₹11,111 for a meal. And that’s before taxes and beverages. Now that’s a number designed to raise an eyebrow.
But at RAGA, Chef Gaggan Anand’s first restaurant in India, you soon realise that this is not just another expensive tasting menu where you leave wondering where the next meal is coming from. This is a 22 course experience, and by the time you reach the end, you certainly won’t be looking for something else to eat.
Unstated luxury
The first impression is understated luxury. With an extra high ceiling and the kitchen spread across two floors, RAGA is as much a showcase of precision and craftsmanship as it is a restaurant.
There is a stunning open kitchen with some of the finest equipment, handcrafted Japanese crockery, Schott Zwiesel glasses and a kitchen and service team whose strength actually exceeds the restaurant’s seating capacity of just 32 guests.
A chef curated PDR is also expected to open soon, promising an even more personalised experience.
But the real theatre begins when the food arrives.
Gaggan’s cooking is not about simply making familiar Indian flavours taste better. It is about making you question what you are eating, how it was made and sometimes even what you thought you knew about it.
There is a cucumber preparation cut so impossibly thin that it almost disappears into a delicate gel that tastes remarkably like mint chutney. Another creation looks like something entirely unfamiliar, only to explode on the palate with the unmistakable flavour of Indian murmure.
There is nahari. Kashmiri tabak maaz. Modern chaat. Each appears in a form you may never have imagined.
And then comes the brain pepper fry. Except, given its flavour, texture and presentation, many diners may not guess that this apparently indulgent dish is actually vegetarian.
And yes, there is literally a course where you are expected to lick the plate.
That says something about the restaurant. RAGA isn’t afraid to have fun.
Yet it is the techniques, precision and presentation that make you understand why Gaggan Anand has consistently been regarded among the world’s finest chefs. Every course has a purpose. Every texture is considered. Every element has been thought through.
Even something as familiar as chicken wings gets a Gaggan treatment. A small rope is attached to the end so you can pick them up without getting your hands dirty.
Or take the very Indian matar. Even the peas have been painstakingly peeled, with the outer skin removed so that you get to the sweeter layer inside. It is an almost obsessive level of detailing, and this is precisely where you understand why RAGA needs such a large kitchen and service team for just 32 diners.
It is these little details that make the experience memorable.
RAGA is more than Gaggan
The name itself is a portmanteau.
RA comes from Rydo Anton, who is spearheading the restaurant in India, while GA stands for Gaggan Anand, the chef mentor whose vision shapes RAGA.
Joining them is Zorawar Kalra, one of the most influential names in Indian hospitality, whose concepts over the years have played an important role in shaping the contemporary Indian restaurant landscape.
Together, they have created something that feels less like an overseas chef opening a restaurant in India and more like a homecoming.
And perhaps that is what makes RAGA particularly exciting.
India’s restaurant scene has never had it this good. From Nisaba to Indian Accent and Comorin, and now RAGA, Indian cuisine is being interpreted with imagination, confidence and a global sensibility.
Will you get a reservation?
Absolutely not easily.
At least not in the initial months.
With just 32 seats and the curiosity surrounding Gaggan’s first Indian restaurant, reservations are bound to be fiercely sought after.
But the bigger question is whether RAGA will survive beyond the initial excitement.
My answer is yes. And not just survive. I believe it will flourish.
RAGA has the potential to become a destination restaurant for luxury travellers coming to India, particularly those who have experienced Gaggan’s restaurants overseas and faced months of waiting for a table.
And perhaps its biggest contribution will be inspiring more chefs and restaurateurs to think bigger about what Indian food can be.
At ₹11,111 plus taxes and beverages, RAGA certainly isn’t an everyday meal.
But then, this isn’t an everyday restaurant either.
Every course is a revelation. Every plate tells a story. And the experience is worth having at least once.
Address: RAGA, 21A, Janpath Road, Connaught Place, next to Le Meridien, Delhi
Reservations: ragabygaggan.com
