Chef Garima Arora does a brilliant Uno Reverse with Gurugram’s newest Thai restaurant

Banng has instant Bangkok energy. The big red rooms, the yellow that mellows into it, the tassel lamps on the tables, and in-the-style-of-paper lights overhead—the space evokes as much of the audacious Thai capital as it can within the confines of Gurugram. 

At 8 pm, as I walk in, Banng is in dinner mode. The lighting is soft and the music can fill a silence without the need for anyone to shout over it—it’s a mood that makes you inclined to share a meal. But this mood, I’m told, is alterable. During lunch (1-3 pm), the room is filled with sunshine, chatter, and plants partitioned by glass. Post 11pm, when the dinner plates are taken away, the lights get even dimmer and the music amps up. Voila! A high-energy ode-to-Sukhumvit bar appears. Banng’s shape-shifting abilities are proof that variety bodes well in this city that is just as quick to engage in the novelty of a new place as it is to forget about it. 

But Banng is the homecoming of chef Garima Arora of Bangkok hotspot Gaa, which already makes it kind of hard to forget. The modern Indian fine-dining restaurant has often been considered a key player in putting Indian food on the Michelin map; a culinary rite of passage for a true food enthusiast in Bangkok. 

Banng, though, is a complete about-turn from the Gaa philosophy of creating traditional Indian fare using Thai ingredients. Here, she brings her unique outsider-turned-insider perspective on Thai food by recreating Thai dishes with local Indian ingredients. “It feels like coming full circle. After spending a decade and a half overseas, it’s nice to cook for people back home,” Arora shares. “We’ve great partners in Impresario, with Riyaaz Amlani [founder and managing director of Impresario Handmade Restaurants]. We couldn’t have chosen better.” 

The space certainly has the vibe Amlani often manages to capture in his restaurants; it’s lively without being overbearing. I begin by perusing the cocktail menu, and find myself amused by the categorisation. “I separated the drinks menu into three parts, with different ranges of alcohol (by volume), quite similar to Muay Thai weight classes. So it starts with lighter, then middle, and last with heavy,” says bartender Attapon De-Silva. “The goal is to create flavours that are suitable with Thai food.” 

It is insisted I start off easy, with a cocktail that is “carbonated and light with big flavour (7-15% ABV).” I choose the Mr. Plum-Tastic (pink guava-infused dry gin, salted plum water, and lime cordial), and it is just that; light, fresh, drinkable. If it weren’t for the 7°C cold outside, it’d be perfect, but I see it faring well in the long Delhi summer. 

Next, the food begins to appear, course by course. The tom kha pani puri (chilled coconut broth, mushrooms, herbs) is possibly the best pani puri I’ve ever had in Delhi outside of Bengali Market. I’m not a big salad person, but both the Toss My Yum (rice, aromatic herbs, tamarind dressing) and Smashed Potato Larb (mint, blade coriander, sweet basil, shallots) have me taking seconds. The Som Tum Pappadum (papaya salad, crispy rice pappadum with tobiko roe) is refreshing; another summer bloomer testing the waters. Then there’s the Yum Seabass (ceviche, spicy seafood sauce, crispy onions, garlic) which follows in the same vein of fresh, surprising flavours, while the Turmeric Fried Squid (with homemade sriracha) does the opposite, adding a bit of an anchor to an otherwise impossibly light small plates menu. 

A ‘middleweight’ cocktail shows up, the Buakaw Bua Loi (tequila, coconut, passion fruit, oxidised white wine, warm white chocolate foam). As someone with a sweet tooth, I have found my drink. It is everything one wants from a cocktail (or a dessert). I decide I will punch the only heavyweight entry (the Chatuchak Champa, with champa-infused gin, bitters, lychee honey, lemon, orange gel, dried cham) another time. 

Amlani, holding his heavyweight Champa, pulls up to my table before our mains arrive. “I’ve always loved Thailand’s energy, it’s so unique; and Garima knows it better than anyone. It was such an exciting idea,” he shares as a Cashew chicken, a Tofu stir-fry and a Thai green curry that hasn’t been bastardised with cream appear on the table. There is nothing I don’t like, but it is the Banng’ing omelette or Khai Jeow (Thai omelette), bursting with crab meat and topped with a crunchy salad of Chinese celery, onions with a sweet-and-sour dressing, that will make me come back to the restaurant in no time.  

Arora, for her part, is clear that this isn’t an extension of Gaa. “There can only be one Gaa. With Banng, I wanted to explore a format that wasn’t fine dining—and it’s been such fun!” Life in Bangkok has taught her a lot, and a love for the local food created a desire to bring it home, authentically. It is also clear from the menu that nothing has been ‘adapted to the Indian palate’; every dish is truly Thai. “It happens often when a cuisine is imported—diluting it for the audience. We’ve had fun mashing up a few Indian techniques here and there, but overall we’ve tried to be as faithful as we can. I’m a purist like that,” she says.

She’s most excited for people to try the vegetarian options, which may seem unusual for authentic Asian fare, but it forms more than half of her menu. “I’m really proud of the flavours we’ve been able to achieve with our vegetarian ingredients and seasoning—it’s about as close as it gets to the real thing!” Having eaten extensively on the streets and in the restaurants of Bangkok over several trips in the last decade, I can vouch for the fact Arora’s statement is valid, with an asterisk. It is as close as you’ll get to the real thing–except, in some ways, superior. 

Meal for two: ₹4,500 plus taxes without alcohol

Timings: 1-3:30 pm; 7-12:30 am

Address: Unit no.105 (T-2), First Floor, Two Horizon Centre, Sector-43, Golf Course Road, Gurugram

Contact: +91 93550 84411/22