6 days ago
Gaggan Anand Returns to India With Delhi’s Raga
Gaggan Anand has opened a new restaurant called Raga in Delhi, India.
It is his long-awaited return to running a permanent restaurant in the country.
He is working with restaurateur Zorawar Kalra and chef Rydo Anton.
Rydo leads the kitchen, while Gaggan takes a less direct role than he did at his Bangkok restaurant.
Raga serves a very long meal with 22 different courses.
The dishes use Indian foods and flavours but are presented in surprising shapes and styles.
For example, one dish looks like a brain but is made from cauliflower.
The meal costs ₹11,111 before taxes, and drinks cost extra.
The restaurant was reportedly fully booked for the next few months.
Gaggan Anand has opened Raga in Delhi’s Connaught Place with restaurateur Zorawar Kalra.
Indonesian-born chef Rydo Anton is Raga’s co-founder and leads its kitchen.
The dinner-only restaurant serves 22 courses across two seatings of 18 guests, six days a week.
The tasting menu costs ₹11,111 plus taxes, with drinks and wine pairing charged separately.
Raga blends Indian flavours with theatrical presentations and was reportedly booked for months ahead.
- Who
- Chef Gaggan Anand, chef Rydo Anton and restaurateur Zorawar Kalra are behind Raga.
- What
- Raga is a 22-course tasting-menu restaurant and Anand’s permanent restaurant in India.
- Where
- Raga is in Connaught Place, Delhi, India.
- When
- It opened to the public on Wednesday, August 26, for dinner service; the articles do not specify the year.
- Why
- Anand wanted a permanent restaurant in India and chose Delhi because it was where he had left cooking.
More Accessible Premium Dining
High-Cost Fine Dining
Menu price
More Accessible Premium Dining
Zorawar Kalra said ₹11,111 was a fair, sustainable price that kept the experience at least partially accessible and could support long-term bookings.
High-Cost Fine Dining
The price is still premium, drinks and taxes add to the bill, and the articles describe Raga as the most expensive tasting menu in India, although one report places it within the range of other top Indian restaurants.
What diners are paying for
More Accessible Premium Dining
Raga says the price reflects staff training, specialised equipment, custom crockery and the work required to deliver 22 courses rather than simply a high profit margin.
High-Cost Fine Dining
Diners are paying for an elaborate, highly staffed experience featuring imported tableware, specialised machinery, theatrical presentations and a 22-course meal.
Key facts
- Restaurant
- Raga, also styled RAGA
- Founders
- Gaggan Anand, Rydo Anton and Zorawar Kalra
- Menu
- 22-course tasting menu
- Price
- ₹11,111 plus taxes for food; drinks and wine pairing cost extra
- Service
- Dinner only, with two seatings of 18 guests
- Schedule
- Six days a week
- Reported demand
- The restaurant was booked for the coming days or next few months, depending on the report
Quotes
Zorawar Kalra
Restaurateur and co-founder of Raga.
“Because this is where I left cooking. It was here that I quit cooking in a hotel, and I started hating cooking. And now, 25 years later, here I am to prove myself.”
indianexpress.com
“I think this price is fair. With alcohol, it’ll run above 11,000. It’s important for great food to be at least partially accessible.”
indianexpress.com
Rydo Anton
Executive chef and co-founder of Raga.
“It usually takes eight hours plus, with this machine, two to three.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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