The restaurant was opened in Bangkok, Thailand, by Indian chef Gaggan Anand in 2010, who had lived in Bangkok since 2007. He sought to refine Indian food to the same fine dining level as seen by other styles of cuisine such as French or Japanese within Thailand. The restaurant is located in a former 19th century townhouse. While the property was being renovated prior to opening, the 2010 Thai political protests took place meaning that Anand couldn't visit the restaurant for a period of time. The interior decor has a running color scheme of white and beige throughout, but there are additions of neon purple lights and scatter cushions in a variety of colors. The restaurant's dining area spreads across two floors which remain in a series of small enclosed rooms.
Fare
Prior to opening Gaggan, Anand worked at the three Michelin star molecular gastronomy restaurant elBulli in Spain. The chef has incorporated similar techniques into the menu at Gaggan. These have included a corianderfoam served with green peppercorn chicken kebabs in a dish entitled "Green with envy", and one entitled "Beauty and the Beast" which features potatoes stuffed with figs. His signature dish turned out to be "Lick it Up" which is a mix of different curries placed on a plate that the diner has to lick. Gaggan serves a 25-course tasting menu with no words, only emoji, which Anand described as "a way to transcend language barriers".
Reception
In 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, the restaurant was named both the best restaurant in Thailand, and Asia's best restaurant in the list of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants collated by Restaurant magazine. This was an increase from the third spot overall in Asia from in 2014. The restaurant placed tenth in The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2015, reaching number five in 2018 and remained the only Indian restaurant to ever place in the top 50. In 2019, the restaurant was voted the best in Asia and the fourth best in the world.
Closure
Anand had initially planned to close Gaggan sometime in June 2020 to start a new venture in Fukuoka, Japan with partner Takeshi Fukuyama, which will draw on Buddhist principles. The restaurant was officially closed on 24 August 2019 before its scheduled date. Anand, in his Instagram post, stated the reason to be differences between the shareholders. He also detailed the plans to open a new restaurant with more intimate space to open in Bangkok by October 2019. In the coming restaurant, he wrote, his daughter will be the highest shareholder.
