Inspired by the shaved ice dessert, he replaces cendol jelly for tongues of sea urchin and white almond milk tofu atop burnt eggplant miso topped with shaved kelp dashi ice, yuzu gelatine, wasabi espuma and shisho blossoms.
The rest of the dishes in the lunch menu are a collection of his ‘best hits’ from over the years. There’s the Idly Sambar where he reimagines the South Indian steamed cakes that are typically served with a lentil stew as an airy, fermented rice and lentil cake with fresh coconut chutney and a foamy top of sambar.
Another staple at his restaurant is Charcoal, an unphotogenic ball of fried black batter in a Makhani sauce made from tomatoes, fresh cream, spices and cashew nuts. Inside, it’s filled with moreish marinated chicken tikka masala. An unexpected flavour bomb, it’s one of our favourites from the meal.
Basmati rice, a household ingredient in every Indian kitchen, comes as the final hot dish with a bowl of mud crab curry; a surprisingly simple and hearty way to end the meal. And for dessert, Anand’s favourite Tiramisu with four types of chocolate — white, milk, caramelised and dark chocolate.
For the uninitiated, the six courses are a fair introduction to the creative universe of Gaggan Anand but for the full experience, we’d have to go with dinner. Our only gripe, however, was the lack of aural stimulation that was felt even more acutely especially for a gastronomical escapade like this.
Text: Lu Ya Wen/The Peak
