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From the moment the waiter emerges from the kitchen and sets down with a flourish the chilled porcelain spoon containing a gelatinous white bubble, it is clear this is going to be no ordinary culinary adventure. In the mouth, the amuse bouche explodes in a sensual blend of creamy yoghurt, cumin, rock salt and pepper, evocative of a childhood of evenings spent devouring papri chaat, a popular Indian street snack; it’s a delightful mouthful that has had diners in his thrall ever since Chef Gaggan Anand opened the door to his eponymous restaurant last year. A narrow lane opposite Lang Suan Soi 3 opens into a leafy forecourt in which the whitewashed colonial-style wooden house stands that now bears his name. Inside, the two storeys offer a cosy atmosphere with floor-to-ceiling French doors, wooden floors, white furniture and chic marble tabletops that is at once relaxed and elegant; for most diners the best seats in the house are at the Chef’s Table, where with the flick of a switch, a translucent window clears to show off the kitchen-laboratory. Within this stainless steel and stone space, vacuum-packed meats cook slowly in their water baths in a style of cooking known as sous-vide. In an alcove, a kitchen staff starts up the Pacojet, a machine that mixes and purees deep frozen food without having to thaw it, to produce frozen and intensely natural tasting ice creams, sorbets, or mousse at ideal serving temperature, while another uses liquid nitrogen available on tap to concoct an edible cocktail. Along one wall a large shiny rack holds large syringes and jar upon jar of ingredients that range from colourful edible flowers and freeze-dried fruits to salts sourced from around the globe. It is here that Gaggan reaches deep into the culinary heritage of his homeland, translating the traditional kormas and kebabs into playful platings that transcend the boundaries of most Indian food bibles. After stints at two restaurants in Bangkok, the 32-year-old from Kolkata, India, a gradutate of the Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces management training programme, became the first Indian and only the second Asian to intern under the Michelin-starred Ferran Adria, widely recognised as one of the world’s best chefs. For him it was “the equivalent of attaining nirvana”. “In terms of cooking, it was like being reborn,” he says. “You have your memories, your styles, and your cooking techniques… but when you go there,
you have to erase those ideas and come up with new ones.” While his a la carte menu frequently draws upon food memories from his childhood, his new skills allow him to prepare and present them in innovative ways, at the same time experimenting with new recipes that bridge the East-West culinary divide. His tasting menu though is the best way to allow the palate to feel its way around what he likes to term as “progressive Indian cuisine”. Priced at 1,600 baht per person for 10 courses, it changes daily so that each course is a surprise that has to be seen as much as experienced. A beetroot leaf with green salad follows the amuse bouche. The beetroot is pureed, mixed with glucose and then dried for five days before a stencil is used to cut wafer-thin leaf shapes. Atop each leaf sits a dollop of green salad mousse made from cucumber, onion and capsicum, while fresh zucchini flowers add a bit of crunch. A playful morsel. Next, served on a half shell is a plump Umami oyster from the Netherlands. A cloud of lemon foam that has an intensely salty, creamy and savoury taste with a sweet finish over the tongue envelops the succulent flesh. Each course is plated with an artist’s eye and serves only to pique your interest about the next. There is the exquisite ravioli stuffed with paneer (cottage cheese) and truffle paste in a green pea sauce, dusted with aged Parmesan and infused with the bite of fresh green chilli. Or the perfect tempura with soft-shell crab, drizzled with a tamarind chutney that has fresh mustard and curry leaves. And in between, a ‘palate cleanser’ of corn ice cream topped with a smattering of crunchy vanilla salt and a slice of green chilli. It stirs another
Childhood
Memories Revised A visit to Gaggan provides Gavin Nazareth with a fascinating new take on some of his childhood culinary memories P RESTIGE a u g 2 0 1 1
P RESTIGE a u g 2 0 1 1
childhood memory of corn on the cob roasted over hot coals and then rubbed with lemon dipped in chilli and salt. The Iberico pork in a vindaloo sauce is another memory-stirrer and new to Gaggan’s menu. A curry native to Goa, where I grew up, the original is nothing like the spicy muddle available at curry houses the world over. Here the pork is cooked sous vide for five hours to give it an unctuous tenderness before it is finished in the tandoor oven for a slight charring. A slice of pineapple soaked in rum adds a hint of sweetness to the spicy curry sauce. This is followed by a Kerala-style prawn curry and Mutton Bhuna, served with triangles of naan bread. The first is a plump prawn cooked just right with a hint of bite and coated in a deliciously rich curry that has undertones of coconut; the latter is cooked sous vide and then simmered with a variety of spices for a nicely balanced dish that will have you reaching repeatedly for the serving spoon. Beware though, the desserts are not something you should forgo either. Especially not the silky smooth mango ice cream made with pistachio and almond soil, nor the chocolate lava, freeze-dried white and dark chocolate soil that surrounds a frozen chocolate case filled with a warm and gooey decadent centre. There are plenty of surprises in Gaggan’s menu, ranging from a cucumber martini to foie gras served with raspberry chutney and foie gras flavour. But they are best experienced in person. Gaggan 68/1 Soi Langsuan, Ploenchit Road, Bangkok Tel 02 652 170 Email info@eatatgaggan.com www.eatatgaggan.com