There is palpable tension in the air. The staff at Aaleeshan, the restaurant at JW Marriott Bengaluru Golfshire Resort and Spa, is on their toes making sure everything is perfect.
I am at Nandi Hills on a Tuesday afternoon because this is no ordinary dinner being planned. Gaggan Anand, the ‘bad boy’ of Indian haute cuisine, is in town to host an exclusive pop-up. The staff lay out the table; but he wants no cutlery at all.
The restaurant’s al fresco area is dreamy on this breezy September evening. He wants nothing to do with it. Everything needs to be indoors. “I’ve done some outrageous things, and I always get them right,” he tells me, over a cup of masala chai (with almond milk).
Behind the rockstar, devil-may-care attitude, I sense something has softened. Gaggan is trying to be more equitable.
Born in Kolkata to Punjabi parents, Gaggan was once called “the most famous Indian chef in the world” by The New York Times. His modern and bold approach to Indian food put it on the gourmet map. His restaurants in Bangkok include the eponymous Gaggan, a progressive Indian restaurant, Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh (a Mexican-Indian establishment), and Gaggan at Louis Vuitton, a collaboration between him and the fashion house. His restaurants have won Michelin stars, but he rejects the concept.
A hands-on affair
We sit down for dinner. The restaurant has been instructed to play Gaggan’s playlist of operatic music. There is going to be no menu, we are told, and no forks. We cannot go back for seconds. (Yes, he has seen Ralph Fiennes-starrer The Menu, and loved it). “My last pop-up in India was priced at ₹50,000 without any beverages, and I sold 800 tickets in one hour. Things are a little different this time. I want to bring more equality and socialism to the table,” he quips. The dinner is priced at ₹15,000, boasts four ‘acts’ and ends with dessert. Accessibility is on Gaggan’s mind. So how does he do it?
Yoghurt explosion, a take on chaat
The four acts have three dishes each. Sambhar is served on the table. A steamed cylinder of idli topped with sambar foam. The dish has a cloudlike texture, but it tastes of everything; curry leaf, nutty chutney podi, mustard seeds, and rice flour. Foam may be on every pub menu in Bengaluru nowadays, but there is a technical prowess with which Gaggan uses the medium.
Uncooked curry is an explosion of flavours with scallops, a coconut milk sauce swirled on the plate, and a dry powder that looks like nothing, but somehow brings together all the flavours of a curry.
There are also some sneak peeks into the menu of Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh. Aguachile is made with “whatever seasonal fruits and veggies we found in the walk-in,” says Gaggan.
Gaggan with the team at Aaleeshan
The ceviche-like dish has a base of the most delicious green sauce, topped with dragon fruit, bel, and citrus fruits. Saffron churros is an homage to jalebi. And the ghewaris made with lychees and rose. “We give so much importance to the techniques used in French pastries, but ghewar is the same,” he says while serving us pistachio sauce.
Mexican Mangalore buns?
“I do not compromise on quality, but I compromise on expensive ingredients,” says Gaggan adding that he chooses to represent the local. There is no blue king crab, but I seejeera samba rice and Andhra chillies on my plate.
Coming to India is an R&D trip, he says adding that he will take back ingredients and ideas. He is exploring regional dishes and visited Oota Bangalore and Nandhana Palace. Pulling out his phone, he excitedly shows me photos of Mangalore buns he had, and how they remind him of the Mexican snack, infladita. They may make its way back to the menu at Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh.
Aguachile with seasonal fruits and vegetables
“I’m very happy. I’m in a good space in life. Once I got success, I lost the fire and hunger in my belly that drives me. I went through some things in my personal life that were not easy to cope with. With these bad times and COVID hitting us, I lost everything,” he says, adding with a cheeky grin, “So now I have the fire back.”
The two-day pop-up was part of JW Marriott Bengaluru Golfshire’s Royal Homecoming series in which they plan to invite international Indian chefs. At Nandi Hills Road, Bengaluru.
Published - September 26, 2024 03:26 pm IST
