BANGKOK – At the newest culinary hot spot in Bangkok, diners dressed in Louis Vuitton eat with their hands. Laughter echoes off the walls, mingling with the clink of glasses and music by rock bands such as Fleetwood Mac and The Cure.

This is Gaggan at Louis Vuitton, a fine-dining restaurant unlike any other in the region.

Opened at the end of February at Gaysorn Amarin, the Thai city’s latest luxury shopping centre, it is part of the French luxury house’s bigger destination concept called LV The Place Bangkok.

Occupying two storeys of the mall, LV The Place Bangkok is said to be a “360 experiential concept”, boasting not just Gaggan at Louis Vuitton, but also an exhibition space, a boutique and Le Cafe Louis Vuitton, a chic patisserie on the ground floor.

Here, a tantalising assortment of Instagrammable cakes (starting at 450 baht or S$17), ice cream (from 390 baht) and locally inspired iced beverages such as mango sticky rice fizz (280 baht) awaits, drawing eager crowds who queue an hour before the cafe opens at 10am.

The menu, while small, offers several standout options.

Among them is the monogram cake, which is not overly sweet or cloying with its light pistachio cream and zesty yuzu. Equally delicious is the Flower Blossom Cake, fashioned in the shape of an Louis Vuitton emblem, concealing a dark chocolate centre. Both cakes are priced at 550 baht.

The black coffee (from 220 baht) offers a unique twist, with a whisky aftertaste imparted by ageing the coffee beans in experimental casks.

Nestled above the neon-lit thoroughfares, however, lies the real highlight of LV The Place Bangkok – Gaggan at Louis Vuitton.

Such is the level of anticipation that it has been fully booked months in advance before the actual opening date by Bangkok’s affluent set, who flock here in their stylish ensembles, camera phones and Monogram Bags in hand.

Helmed by Bangkok-based Indian superstar chef Gaggan Anand, who also owns a string of acclaimed food and beverage establishments around the city – such as his eponymous restaurant and Ms Maria & Mr Singh – the 30-seat restaurant is surprisingly laid-back. It includes a private dining room that seats six.

It is a refreshing departure from the white tablecloths and stiff formality often found in other upscale eateries. Here, monogram flower lamps, playful fringed curtains and servers clad in Louis Vuitton from top to toe set the stage for experiential dining that transcends the ordinary.

Anand’s restaurants have always been synonymous with creativity and innovation, and his collaboration with Louis Vuitton is no exception. Lunch and dinner here are delightful multi-course affairs, priced at 4,000++ baht for an eight-course lunch and 8,000++ baht for a 17-course dinner a person.

Similar to Gaggan Anand – which he opened in 2022 in Sukhumvit, one of Bangkok’s liveliest neighbourhoods – diners are encouraged to set aside their utensils for several courses at the start and embrace the tactile pleasure of eating with their hands.

It is a playful nod to the tradition, as the chef hails from Kolkata, India, where he cooked at several restaurants before moving to Bangkok in 2007.

But what was initially intended as a short consulting stint turned into a long-term stay when he fell in love with the city.

During an exclusive interview with The Straits Times on March 14, the 46-year-old chef discusses his style, crediting Louis Vuitton for helping him discover his fashion persona. “I don’t do high street and I don’t see myself in suits either. But I started buying a lot of LV when (the late creative director) Virgil Abloh took over and started doing oversized shirts,” he says.

Reflecting on the collaboration with Louis Vuitton, he recalls his reaction after being approached by the brand a year ago. “At first, I was sceptical because I didn’t know if I could deliver,” he says. “LV is all about fashion, while I’m a funky food guy.”

But deliver he did, and with aplomb.

Among the 17 courses for dinner, three are desserts handcrafted by award-winning Thai pastry chef Dej Kewkacha, while the remainder of the menu is curated by Anand.

Those who have dined at Gaggan Anand – which nabbed the 17th spot on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 list – will discover intriguing new creations as well as fun riffs on familiar favourites.

For instance, the iconic Yoghurt Explosion, where a sphere of yogurt sits atop a leaf of popping candy, now bears the unmistakable imprint of Louis Vuitton’s monogram.

Meanwhile, inspired by a vintage 19th-century Louis Vuitton trunk that Anand had seen while perusing the brand’s archives, the Chinese-inspired mushroom dumpling, the Damier Momo, now flaunts a striped flesh crafted by weaving two different-coloured pastas together.

The cuisine is best described as a clever fusion of cross-cultural flavours, drawing inspiration from the chef’s time in India, Thailand and Japan.

This is not Louis Vuitton’s first foray into the culinary world. In 2020, the maison opened its inaugural restaurant and cafe – Sugalabo V and Le Cafe V by Japanese chef Yosuke Suga – in Osaka, Japan. The dining concepts, located within the Louis Vuitton Maison retail space, are still in operation.

Spurred by the success of Sugalabo V, which offers an a la carte menu, Louis Vuitton began unveiling several other dining establishments and pop-ups in Japan, South Korea and France.

The brand’s chocolate store, Le Chocolat Maxime Frederic at Louis Vuitton, opened at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore in February.

Unique in its scale and ambition, Gaggan at Louis Vuitton was not without its challenges.

Anand candidly acknowledges that it presented a significant learning curve for everyone involved. “This brand is very organised and meticulous. So I had to change and so did my team. We had to do two to three weeks of trial runs before the restaurant opened because LV wanted everything to be perfect,” he says.

It was crucial for Anand to maintain his culinary DNA, so he worked closely with the Louis Vuitton team in Paris to ensure this.

“The seasonal menu reflects my identity. It’s a fine balance where a prominent brand like LV should not overshadow me and I should not overshadow it,” says the chef, who sources his ingredients from local farmers whenever possible.

In a spectacle reminiscent of a fashion show, every dish that comes to the table begs to be videoed and photographed.

The most visually striking of these is Charcoal – a dark and smouldering dish featuring sweet Thai shrimp coated in charred vegetable remnants, perched delicately atop a black branch made of Japanese ceramic.

The World Map dish arrives enclosed in beautiful hand-painted pottery resembling a globe. It disassembles to reveal a trio of edible delights – a foie gras sandwich, an Iberico ham and tuna tartlet, and edible rice paper inspired by tom yum.

Beyond the Insta-worthy moments lies a deeper significance within the culinary journey.

For example, a tender moment unfolds during the Fire: Paturi dish. Here, a fragrant sheet of shaved Japanese cedar wood with the Louis Vuitton monogram is lit on fire. Underneath is a banana leaf-wrapped fish swimming in gravy – a cherished recipe passed down from Anand’s late mother, who died in April 2023 at the age of 68.

He has shared his sorrow of losing her in past interviews. He told Conde Nast Traveller in 2023: “I have so many memories of my mother here and it is very painful not having her next to me. I didn’t even manage to grieve her. I tend to lose something and bury it.”

His current creations exude maturity and polish, a testament to his remarkable evolution since the inception of his first Bangkok restaurant, Gaggan, in 2010.

Pioneering what he termed as progressive Indian cuisine, Anand swiftly garnered international acclaim and Michelin stars, cementing his status among the world’s culinary elite.

For four consecutive years from 2015 to 2018, his restaurant clinched the top spot on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. But in 2019, he resigned from Gaggan, reportedly due to differences with his partners.

He would remain out of the restaurant scene until 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This lull period, according to him, was one of the lowest points in his career.

He recounts: “I had zero money left. I had to take another (consulting) job to stay afloat and I felt like I had lost my identity.”

In 2021, he embarked on a nine-month residency at the Mandala Club in Singapore, a venture that allowed him to support his staff by covering their salaries.

Thanks to the partnership with Louis Vuitton, however, Anand has once again regained his confidence.

“The way I cook now is 10 times better than when I cooked 10 years back when I was No. 1,” he says.

The sun sets and Bangkok’s skyline transforms into a canvas of twinkling lights. The day may be drawing to a close, but for Anand, it is just the beginning of a new chapter.

Asked if this is the pinnacle of his career, he says: “Don’t tell me I’m done. The day I stop cooking, I die.”

• LV The Place Bangkok is at Unit 2F-S01-B, Second Floor, 496 Gaysorn Amarin, 502 Phloen Chit Road, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330. For more information or to make a reservation at Gaggan at Louis Vuitton, go to str.sg/gGuL

Explore Louis Vuitton’s creative universe in new exhibition

Visionary Journeys, the new exhibition at LV The Place Bangkok from the French maison, starts with a surreal journey through a tunnel.

Fashioned from 96 iconic Louis Vuitton Monogram Trunks, it makes for a dramatic welcome and gives visitors a hint of what is to come.

From there, the journey unfolds, tracing the brand’s humble beginnings as a packer and trunk-maker in the 19th century, before delving into the artistic collaborations and iconic creations that have transformed Louis Vuitton into the global powerhouse it is today.

Designed by Shohei Shigematsu, the award-winning Japanese architect at globally renowned architectural firm OMA, this immersive exhibition spans five distinct chambers, each meant to transport visitors by spotlighting historic and contemporary pieces.

Mr Shigematsu, who is also behind architectural gems such as the Toranomon Hills Mori Tower in Tokyo and Taipei Performing Arts Center, says conceptualising the exhibition took six months of collaborative effort.

“It’s a very interesting collaboration because you can really immerse yourself in the identity and philosophy of the brand, and then use the space to tell the story,” he adds.

The outcome is a whimsical experience, offering a captivating glimpse into Louis Vuitton’s core pillars of savoir faire, innovation, travel and creation.

With the stunning Trunkscape entrance, Mr Shigematsu aims to show a different side to the brand.

“Whenever we went to the archives and looked at the displays, the trunks are always stacked horizontally, from big to small. It represents the stability and history of LV quite well, but I thought it’s not communicating its structural strengths, lightness or other qualities. I thought by destabilising or just tilting the trunks, it immediately changes people’s perception about it,” he says.

In another room, called Collaborations, 184 chrome-dipped bags serve as a dynamic backdrop for a mesmerising projection, symbolising Louis Vuitton’s rich history of artistic partnerships.

This concept was inspired by pivotal moments, such as in 2021 when then artistic director Marc Jacobs enlisted American artist and fashion designer Stephen Sprouse to adorn the Monogram Bag with his distinctive art – a bold move as the monogram was considered sacred – to resounding success.

The exhibition culminates in a vividly-hued Giveaway Room, where visitors are surprised with a souvenir of their visit.

Contrasting this endeavour with his past projects, Mr Shigematsu highlights the celebration of design, creativity and artistry.

“That element of playfulness is sometimes very hard to achieve in architecture. However, fashion can bring these different domains into a singular kind of space. You get to represent the current moment where a lot of things are converging,” he says.

He hopes that the exhibition will add a new dimension to LV The Place Bangkok, transforming it from a mere retail experience into a journey of discovery and inspiration.

“It’s not merely about purchasing a bag without understanding its story,” he says. “At the very least, visitors will gain insight into the brand and be inspired by it.

“But I hope this exhibition ignites a spark in the younger generation, inspiring them to innovate like Louis Vuitton did, or to pursue their dreams as creators or fashion designers.”