Pop talk with Gaggan

Gaggan Anand ahead of his pop-up in the city. Pic/Satej Shinde

The photographer offers to take only close-up shots since Gaggan Anand is dressed in shorts. "Nahin, nahin, take me as I am. This is who I am," he says, folding his hands as he strikes a pose. Dressed in a red tee and printed shorts over fluorescent yellow sneakers, he runs his hands through his shoulder-length mane.

Our congratulations on Gaggan, Bangkok-based restaurant which won two Michelin stars in the first edition of the Thailand Michelin Guide in 2018, are met with a grin. "A tyre company doesn't know how to judge," Anand says, adding, "It is evident they don't use Indian inspectors for my cuisine. Though I don't ridicule them, I don't respect it. I tried, but it didn't work," he tells us.

Anand, who will close this prized restaurant next year, is on a four-city tour in India dishing out The Last Experience of Gaggan by ITC Hotels. The 15-course meal will take place in Mumbai at ITC Maratha this Sunday, after which he proceeds to his last stop, Delhi.

For the menu, he is preparing dishes from the past, present and future. "This tour is a public announcement to the rich who tell me, 'Sir, aap mere liye khana bana do'. When I have money, I need my self-respect," he says, adding that he will never do pop-ups in any part of the world again.

His restaurant has for the past four years comfortably enjoyed the No 1 position on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, and was fifth on the World's 50 Best Restaurant last year.

What continues, is his pop-up, thrice a year with Japanese chef Takeshi Fukuyama of La Maison de la Nature Goh, with whom he will start a new venture in Fukuoka, Japan. The two chefs meet every four months to jam; the fodder from these cooking sessions has shaped the restaurant's concept.

His attraction to Japan stems from a holiday he took in 2013 with his then-girlfriend, now wife, Pui. "The trip was an enlightenment about how cuisine can be devotional. It became important to be able to change the way I cook forever," he explains, adding that he returned and wrote to chefs in Japan with a request to cook in their kitchens. "Only Fukuyama got back," says Anand.

Serving emojis

Currently, at his restaurant, the menu is represented by emojis alone. "The hug is my favourite emoji. After seeing Munnabhai MBBS, I started hugging a lot more. I told my close friend and actor Boman Irani, 'your film turned me into a hugger'," he shares. Once, after service, when Gaggan hugged a customer, he was told, "You smell like curry." It stuck and he got T-shirts printed with the line. "Emoji is my global language," he adds. He is also working with Apple on an unrevealed project. "I am rooting for a samosa emoji. I don't want a turban guy representing India. Of course, there's a larger plan under wraps," he teases.

Define umami

"Most people think ajinomoto is umami. Indian food has more umami than any other cuisine. Salty, sweet, sour and bitter, and then you have that taste which cannot be described. It's what we have known all along as swadisht," he smiles. His menu has a dish called Lick It Up, that gives the taster a sweet, spicy, salty, bitter and umami experience.

But what will it take to create a restaurant that receives global recognition? "Restaurateurs need to stop crap mentality wars and focus on creating something for the country. Everyone thinks modern food means dhua aayega, dhamaka aayega, but it is not a Bollywood movie. Indian food doesn't have gimmicky things!" he responds.

Past forward

Over the years, Anand has also become an investor, with Garima Arora's Gaa, Sühring by Thomas and Mathias Sühring, and an upcoming organic wine and fried chicken bar as well as a tofu-omakase Japanese restaurant, too. "I like the talent that is arrogant enough to represent their cuisine the way they want; but most of the new gen are media-savvy hungry attention seekers, and insecure," he explains.

In 2007, when Anand moved from India to Thailand, he had described himself as being a dog barking order and abusing in the kitchen. "Now, I have become focused. When I hang my apron at Gaggan, my executive chef and protégé, Rydo Anton will take the legacy forward albeit with a different name. He has the best of me," he assures. But the real judge is his under-three-year-old daughter Tara. "If I cook in a hurry and without heart, she spits the food out."

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International, and Hatke news here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get the latest updates