It’s turning out to be an excellent year for Mumbai-born chef Garima Arora, who was bestowed the coveted Michelin star for the second time at an event at the Michelin Guide ceremony in Thailand on 13 December.
According to media reports, Gaa is a modern Indian fine dining restaurant in a traditional 80-year-old Thai house in Bangkok.
Gaa has held one Michelin star since 2018, which made Garima the first Indian female chef to be awarded one at the age of 32.
It was during the COVID lockdown that the location of Gaa was changed. The traditional, unique Thai house dwelled with Arora’s style and how she wanted to spearhead Gaa. We’re championing our heritage and roots more than ever, and this has given us the impetus to deep-dive into all things Indian,” Arora said in an interview with Conde Nest Traveller.
The official site of the Michelin Guide describes Garima's restaurant as traditional on the outside and contemporary on the inside. "Gaa's location mirrors chef Garima Arora's exquisite cooking: old-school at heart, transformed with modern techniques and presentation," it explains. The restaurant's tasting menu includes Chef Garima's "reinterpretations of street food snacks." The guide describes her cooking as "assured, understated and skilful." The guide further appreciates "the finely judged spicing, extraordinary flavour combinations and contrasts in texture and temperature" reflected in her culinary creations.
- 01/04
Black rice with yogurt ice cream.
(Photo Credit: instagram.com/restaurant_gaa/)
- 02/04
Crab in coconut-based curry with crispy okra and grilled banana.
(Photo Credit: instagram.com/restaurant_gaa/)
- 03/04
For all the pakora lovers: Cumin leaf stuffed with sweet shrimps seasoned with amchur salkt, ajwain and spicy grilled green chili chutney.
(Photo Credit: instagram.com/restaurant_gaa/)
- 04/04
An ode to the classic 'Gobi Parantha'.
(Photo Credit: instagram.com/restaurant_gaa/)
Arora was part of the teams at Copenhagen’s Noma and Bangkok-based restaurant Gaggan before opening Gaa in 2017.
The 37-year-old became a household name in India when she appeared as one of three judges of Masterchef India in 2022.
In an interview with Conde Nest Traveller, Arora said:
"We were invited to the press conference yesterday morning, so we knew that we would be retaining one star. But honestly, we weren’t expecting to get the second star. We went to the event at Capella Bangkok like we do every year, and once they had announced all the one stars, everybody put two-and-two together. Even before our name was announced, congratulations messages started pouring in and the team was sending videos of them jumping in excitement. It was a big surprise and great validation for all the hard work we’ve put in the past year. Chefs always say it’s a team win and I think this is the perfect example. I just had a baby boy, was away on maternity leave and in and out of the restaurant, but the team helmed the kitchen and made sure things were the way they were supposed to be. All credit goes to them.”
Celebrity chef Vikas Khanna took to Instagram to celebrate Arora’s significant achievement. He posted a short video clip of himself posing with Chef Garima. In the caption, he wrote, "Today might be "one of the most historic days for Indian Cuisine on a global platform". The Garima Arora was awarded 2 Michelin Stars by @michelinguide @michelininspectors making her the first female Chef from our country for this honour. Congrats to the brilliant team of @restaurant_gaa for making INDIA so proud. Proudest brother. V."
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