[This is a long-overdue post]

Tucked away in a little soi off Langsuan, there stood a house which was converted into a Michelin-star Restaurant called Gaggan. For foodies who appreciates the art of scientific gastronomy and are willing to pay through the nose to experience such exquisite dining, the experience can be oh-so-divine.

For the unfamiliar, Gaggan serves progressive Indian cuisine. Its recipes are simple but made elegant by exotic presentation and futuristic cooking techniques. We initially discovered this place by a sheer drive-by coincidence – and only because Silver Bullet recognized the name when he saw the signage close to it while we were stuck in a very slow moving traffic on a road we quite often passed by. This place is not heavily advertised, and if not for Silver Bullet who pointed it out, we would not have known that this place existed right in the heart of Bangkok . It literally is  a 10-15 minutes journey away from our home.

We trooped off to Gaggan one evening with 6 other friends , using 3 birthday celebrations for January mommies  and a good family friend leaving Bangkok as an excuse to spend an exorbitantly expensive amount of money on food created in the name of gastronomical pleasures.

There were several menus to choose from and I decided to pick the most extensive menu in the name  of curiosity.  We were all seated on the table next to the kitchen and it was really awesome to be able to watch the staff in the kitchen preparing our food before we were served.

Now, I don’t remember every single item that was served, but I do remember that every single dish served tasted awfully divine. The first complementary drink was refreshing and the Lychee Drink I picked was absolutely gorgeous to start the evening going.

This particular is my favourite – I remember that  it tasted like egg, and the moment you put it in your mouth, the ball burst into  a delicious confetti of flavor which I cannot even begin to describe. The taste was flavourful and the sensation indescribable.

And then there was this,

And this,

And this,

And a bunch more…

The fish curry was extraordinary as well and by the time I got to the lamb towards the end of the course, I felt so full that I thought my stomach would burst.

It was a really wonderful experience and I would not mind doing it again for the second time.

My only gripe and dissatisfaction with the whole experience boiled down to only 1 thing I found rather distasteful: the Matre’D – while not obnoxious, did not seem friendly or forth-coming. In fact ,she was aloof, cold and has one of the most condescending-i-am-above-you-and you-do-not deserve-anything-from-this place tone I have ever experienced. My observation dictated that she eyed us in such contempt, with hardly a smile across her face.  The entire experience I had with her made me feel that we were inconveniencing her more than anything, and how dare we dine at a place where we probably should not be able to afford a meal as exquisite as that.

Hence,  while the food experience was fantastic, I really do feel like Gaggan could use a better Maitre’D to serve their customers. I mean, we did pay a good amount of money and the least she could do is lower herself down a little bit by providing genuinely  sincere, excellent service to complement the food that were served. Instead, she chose to serve us a mightier-than-thou attitude. She was  a disappointment to such a renowned establishment.

It was, otherwise a sweet, triple birthday celebration and a nice farewell to one of our good friends.

And one other thing: If you are looking for an authentic, traditional Indian cuisine, this might not be the place to be expecting that.