For the owner and chef of the famous “Gaggan” in Bangkok, inspiration can be found everywhere and especially in music. Gaggan loves rock music and is a drummer himself. That would explain why all his dishes just have a uniquely special flow and rhythm.

"For so many decades, we chefs have been told what to do. Today’s world is more progressive, more modern – now we can finally think out of the box and mix flavours, ingredients and cuisine in every way we want.”

Gaggan has always written his own rules. When he realized he wasn’t free to express himself as a chef in other restaurants, he opened one himself. Since then he’s only been successful. And as there are no creative limits for him, he doesn’t feel like he should hold back his team or guests – everyone from the staff can share ideas and there is also no etiquette for the guests at “Gaggan”. His simply wants everyone to explore their creativity and their taste.

Gaggan and Azuma-san

Gaggan was heavily impressed by the ice sculptures by Azuma Makoto, witnessing how an artist was able to create something so unseen. He knew right away he had found a creative partner with whom he could intuitively collaborate and achieve impossible heights.

“We as chefs, we are magicians, but we need our right magical equipment” – and in Gaggan’s case, that is the Dialog Oven. Inspired by Azuma’s ice sculptures, he composed a dish that plays with both, ice and fire. The result? A crab leg cooked on one side and completely raw and filled with ice cream on the other side, not only demonstrating his creativity, but also the appliance’s unique feature.

Gaggan also couldn’t refrain from including a signature touch of his heritage when working with this new technology. Using curry as the base flavour, the crab leg was cooked on one side. On the other side, using the technology of the Dialog Oven, the leg was wrapped with foil and stayed uncooked – which prevented the ice cream inside from melting!

“We can even compete with gods because of the technology that we have. When you’re working with quality ahead of its time.”