Chef Gaggan Anand’s eponymous restaurant is listed at number 17 on Restaurant magazine’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. It’s also the only Indian one to make it to the top 20. “My dream has always been to change the face of Indian cooking – to glorify it and make people think of it as a sophisticated cuisine,” he told us about his Bangkok-based eatery. And that’s exactly what he’s done. Mixing traditional flavours with molecular gastronomy, his crazy-cool concoctions include exploding papdi chaat and decoded dhokla. Tempted to dig in? Don’t worry if a trip to Thailand isn’t on the cards – for eight days, you (that is, if you’re in either Mumbai or Delhi) can try out an 11-course meal by the master chef.
Anand will set up shop at the ITC Maurya in Delhi between September 4 and 7 and at The Four Seasons in Mumbai between September 8 and 12. The menu has been kept a surprise (as if his food isn’t exciting enough!). It’s definitely a far more convenient option than flying to Bangkok for a meal; but if you were to make the trip, your dinner would set you back by 1,800 to 4,000 baht (Rs 3,400 to Rs 7,600 approximately), compared to Rs 12,500 per head (plus, Rs 2,500 for wine pairings). Here’s something that may put a dampener on your plans, though: reservations are by invitation only or limited to American Express cardholders (Centurion and Platinum).
Rs 25,000 for date night – needlessly extravagant or worth the price? We can’t decide.
The Cellar Door Kitchen with Chef Gaggan Anand experience will take place at ITC Maurya in Delhi between September 4 and 7 and at The Four Seasons in Mumbai between September 8 and 12. American Express cardholders can make reservations on www.cdhevents.com.
You may want to read: Gaggan Voted No. 3 in Asia
