Beyond Bangkok’s food trail

The showman at the tableA hundredandeighty minutes 28 bites four acts a brilliant dining experience and zero photos How do you write about a 28course meal from memory alone No cameras no pens no notebooks Just be in the moment savour the music enjoy the camaraderie and theatrics and with every course you wonder if this is the best dish yoursquove hadAt Gaggan Anand in Bangkok dinner is not simply served It unfolds with a story This is Anandrsquos life divided into the four stages of his life including his childhood his youth and rise to fame the peak and the setback and finally nirvana the state he says he is in right now The dishes arrive as visual puzzles challenging us to reconsider how food should look feel and be eatenGaggan AnandThe full production comes alive with a sequence of songs and colourcoded light shifting through deep reds vibrant greens and blues His ace team is a part of the theatre But at no point does the spectacle eclipse the food Anandrsquos irreverent approach makes the experience distinctly his There is playfulness but beneath it lies a serious engagement with flavours his own memories and mastering of techniqueTicket to showtimeTherersquos the nowiconic Yoghurt Explosion a delicate sphere that bursts in the mouth releasing a rush of flavour and the Lick It Up a dish that turns eating into a collective performance But yoursquoll also find food with familiar references such as khichdi matar paneer papad and fruit chaat reimagined through unexpected textures and presentationsThere are a few surprises too The pleasure lies in the gap between what the eye anticipates and what the palate discovers Amid courses you realise Anand himself is the real revelation He is unlike any chef we have encountered larger than life gregarious garrulous and unfazed by his industryrsquos pretensions And he has a very very strong opinion on everything He can be as real as life or as grand as you can imagine There is no inbetween For all that has been written about him something about Anand remains elusive You see it in his hospitality the way he works a room and his ability to make a guest feel part of the performanceThe combined weight of personal and professional setbacks during the pandemic could have halted that momentum Instead Anand chose reinvention When he left the original Gaggan restaurant due to a dispute with his former partners 65 members of his team left with himThat number is revealing and so is the faith Beyond the spectacle he has built relationships that extend beyond the dining room ldquoThis is not Gaggan 20 or 31 or busht like that itrsquos just a new album from Gaggan Every band matures with age and their music also progresses and finally I have made an album that I am happiest withrdquo says AnandThe thing about 28 courses is that you donrsquot have to remember them in precise detail You carry back a sound a flavour a burst of laughter You remember how the room made you feel because the best theatre doesnrsquot ask you to take notes It asks you to be thereMs Maria amp Mr Singh When Mexico meets IndiaWe meet Maria and Mr Singh before the first dish arrives Their love story unfolds in a fairytale book at Gaggan Anandrsquos Bangkok restaurant Ms Maria amp Mr Singh where a Mexican woman and an Indian man bring two food cultures togetherAnand calls his approach ldquofantasy cuisinerdquo and the menu plays out like a romance between Mexican ingredients and Indian spices with familiar flavours taking unexpected turns The colourful interiors draw on the visual worlds of Mexico and India setting the scene for a meal as much about imagination as whatrsquos on the plateRather than follow the rules of conventional fusion the cooking lets the two cuisines spark off each other creating combinations that surprise without losing their individual character The fairytale supplies the plot the food carries it forward course by course It is a more playful expression of Anandrsquos experimental instincts inviting diners to leave culinary boundaries at the door and see what happens when two distinct traditions fall in loveChalee Kader A chef with more than one culinary identityChalee Kaderrsquos food story begins at a table where two cultures met Born and raised in Bangkok his motherrsquos side brought ThaiChinese flavours to the table while his Indian father cooked mutton fry and curries on weekend That early exposure to different food cultures shaped his approach to cooking guided by the belief that identity memory and heritage can coexist on a plateChalee KaderKader studied marketing psychology at the University of California Riverside before choosing to pursue food professionally In Bangkok he worked as head chef at the French Embassy honing his kitchen skills before striking out on his ownIn 2017 he opened 100 Mahaseth with business partner Randy Noprapa championing Isan northeastern Thailandrsquos food traditions Its nosetotail philosophy uses cuts often overlooked in mainstream dining linking resourcefulness to regional culinary heritage since then Kaderrsquos work has ranged from contemporary Thai fine dining to brunch and casual restaurantsHe has also partnered with prominent Indian chefs like Hussain Shahzad Prateek Sadhu and Himanshu Saini as a part of wider industry popups Whether reinterpreting familiar flavours or exploring lesserknown traditions he keeps Thai food ambitious while staying true to its rootsSato Sammosorn A new home for Thailandrsquos rice spiritOn Phaya Thai Road a short walk from Victory Monument BTS Sato Sammosorn is giving Thailandrsquos humble rice wine a place in Bangkokrsquos contemporary drinking culture Chefs Gaggan Anand and Chalee Kader along with their team have built a bar around sato a traditional fermented drink long associated with rural communities local festivals and gatheringsWok fried dong dang fermented noodlesldquoMade from glutinous rice fermented with luk paeng a starter containing native yeasts and fungi sato carries the character of the rice the fermentation and the region it comes fromrdquo says Kader At Sato Sammosorn a collection of 40 to 50 curated labels from across Thailand reveals just how varied the drink can beSome are crisp and bonedry finishing clean on the palate others open up with heady floral aromas and a gentle rounded sweetness reminiscent of Moscato drsquoAsti Each glass offers a different expression of native sticky rice and the craft of its fermentersThe food is built to match these bottles The menu of kap klaem or Thai drinking snacks draws on flavours from the North Northeast Central and Southern regions with an open kitchen keeping the action in full view From chicken wing nasi lemak to our favourite stirfried dong dang that has a springy almost bouncy chew to the gaeng pa a fierce rush of herbs and chilli that sent a shiver up our spine there are no sleek pretensions here which makes the place a convincing case for Thailandrsquos ricewine culture and regional small platesFranrsquos Making a meal of brunchBangkokrsquos brunch scene has no shortage of elaborate plates and photogenic spaces but Franrsquos makes a case for taking your time with a mealSnow fish pastaDeveloped by restaurateur Atchara ldquoPlardquo Burarakrsquos iBerry Group in collaboration with chef Chalee Kader the restaurant pairs allday comfort food with a lightfilled glasshouse setting and lush greenery The atmosphere invites long leisurely meals whether yoursquore there for breakfast a catchup over coffee or a latemorning spread that edges into lunchFrench onion soupThe menu draws on familiar brunch favourites from generous breakfast plates and fluffy pancakes to fresh greens and housemade sourdough Rather than relying on novelty alone the appeal lies in the details that make comfort food satisfying good bread wellmade eggs fresh ingredients and coffee worth lingering over Franrsquos also offers a glimpse of Kaderrsquos range as a restaurateurSummer AcaiWhile his work at 100 Mahaseth and Wana Yook explores regional Thai food and culinary heritage Franrsquos operates in a different register built around the easy sociability of brunch We loved the French Onion Soup berries bowl and are still drooling over the seafood pasta The combination of a relaxed atmosphere familiar food and an inviting green setting makes Franrsquos a destination for those who want to slow down and stay a little longerWana Yook The story of Thailand told through riceAt Wana Yook chef Chalee Kader takes one of Thailandrsquos most familiar meals and gives it a finedining interpretation Housed in an 80yearold colonial residence in Phaya Thai and surrounded by lush gardens the restaurant centres on khao gaeng the everyday combination of rice with curries stirfries and other accompanimentsGaeng Phed YaangIts history adds to its appeal Once associated with affluent households khao gaeng evolved into an accessible enduring way of eating across social classes Wana Yook traces that journey through a tasting menu that pairs classic Thai flavours with contemporary techniques Here rice is not merely a vehicle for the curry it is the starting point Rare regional varieties organic produce and ingredients sourced from local artisans and suppliers shape the experience reflecting Kaderrsquos commitment to Thai agriculture and culinary heritageKai DaoldquoThe idea came from the very personal ritual of saving a little of everything on your plate for one final bite where all the flavours come together We wanted to turn that instinct into an experience without making it gimmicky Rice became the centrepiece with different varieties and pairings bringing out its character The challenge was to create something distinctly Thai while rethinking finedining conventionsrdquo he addsWith a Michelin star and a place at No 47 on Asiarsquos 50 Best Restaurants list in 2026 Wana Yook demonstrates how an everyday Thai tradition can sustain a thoughtful contemporary tasting menuGagganrsquos BangkokThai food and currygtgt Nhong Rim Klong Watthanagtgt Krua Apsorn 1691 Dinso Road Phra Nakhongtgt thinspKang Pa Loong Sanga Soi Ngamwongwan 23 Lane 11 Nonthaburigtgt thinspKhrok Mai Thai Lao Restaurant 8 Lat Pla Khao 24 Alley Lat Phraogtgt thinspPadthai Chapaa Asoke Sukhumvit Road WatthanaSeafood and chickengtgt thinspStreet Seafood by Noi Near Soi Din Daenggtgt thinspJ Poon Fried Chicken Maha Chai Road Wang Burapha Phiromgtgt thinspChai Phochana Mueang Nonthaburi District Nonthaburigtgt thinspBeer Hima Chatuchakgtgt thinspHaew Seafood Bang KhaeNoodlesgtgt thinspBaan Kuay Tiew Ruathong Phaya Thaigtgt thinspZeaw Noodle 49 1 Sukhumvit 49 Watthanagtgt thinspGim Nguan Fishball Noodle 7570 Chom Thong 16 Alley Chom Thonggtgt thinspKhun Daengrsquos Vietnamese Noodle Phra NakhonCoffeegtgt thinspTerroirBKK Songwat 1218 Song Wat Road Chakkrawat Samphanthawonggtgt thinspa Coffee Roaster by library Warehouse 6 Charoen Krung 30 Bang RakJapanese and Fusion gtgt thinspChairoj 5035 Wattana