Bangkokian cuisine on the rise with prominent chefs

Cambodian cuisine may be highly sought after, and Japan may offer the best of the best, but the shining star of Asia is unquestionably Bangkok. The unstoppable rise of Bangkokian cuisine continues, fueled by the creativity of gifted chefs and the flood of inquisitive foodies visiting the city. And, of course, crazy chefs like Gaggan Anand and fastidious chefs like the Sühring brothers play a big role in this.

On my last trip to Bangkok, I was in the company of prominent chefs who are boosting the gastronomic dynamics of the city. The first and perhaps the most sought-after of these is Anand, whose restaurant made it to the list of the "Best 50 Restaurants" in Asia four times.

"A while back, I was planning to leave Thailand and re-locate to Japan, but destiny had its own fate. Here we are, back again from the ashes, to re-live the dream once again, to re-imagine food, and to ultimately re-start the adventure of cooking," says Anand.

Before dining at Gaggan, you must set aside any prior experiences with fine dining restaurants. Here, you are not merely enjoying delicious food but also taking part in the night's spectacle. After parting ways with his partners, he turned the upper floor of his restaurant into an Indian-Mexican bistro called Ms. Maria and Mr. Singh. His playroom is his chef restaurant, Gaggan, downstairs, where he has been serving just 14 customers for the past 16 months.

The night begins with a speech to his guests, who are seated around a single L-shaped table at Gaggan.

"My time in New York during the pandemic inspired me artistically. I figured, why not make my Saturday night routine into my own rendition of a food opera? That's how we came up with this."

The night begins with an address like this. In this...