When Calcutta-born, Bangkok-based chef Gaggan Anand parted methods along with his buyers 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 world wide. Simply after that, Anand and people he labored with carefully decided: They’d open one thing new collectively as quickly as potential. However they’d do it solely on their very own phrases. This included how they’d serve the drinks.
On the planet of wine, there’s a universe of potentialities relating to choice, pricing, what to supply by the glass or by the bottle. It’s uncommon to come across an entire outlier when it comes to wine service. Enter the second Gaggan, now the No. 9 restaurant on the earth on the World’s 50 Greatest checklist, the place sommelier Vladimir Kojic permits diners just one choice about his necessary drink pairing: alcoholic or non. On high of that, he gives beneficiant top-ups, however completely no wine checklist, 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 among the lesser-known wines of Mitteleuropa, in addition to Japanese sake and a variety of low-intervention wines from world wide.
Kojic and Gaggan stand by the choice to supply just one wine pairing as a vital a part of their shared endeavor. It permits Kojic to champion a set of producers he loves, to share their wine and their tales along 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 at all times 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 should you solely provide a wine pairing, it’s sort of like, no, I need to select my bottle. In 2019, after we broke with our companions, we had been speaking about opening a brand new restaurant. That restaurant could be smaller, solely 14 seats, and a spot the place we might do 100% what we need to do. Gaggan requested me, “What do you suppose should 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 stated, “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 stated, “Fuck it. We do just one factor. When you’re a visitor and also you’re coming to our restaurant and that is your fastened menu for the meals, it needs to be the identical for the drinks.” That is how we began in 2019. And we’re nonetheless doing it. In all probability we’re not going to cease doing it till the restaurant closes down.
Additionally, I discovered that if I’ve a wine checklist, it is going to actually break the service that we now have. So think about Gaggan is explaining to 14 individuals on the similar time what they’re consuming with a 10-minute story, after which the company throughout which are like, “I need to see the wine checklist.” It’s only a mess.
Generally the company complain. Just a few days in the past I had 5 company [who] simply stood up in the midst of dinner and left. We had been solely midway by way of the menu. Then you definately ask your self, ought to we modify one thing? Ought to we give in? However the level is you then’re going again to satisfying all people. Our entire concept is: Can we construct a restaurant if we solely do what we need to do? As Gaggan says, we’re not a restaurant for everyone.
We did an occasion with a Korean chef final yr. One man, in the midst of dinner, stated 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 stated to me, “Are you able to open one thing traditional?” I stated, “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 stated, “Man, you’re a grown-up. Are you actually crying about this?” He says, “You’re destroying my expertise.” I stated, “I can’t imagine this. You’re a 40-plus-year-old man. Simply behave.” He actually needed traditional stuff. He was anti-natural, principally.
Our cooks, they’re doing 22 programs. I undoubtedly didn’t need to do 22 wines as a result of I’ve discovered that’s approach 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 attempting 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 believed 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 attempting to not repeat the identical glass. So once you come you’ve got 9 completely different wines, all completely different flavors and completely different glassware. You’re on a journey.
I really like to start out with Champagne as a result of it’s an important 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 probably be like, “Fuck, the place are we?” However once you begin with bubbles—and it’s at all times grower, at all times a small producer—all people likes it. It’s an excellent welcome. So it’s simple to go ahead.
Once more, we’re not 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 need to assist. The older I’m getting, the extra necessary it’s who’s behind the wine than the wine by itself.
More often than not, I’m serving Mazière. I bear in mind after I visited [the winemaker, Fabrice Monnin]. He’s a one-man present. He does every part by himself. If you see what they do—it’s so area of interest, it’s so artisanal.
Gaggan’s concept is that this: I don’t care how a lot cash you’ve got. If you come to my house, 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 need to put equality on the desk.
—Sommelier Vladimir Kojic, as instructed to Punch contributor Tom Downey
