when I came, image said “drumstick”, but for some reason my mind thought I could eat the whole thing, so I broke the bone. The mixture itself was kind of like a samosa on a bone – very good!
The next one may look like simple tomatoes, but the true was that this was a spin on the “Green Tea” culture in Japan but just made entirely of tomato infusion – and wow, it was just amazing in terms of the flavour of the tomatoes used – what was even more amazing was the fact that the “tea” was even more intense than the actual tomatoes.
This next one is a dish that Gaggan Anand himself said that one day he wishes to not require at his restaurant to remove the notion that Indian food is always just Curry Rice – and I respect that – because after this meal – I think there’s so much unexplored cuisines in India that makes me really want to visit.
The dish itself was the curry rice that most people would be familiar with, but it was served up in the traditional Dabbawala (which I’ve fallen in love with). I have to say, if Gaggan Anand wishes to take this dish out – he better replace it with something just as amazing; because by far this dish was the centerpiece of the night, the Indian Rice was cooked to absolute perfection and the curry, whilst simple, had a complexity in the spices used that I have never experienced – there are rarely these moments where I taste something and go “I can die at this moment with no regrets” – but this was one of them.
In terms of the experience, it was excellent, the food was out of this world and really demonstrates how Gaggan himself deserves the best Asia Restaurant title, but also his philosophy showed through. I will definitely be back.
Buddha Explores 