You Can Order Food In Emoji’s At Asia’s No.1 Restaurant

By Emily Abrams   ‧   05/12/2017   ‧   Eat /

@aeongjoemrith

You use emojis in your everyday life, so why not take them one step further? Gaggan, located in Bangkok, Thailand, has been voted Asia’s best restaurant three years in a row. Chef Gaggan Anand balances “the soulfulness of Indian street food with hypermodern cooking techniques,” the World’s 50 Best explains. Born in Kolkata, chef Gaggan has been at the forefront of “progressive Indian cuisine,” so it’s fitting that he would introduce a 25-course menu written entirely in emojis.

You can try this menu of teeny items for 4,000 Thai baht ($115 USD). The menu starts with quick snacks like chef Gaggan’s yogurt explosion. It’s a take on the Indian chaat (savory snacks served at road-side tracks from stalls or food carts in India). The yogurt explosion bursts in your mouth with flavors of chaat masala, rock salt and coriander. Other courses include Indian sushi, charcoal prawn amritsari, uni ice cream in a mini cone and an edible “plastic” bag of nuts made with translucent rice paper.

After the 25 courses have been served, you’ll be given a text-based version of the menu with the actual names of the dishes that you just ate. The emojis serve more as a symbol to the corresponding dish (each dish was created by a team of chefs) and you have to take it upon yourself to figure out exactly what you’re eating. Some of the emojis might easily give you a hint as to what you’re eating, while others like the butterfly emoji are a little trickier. Chef Gaggan and his team are constantly reinventing the menu based on what’s seasonally available.

A post shared by Ta Chattawut (@laugheat) on

Gaggan stands out in Bangkok as an elegant whitewashed colonial house that’s tucked away from all of the chaos of Bangkok’s busy streets. This is an experience that you won’t find anywhere else, so if you happen to be in Bangkok, check it out. The emoji menu is probably the most millennial example of how food can be influenced by smartphones.

Next on Swirled

Most Popular