Welcome to the best restaurant in Asia. I can cite heaps of awards to back that assessment up. Gaggan was described as ‘progressive Indian’ when it splashed onto the scene in 2010. Today, it’s harder to pin down, beyond saying that it is a culinary playground for chef Gaggan Anand’s fertile imagination. In its current iteration, diners are presented a wordless, one-page menu with 25 emojis, each depicting a different course. Beautifully plated plates follow, each illuminating that cryptic menu. So the ‘tongue’ emoji corresponds to a dish that diners must lick off the plate while Kiss’ “Lick it Up” plays over the restaurant’s speakers. The food often makes use of the techniques of “molecular gastronomy”, and sometimes takes its flavor profile from Indian fare. The bottom line: it’s a lot of fun, but also very pampering: the high staff-to-guest ratio ensures smooth, polished service. On the drinks front, the sommeliers have a penchant for natural and organic wines. As a foil to the wacky menu is the restaurant’s setting in a classic, white-washed wooden colonial house on a quiet lane.