It's something as covetable as a Murakami Speedy handbag or Louis Vuitton Nike Air Force sneakers. Happening from May 8-10, Gaggan at Louis Vuitton has transformed into an exclusive three-day pop-up dining experience where both chef Gaggan Anand and chef Yosuke Suga will be collaborating to whip up a pristine yet playful tasting menu dinner at the fashion brand's fine-dining establishment.
Of this rare event, Anand says: "It's like a one-off, limited-edition thing. Chef Suga's restaurant is one of the most inaccessible tables in Japan -- it's a small restaurant and almost impossible to get to him. Luckily, we have Louis Vuitton as common ground. Chef Suga will be cooking in Thailand for the first time, so guests who have always wanted to get the Suga experience don't have to fly to Japan."
Brioche Hokkaido Potato Oscietra Caviar & Otoro Menegi Oscietra Caviar.
A protégé of the legendary chef Joel Robuchon, Yosuke Suga has sharpened his skills in the French master's kitchens since his early 20s. His own restaurant, Sugalabo, opened in Tokyo in 2015 to shrouded secrecy -- it is invite-only; there are only 20 seats; it is exceedingly difficult to book.
Nevertheless, its haute cuisine effortlessly earns accolades in global restaurant rankings such as La Liste and World's 50 Best Restaurants. Sugalabo, which means "Suga's lab" in Japanese, serves elegant Japanese-French fusion, with a focus on seasonal ingredients.
"I've been travelling all over Japan, meeting various producers, farmers, fishermen, sake brewers and people involved in all kinds of food ingredients. This is the heart of Sugalabo in Japan," explains Suga.
Chef Gaggan Anand.
Chef Yosuke Suga.
In 2020, he became the first chef in the world to lead Louis Vuitton's culinary empire, when Sugalabo V opened on the top floor of Louis Vuitton's flagship store in Osaka.
According to chef Suga, only 10% of diners are from overseas, as the main crowd largely consists of locals. When Anand visited Sugalabo V, he was keen for a collaboration to happen, given that they both ran Louis Vuitton restaurants in their own distinct style.
"Chef Suga is from a very classical school of French cooking and one of the main chefs trained by Robuchon," Anand comments. "He is very precise. When I was dining at Sugalabo V, I felt the minimalism, where only two ingredients made things perfect. I love his approach where less is more and only one ingredient is the main hero."
Their approach for the pop-up's dozen courses centres around Suga's famous signature style, with a touch of Gaggan's textures and flavours.
Blue Lobster Green Asparagus Morel.
"I want to propose adding a new interpretation to the menu we have created with Gaggan's flavours and nuances," explains Suga. "By actually experiencing Gaggan's cuisine, I have gained a deeper understanding. For example, we may be contrasting dishes that use the same ingredients but offer different approaches to sauces. I think that kind of collaboration is the most natural."
His lauded dishes such as the lobster will surely make an appearance so guests can get the authentic Suga experience. But what's just as intriguing are the tweaks on Suga's signature. The duck dish will be cooked in a French way, but it will also come alongside a duck kebab skewer, a nod to Gaggan's flavours.
Hokkaido Tomato Kegani Crab Thai Basil.
Both chefs also serve curry as a last course at their respective establishments, although the Indian and Japanese styles differ vastly. For their limited-edition dinner, the culmination of collaboration will see the two chefs swapping their Japanese and basmati rice to bring a never-before-seen amalgam to their curry course.
On the dessert side, Thai pastry chef Dej Kewkacha has created new dishes especially for this event. How he fashions kakao juice, jasmine and caviar is a marvellous triumph that illustrates how dessert too, can be savoury.
His Thainess and Suga's French expertise come together through the merging of the madeleine and kanom kai -- two pastries that are seemingly related, but with their own flair. Japanese delights will also be on display, with Suga's insistence on using konatsu from Kyushu, a small citrus akin to a grapefruit and pomelo. Served with gin granita, it will be getting some Thai touches with coconut milk -- a culinary revelation of sorts for the Japanese chef.
During Suga's visit in April, he and Anand had gotten to visit Or Tor Kor Market and tinker with the local produce.
"He saw many ingredients and vegetables that we bought back to the kitchen to experiment with," Anand says of their 48 hours together. "The way he looked at coconuts, because Japan has no coconuts! You can't get fresh coconut milk in Japan and it's all in tetra packs. When we showed him how fresh coconut milk that is just pressed is, that was a big influence of Thai culture and Thai ingredients on him.
Cacao Juice Jasmine Oscietra Caviar.
"Coconuts seem so simple, but this will be the first time he will be cooking with fresh coconut milk. Sometimes you are not exposed to another culture and [these kinds of collabs] gives both me and him the cultural exposure. It's a cultural invasion where this time, we become the host and he cooks. In the future, maybe I will go to Japan and he will be the host and I will cook."
Transcending its trunk-making roots, this event is likely the first of many more which will propel Louis Vuitton to a solid player in the world of hospitality and dining. A delicious meal may be the result, but an even more valuable by-product is the cross-cultural collision that breeds innovation and creative breakthroughs.
Suga concludes that learning about cultural differences and the intersection of art, design and gastronomy was a meaningful experience.
"Since I started collaborating with Louis Vuitton six years ago, I've been seeing the collection every year, and I feel a lot from it," he says. "I get a sense of excitement from the people gathered there, and I get motivated by exchanging information with everyone. I'm also gaining creativity that I wouldn't be able to experience if I only stayed in the world of cooking."
Visit Gaggan at Louis Vuitton at Gaysorn Amarin.
