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.