Rock star chef closes two-Michelin-star restaurant Gaggan in Bangkok, talks about his next venture

Gaggan Anand announced the sudden closure of his multi-award-winning restaurant Gaggan after a dispute with his shareholders

Anand, who studied under El Bulli’s ‘molecular gastronomy’ wizard Ferran Adriá, plans to open a smaller venue, possibly in October

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Gaggan Anand. Photo: Alkira Lee Reinfrank

Published: 1:55pm, 23 Aug 2019Updated: 3:53pm, 23 Aug 2019

Gaggan Anand expresses no regrets about killing his golden goose – a two Michelin star Bangkok restaurant ranked among the best in the world.

“Sudden things in life are not planned, like a hurricane, like a typhoon. It just comes, you deal with it,” the 41-year-old says in his loft style flat in the Thai capital, with fridges covering an entire wall, a long dining table, and a bookshelf sized pantry.

The imminent closure on Saturday of Gaggan, where a 25-course meal in a colonial villa costs 8,000 baht (US$270), stunned the culinary scene. He had announced in 2017 that Gaggan would shut next year, but brought forward its closure, a shock move that sent foodies in a spin as reservations were cancelled.

To some it was a puzzling act of self sabotage, but to the mercurial and blunt Anand, the move was hastened by creative necessity after a dispute over shares with business partners.

The exterior of Gaggan in Bangkok. The restaurant will have its final service on August 24. Photo: Mladen Antonov/AFP

“I am tired. I am laughing. I am crying. I AM JUST A HUMAN,” he said this week in an emoji-laden Instagram post in which he apologised to customers and said “64 rebels” had walked out with him.