Bangkok on a Week’s Notice Part 2 . . . and Dinner at Gaggan?

On a trip to Bangkok on a week’s notice, how do you top a stay at Bangkok’s lebua at State Tower, capped by a fabulous dinner at Sirocco, their al fresco restaurant 64 floors up? How about a few blocks’ stroll to the Shangri-La Hotel by the river into a room with a balcony on the prow with a 180 degree view overlooking the water?

And that was after an email from Gaggan—the restaurant ranked THE BEST in Asia for the last four years running—letting us know we could grab a table for the 6pm service! Off we went in a cab in the midst of Bangkok’s notorious rush hour traffic—it made Chennai’s logjams seems like a sleepy village—and we ended up enhancing our appetite as we had to walk the last kilometer after we came to a complete standstill for about ten minutes.

Once we were seated in the rambling white-painted house, the tasting menu set the tone: a mylar strip with a string of 25 emoji’s . . . and no initial explanation. Our servers delivered the well-timed dishes and provided a tempting description of each item, most of which were guided by the final injunction, “A single bite, please.” After the Cucumber Aloe Vera amuse bouche and the Yogurt Explosion came an homage to 80’s Rock, a personal favorite of Gaggan’s.

As Kiss liked to sing:

Don’t need to wait for an invitation/You gotta live like you’re on vacation . . . Lick it up!

Do you remember those guys? That look, that hair? OMG!

So we licked it up to the accompaniment of the original Kiss rendition pounding at each table on the little red player. We felt so 80’s cool and it made it taste sooooo much better! Then came the succession of progressive Indian dishes, whimsical and creative and of course delicious.

Each dish showcased Chef’s love for his Indian heritage and focused intense flavors that astonished while reflecting so many traditional elements and spices. Suffice it to say this was a mountaintop culinary experience for Sarah and me. After dinner, Bee, the young manager, took us on a tour of the restaurant, including the kitchen, where more than a dozen busy staff immediately stopped their work and turned to us with a namaste and asked us how we liked the dinner. We LOVED it! But where was Gaggan? Upstairs Bee led us, where we toured a few more intimate dining areas, and then, at last, to the R&D kitchen where we gazed through a window where there were maybe a dozen folks seated around a U-shaped table—with Gaggan himself in the center explaining one of his creations. Gaggan, oh my!

Best yet, he glanced our way and Sarah gave him a grateful namaste . . . And he stopped his presentation and came out to greet and chat with us for a couple minutes about India and its food! What a delight. He confirmed he will be closing the restaurant in 2020 and opening his next creation in Fukuoka Japan, so do your best to get to Bangkok so you don’t miss the best restaurant in Asia! We’ll probably be back there next spring if you’d like to meet up.

Of course, we had to check off another tourist attraction and this one proved fascinating. The Jim Thompson House reflects an intriguing story as Jim Thompson was with the American OSS (precursor to the CIA) during World War II and fell in love with Thailand (at that time, Siam.) He recognized an opportunity to share the exquisite Thai silks with the rest of the world and made a fortune for himself. In 1959, Thompson completed a house that would become one of Bangkok’s premier tourist attractions. He combined six different styles of Thai houses with his own contemporary vision. The intrigue stems from his disappearance without a trace when he took a walk while visiting friends in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands in 1967, and no trace was ever found. (My money’s on the CIA . . . )

We also managed to enjoy the Afternoon Tea at the Authors Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, a historic landmark just up the river from the Shangri-la, where famous writers met to chat and drink and, perhaps, become inspired. Expat authors Noël Coward, James Michener, Somerset Maugham and Joseph Conrad are now immortalised in four private lounges there.

The Shangri-la Hotel, with its expansive Lobby Lounge and the Chocolate Boutique and the Long Bar with stunning views of the river, proved a comfortable and relaxing oasis after our touristing and walkabouts and local street food along the side lanes nearby.

Then, on our final day in Bangkok, we followed the advice of many of our expat compatriots at AISC, and treated ourselves to the most complete physical exams we’ve ever had. The Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital feels more like a topnotch spa with its attentive staff, espresso bar, and detailed, thorough testing and consultations–did I mention the espresso bar?

So, Bangkok delighted us with its sparkling energy and unique colors and exquisite scents and music and flavors, and of course we only dabbled and have so much more to explore. Next spring break, perhaps? We surely must get our annual physicals, right?

(BTW, next spring I’ll take my real camera and give Gaggan the respect his food and the experience deserves! And if you’d like to read some of Sarah’s and my restaurant reviews, check out Peter Claridge’s Chennai Expat Guide Blog–here’s our latest, “Indulging Ourselves at Belgium Indulges Chennai.” For more of my photos of Faces and Places of South India and Beyond, take a look at my website David Hassler Photography. Thanks!)