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A double Michelin meal - Gaggan

Never has a meal left me so conflicted that I was not able to put my experience down in words. Its taken me more than 10 days to be able to pen down my thoughts about my recent meal at Gaggans. And my friends in Delhi AND Bangkok have been asking about my experience so I finally managed to get a few words out.

Gaggans had been on our to do list for a while now but we missed getting a table during the last few trips to Bangkok so when we were planning our summer break there this year, one of the things we did before even booking a hotel was a reservation at Gaggans. We had to move the date around a bit but we finally got our confirmation to eat at the eponymous restaurant run by the ONLY Indian chef to have bagged 2 Michelin stars.

Located in a sort of a hideaway and clearly not looking for walk-ins, the restaurant is set up in very nicely done house with the tables spread across the different rooms. We arrived a little ahead of time as I did not want to lose my table, and after a brief wait we were seated.

The menu was a long list of Emojis, 17 to be exact, representing each course. My wife being a vegetarian got one with a couple of Emojis different from mine. While a few of the images gave hints as to what was coming, most were difficult to decipher, adding to the mystery of the dinner that was to unfold. As the servers brought our food, carefully placing the vegetarian version in front of my wife, they insisted we eat it first before they would tell us what it was. Predictably, barring a few of them, we got them wrong and the servers took great pride in telling us what we had just eaten.

Most of the courses came sans silverware and we were supposed to get involved with our food. One actually came with a bluetooth speaker playing the song “Lick it up” by Kiss, because that is what we were asked to do with the sauce smeared on our plates. Coming to the dishes the food was served in, they were matching with the food and clearly custom made for each course.

It was a 3 hour extravaganza and we got up from the meal feeling quite full so contradictory to some other experiences I heard of, there was more than enough food. And I was dining with my wife so it would be dangerous to say the wait in between courses was uncomfortable, which it truly wasn’t.

Chef Gaggan Anand was very present through the dinner and his celebrity status was clear to see as he walked from table to table like an epicurean rock star, chatting with the diners and happily posing for photographs. I had my fan boy moment and not only got a picture but I asked him to sign my menu which he did. My respect for the man has only increased for what he has done to Indian cuisine and for putting us on the global food map.

Eating something, I feel is a multi sensory experience and the chef can play with the elements to appeal to all of the senses. I loved the way Gaggans brought in every sense to play with the food. What I value the most though is the sense of taste and I felt it was that sense that was lower in the mix. Maybe to appeal to a larger International client base, I felt the flavours were somewhat muted.

The food presented was not short of art painted by a master, which Gaggan clearly is. I think my art appreciation gene though is missing. So while I know a Picasso can be worth millions, I don’t know what the fuss is about in his paintings. I would walk through the Louvre, ONCE.

The sheer inventiveness of the food and the absolutely superb service will make sure I will cherish this experience for a long time to come. Would I go back and eat this meal for two that costs $500 ? As much as I enjoyed the experience, the answer is a NO.

Not many pictures in this post, while I took pics of everything we ate, the lighting in the room made the pictures quite dark. I missed my video light sooooo much !

Thumbs up for Continental

After a not so brief hiatus, i finally picked up the pen keyboard again. A lot has happened since then and more posts should follow shortly. Earlier i had written that i have dropped British Airways as an airline of choice for my visits to the US and had decided to try Continental. Well i did a Delhi to USA round trip on it and have been more than satisfied. Its pretty much decided that i have a new airline of choice for that sector. I waited for my experience on both the legs of the trip before i came to my decision. The long flight was certainly an issue for me as i cant sleep on a flight, so keeping myself occupied is always a challenge. The entertainment system is a big factor in doing that and so are other things i bring along on my laptop (On that topic, the latop has also changed, i am on a Mac now but that post will come later).

An affair comes to an end ...

I love to travel and thanks to the work i do, i do get to do a fair amount of international travel. I prefer sticking to a certain set of airlines and hotels, not looking for a new deal every-time i need to catch a flight. Until recently my airline of choice was British Airways, not anymore. I must admit i actually liked the airline, a lot, and had been a very loyal passenger for many years. I have had the chance to sample each of the 4 classes that they offer on long haul and so my experience is quite complete. They used to be an excellent airline, in tune with the needs of their passengers. But over time, they have slipped, quite substantially. Add to that the mess that is Heathrow and there really is no compelling reason to fy BA anymore. So my love affair is over, they did try to make it up to me and opened an entire new terminal. I dont think i will be seeing that anytime soon.

So as i approach another visit to the US, i had to pick another airline. This time i have decided to go with Continental. I have heard mostly good things about their non stop service to NYC and i think i am going to brave that journey. Strangely, the amount i fly, i am still quite a nervous flier and i prefer shorter flights. But the advantage of stepping on a flight and going straight to the destination is a major lure. A few weeks back i took some long flights, from London to California and back and those i feel paved the way for a little longer flight time and so i am prepared for the non stop. The entertainment on Continental better be good though as i always have trouble sleeping while flying, no matter how comfortable the seat might be, and the entertainment is my way to pass the time. In fact it was so important that i used to make sure i flew towards the end of a month so i could fly out in one month and by the time i flew back in, the month had changed. This meant that the list of movies on BA would change :). Also i must be in the minority of people who actually eating meals on the flight. I dont know what it is but i like the different small portions and somehow it manages to fill me up.

A detailed review will follow once i experience the flight.