When Calcutta-born, Bangkok-based chef Gaggan Anand parted methods together with his traders in 2019, he closed the primary iteration of his very profitable Bangkok restaurant, Gaggan, which served artistic delicacies influenced by India, Thailand and different locales around the globe. Simply after that, Anand and people he labored with carefully decided: They’d open one thing new collectively as quickly as doable. However they might do it fully on their very own phrases. This included how they’d serve the drinks.
On the planet of wine, there’s a universe of potentialities in the case of choice, pricing, what to supply by the glass or by the bottle. It’s uncommon to come across a whole outlier when it comes to wine service. Enter the second Gaggan, now the No. 9 restaurant on this planet on the World’s 50 Greatest listing, the place sommelier Vladimir Kojic permits diners just one determination about his obligatory drink pairing: alcoholic or non. On high of that, he supplies beneficiant top-ups, however completely no wine listing, no upsells, nothing by the bottle or glass, and no substitutions.
Kojic, who has labored alongside Anand for a decade, chooses the wines he believes go finest with the meal, leaning closely into his personal experience with a few of the lesser-known wines of Mitteleuropa, in addition to Japanese sake and a spread of low-intervention wines from around the globe.
Kojic and Gaggan stand by the choice to supply just one wine pairing as an important a part of their shared endeavor. It permits Kojic to champion a set of producers he loves, to share their wine and their tales together with his clients, and to focus solely on what he believes in. Beneath, Kojic explains the origins of this novel type of wine service and the thrill—and challenges—of all the time figuring out precisely what Gaggan diners will drink every evening.
When company come to a restaurant and also you give them a set menu for meals, they’re OK with that. However in case you solely provide a wine pairing, it’s form of like, no, I wish to select my bottle. In 2019, after we broke with our companions, we have been speaking about opening a brand new restaurant. That restaurant can be smaller, solely 14 seats, and a spot the place we might do 100% what we wish to do. Gaggan requested me, “What do you suppose in case you provide the company A, B, C wine pairings?” For me, it doesn’t make sense. One man goes to drink Salon, and one other man goes to drink grower Champagne? I mentioned, “Are we doing one factor or are we simply giving selections for the company to order? Similar because the meals. Why not provide three selections with the menu?” After which he mentioned, “Fuck it. We do just one factor. Should you’re a visitor and also you’re coming to our restaurant and that is your fastened menu for the meals, it ought to be the identical for the drinks.” That is how we began in 2019. And we’re nonetheless doing it. Most likely we’re not going to cease doing it till the restaurant closes down.
Additionally, I discovered that if I’ve a wine listing, it is going to actually break the service that we’ve got. So think about Gaggan is explaining to 14 individuals on the identical time what they’re consuming with a 10-minute story, after which the company throughout which might be like, “I wish to see the wine listing.” It’s only a mess.
Typically the company complain. Just a few days in the past I had 5 company [who] simply stood up in the course of dinner and left. We have been solely midway via the menu. You then ask your self, ought to we alter one thing? Ought to we give in? However the level is then you definately’re going again to satisfying everyone. Our complete thought is: Can we construct a restaurant if we solely do what we wish to do? As Gaggan says, we aren’t a restaurant for everyone.
We did an occasion with a Korean chef final yr. One man, in the course of dinner, mentioned to Gaggan, “I really like the meals a lot, however your sommelier is killing me with this wine. He’s fully ruining my expertise.” The man mentioned to me, “Are you able to open one thing basic?” I mentioned, “I don’t have it. I’ve these 9 wines for tonight and that’s it. I’ll high you up.” And the man referred to as me to go exterior the eating room. He was crying. I checked out him and I mentioned, “Man, you’re a grown-up. Are you actually crying about this?” He says, “You might be destroying my expertise.” I mentioned, “I can’t imagine this. You’re a 40-plus-year-old man. Simply behave.” He actually needed basic stuff. He was anti-natural, principally.
Our cooks, they’re doing 22 programs. I positively didn’t wish to do 22 wines as a result of I’ve discovered that’s means an excessive amount of alcohol. I made a decision on 9 wines, as a result of for me, after 9 it’s actually a shit present. I’m making an attempt to pair these 9 wines with the 22 programs. The chef by no means repeats. So that you by no means discover the identical ingredient, you by no means discover the identical texture and also you by no means discover the identical taste. So, I assumed if he’s doing that, I’ll do the identical factor with my wines. So I’ll do 9 wines, however I’ll by no means repeat the feel, taste or any similarities. If I serve one rosé, I’m not going to serve one other rosé. If I serve one deep orange wine, I’m not going to serve two deep orange wines. It’s going to be one thing with much less maceration. Additionally, I’m making an attempt to not repeat the identical glass. So whenever you come you might have 9 completely different wines, all completely different flavors and completely different glassware. You might be on a journey.
I really like to start out with Champagne as a result of it’s a fantastic begin to the meal, and individuals are nonetheless confused [by the set pairing] and no person complains about Champagne. If I begin with orange wine, individuals will likely be like, “Fuck, the place are we?” However whenever you begin with bubbles—and it’s all the time grower, all the time a small producer—everyone likes it. It’s an excellent welcome. So it’s straightforward to go ahead.
Once more, we aren’t a restaurant for everyone. I’m not serving pure wines due to the hype; it’s actually one thing I actually imagine in. Additionally, it’s not solely pure wines, it’s actually those that I wish to assist. The older I’m getting, the extra essential it’s who’s behind the wine than the wine by itself.
More often than not, I’m serving Mazière. I keep in mind after I visited [the winemaker, Fabrice Monnin]. He’s a one-man present. He does every little thing by himself. Whenever you see what they do—it’s so area of interest, it’s so artisanal.
Gaggan’s thought is that this: I don’t care how a lot cash you might have. Whenever you come to my residence, there’s 14 individuals and also you’re all having the identical service from us. You’re having the identical meals. There’s no add-ons. And also you’re having the identical wine. We wish to put equality on the desk.
—Sommelier Vladimir Kojic, as informed to Punch contributor Tom Downey
