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Chef Gaggan Anand |
If you’ve
heard of Gaggan, the Indian restaurant in Bangkok that has been on top of
Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list for three years in a row, you would also have
probably heard that it is slated to shut down in 2020. This decision is neither
a marketing gimmick nor an act of arrogance. It was decided even before the
restaurant was opened in 2007 that it would run only for ten years. “Every
restaurant has a 10-year life after which it merely becomes a brand. By
announcing that we will shut Gaggan in 2020 I am only honouring my commitment,”
states Chef Gaggan Anand.
Gaggan’s
passion is seen not only in his cooking but is also palpable in his speech.
Always known for someone who speaks his heart out, he admits that his comments
do get misconstrued at times. However, in a time when most celebrated chefs are
rather conscious of the image that they portray, it is refreshing to see him
easily express very strong emotions for things that he likes or not; well,
actually it’s more like what he ‘loves’ or ‘hates’. For instance, he hates a
lot of things such as fusion food, using foreign ingredients like bell peppers
and zucchini in Indian dishes and chocolate paan! What he loves, on the other
hand, is innovation in food, sticking to regional flavours yet appealing to a
global audience.
While he
attempts to cut across language barriers, Gaggan also likes to have fun. So,
diners in his restaurant are presented with a menu containing only emojis. He
also enjoys turning things around – his 25-course chef’s menu starts with a
paan, something that would typically be had at the end of a meal. But needless
to say, it is not the sort of paan that one is accustomed to. In fact, many of
his dishes look deceptive – he presents the best of Indian flavours in a
plating style that challenges common food perceptions. This also keeps up the
surprise element and wow factor that he loves to serve along with delicious
‘real’ food. At the end of their meal, however, diners are given a menu with words to
let them know what they’ve just consumed. Another way in which Indian-ness
is maintained in his globally acclaimed restaurant is that the first 23 courses
are eaten by hand. “I don’t make Indian food look French, I simply make it look
beautiful,” he shares.
“One day, if I get a chance, I would like to get a law passed to
protect Indian cuisine,” he says adding that we have diluted our food heritage.
“Japan on the other hand has maintained the sanctity of their cuisine.” It is thus
interesting that Gaggan is all set to partner with Takeshi Fukuyama of La
Maison de La Nature Goh, to open a tiny restaurant in Japan called GohGan
in 2020. “We will change the history of food,” claims Gaggan. “For the first
time, two top chefs, from different parts of the world will come together to
open one restaurant,” he says with pride. While he plans to play chef only in
one restaurant at a time, he has already started investing in other
restaurants, backing culinary talent that he believes in. These include
Suhring, which serves modern German cuisine; Gaa, a European-Asian fusion
restaurant that uses local Thai produce; and a casual steakhouse, Meatlicious.
Chef Gaggan at Taj Mahal Hotel New Delhi |
Gaggan was
recently in India for a culinary pop-up with Taj Hotels in four cities –
Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai. We caught up with him for a candid
conversation at The Chambers, Taj Mansingh, where he “learnt cooking”. Clearly
very happy in the environ, he enjoys narrating anecdotes from the days when he
worked in this iconic hotel. Since then, his journey to Asia’s No. 1 Chef has
been full of enriching experiences. He has thus been approached with several book
offers but has resisted so far. “People want to make money off me, but I don’t want
to sell my soul to the devil,” he states unabashedly. Instead, he is working on
a book that he hopes will inspire people to cook. “I will release it right
after serving my last meal at Gaggan in 2020; it will be available in five
languages on the Internet, free for all.” But don’t get disheartened if you
don’t find Gaggan’s recipes in there because “you can’t cook at home what I
serve in my restaurant” he states matter of factly.
Box: Rapid Fire - Take 4
1. Food
Philosophy While Travelling
Eat local,
even if it means eating four meals in a day and spending hours in the toilet
subsequently.
2.
Top Foodie Destinations
Japan; Lyon,
France; San Sebastian, Spain.
3.
Preferred Spices
Aromatics
like cumin and cardamom. I don’t use any garam masala in my kitchen.
4.
Typical Sunday Dinner At Home
Anything
that I can eat with my hand. Mostly it is dal, chaawal and a pickle.
This article first appeared on travelandleisureindia.in on November 21, 2017.
This article first appeared on travelandleisureindia.in on November 21, 2017.
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