Kolkata-born Gaggan Anand redefined Indian cuisine with his eponymous restaurant in Bangkok, making it Asia’s best for the fourth consecutive year. And, he is not done yet. He moves to Japan next
A hole in the wall of a zoo in Kolkata was a portal to his heart’s desire—food. A young Gaggan Anand, least interested in studies, would often skip school and head to the nearby zoo, following the scent of hot samosas wafting in through the teeny-weeny outlet. All he remembers is a hand jutting out of the hole and giving him samosas. He never saw the vendor’s face, but his samosas left a memory trace. Food had, by then, worked its charm on Anand.
Today, that Punjabi kid from Kolkata runs his eponymous restaurant in downtown Bangkok. Gaggan, which serves progressive Indian cuisine, has topped ‘Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list for the fourth consecutive year in 2018, and was ranked seventh in the ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ 2017 list (the 2018 list will be announced at Bilbao, Spain, on June 19). Gaggan is also one among three restaurants in Bangkok to get two Michelin stars, after the Michelin Guide made its Bangkok debut last December (no restaurant received the highly coveted three stars). In 2016, Anand was featured in season 2 of Netflix’s Chef’s Table.
This story is from the May 13, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.
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This story is from the May 13, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.
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