Bangkok’s renowned chef Gaggan Anand to cook in Sydney and Melbourne next month

The chef who once built a menu entirely out of emojis is coming to Australia for the first time, with Gaggan Anand set to host a series of special dining experiences at Crown Sydney and Crown Melbourne.

Anand, whose Bangkok restaurant Gaggan will set you back around $700 a head, is known for his experimental approach to Indian cuisine. His dishes often lean theatrical, including one of his best-known creations, “rat brains”, a dumpling shaped to resemble a brain, served in a “bloody” beetroot sauce, and Lick it Up, a vegetarian curry designed to be eaten directly off the plate without cutlery

The restaurant has been ranked number one in Asia for 2025–26 by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, and among the top 10in the world, by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant Academy.

The Sydney residency will run from 28 April to 3 May, and will centre around a 12-course degustation at Crown Sydney, which will be priced at $549 per person, and include a glass of Dom Pérignon on arrival.

There will also be a progressive lunch series from 1 to 3 May. For those who miss out on tickets, Anand will also design a bar snack menu for the hotel’s rooftop venue, Cirq, available throughout May.

Anand will then travel to Crown Melbourne for a series of events with Californian restaurant Marmont in Crown Melbourne, featuring an eight-course menu drawn from his signature dishes, priced at $295, with a glass of Dom Perignon on arrival. The Melbourne program will incorporate music, with a soundtrack curated by Anand and Australian DJ Grant Smillie.

In a statement, Gaggan Anand said: “Gaggan is not just about food, it’s about an experience and we have never cooked in Australia before ... We will bring our minds, our techniques, your ingredients and our madness to your plate.”

Head to Crown Sydney and Crown Melbourne for details, with tickets on sale from March 27.