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Gaggan

Bangkok

• The Best Restaurant in Asia 2024

India’s rebel chef serves all-out creativity

On the Pass

Gaggan Anand

Pastry Chef

Kittisak Chaisinphokkhasup

Drumming up experience: Kolkata-born Gaggan Anand pursued music professionally before starting his culinary career. From a trainee position at the luxury hotel chain Taj Group, he progressed to work at El Bulli in Spain alongside Ferran Adrià, an experience that instilled in him a love for molecular gastronomy. He founded his first restaurant in Bangkok, Gaggan, in 2010, which went on to be named The Best Restaurant in Asia four times.

And then? Gaggan closed in August 2019 and a few months later, the former drummer opened its new incarnation: Gaggan Anand. The chef is on a mission to push the boundaries of the fine dining experience, seeking to create, “a culinary adventure of the senses and a roller coaster ride of emotions”. The same irreverent philosophy shines through the restaurant’s digital channels, the chef’s hilarious sense of humour and the out-of-the-box presentation of the dishes. In 2024, the restaurant reverted to its previous name, Gaggan.

Creativity as a main: Music, colours and creativity combine on the menu, which is anchored in progressive Indian cuisine with a fine dining twist, with French, Thai and Japanese influences. From using emojis to represent each of the courses to pushing diners to eat with their hands or even lick the plate, Anand wants to disrupt and reinvent the fine dining experience.

What’s the space like? A vibrant yet intimate atmosphere is created through rustic design – walls are adorned with neon lights and blue chairs complement the concrete columns and high ceilings. The dining area is divided into two sections: G’s Spot, a chef's table that seats 14; and Arena G, a more conventional space where tables are arranged around an open kitchen.

Anything else? Gaggan was voted No.3 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 and the chef is also an investor in Sühring, the modern German restaurant in Bangkok that reached No.7 in the same list. Anand's other ventures include Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh, a Mexican and Indian restaurant with locations in Bangkok and Singapore; GohGan, a 55-seat eatery created in collaboration with Japanese chef Tsuyoshi Fukuyama in Fukuoka; and the brand-new Gaggan at Louis Vuitton, opened in 2024 in Bangkok with a Thai and French menu.

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