Taiwanese foodie shares 'honest review' of chef Gaggan Anand’s new Delhi restaurant Raga: 22 courses for ₹11,111

From popping candy that explodes in your mouth to a plate you're supposed to lick — Lily Shih shares a peek inside the most hyped restaurant in Delhi right now.

When an Indian chef whose Bangkok restaurant has topped Asia's 50 best restaurants list five times opens a restaurant in Delhi, expectations are sky-high. That's exactly what happened with Raga, chef Gaggan Anand's much-awaited Indian restaurant in New Delhi, which opened in August 2026 in collaboration with chef Rydo Anton and restaurateur Zorawar Kalra

The pitch? A 22-course tasting menu that deconstructs Indian flavours into avant-garde bites, for ₹11,111 per person. But is it worth the hype? Taiwanese content creator and Delhi-based teacher Lily Shih decided to find out on day 2 of Raga's opening. In a September 12 Instagram video, Lily documented her entire experience — from an empty 7 pm restaurant to popping candy, golden eggs, and literally being asked to lick the plate. And she did not hold back.

Walked in on day 2 and was immediately surprised

"I arrived right at 7 pm, and the restaurant was basically empty," Lily shared. Her journey began with a delicate course served over ice that ‘tasted like aam panna’ — it was 'sour and salty, familiar', she said. Then came what would become her favourite: the 'pink blossom'. It was a jelly-like bite made of yoghurt, guava, chilli, and popping candy, she shared. Lily's reaction said it all: "It literally explodes in your mouth."

The dishes got wilder from there

There was a 'cold papad' with cucumber and puffed rice that Lily called a 'vegetarian Indian version of meat jelly', a walnut-shaped jhalmuri cookie that genuinely surprised her, and, the showstopper — a golden egg. It was a pani puri or golgappa wrapped in metallic foil, sitting on a nest.

But not every experiment was a hit. The 'aloo bonda sandwich' made with compressed powder bread was so 'dry', Lily said she 'almost choked'. She added, “I really admire the effort, but...”

And then came the mystery mains

What about the stuffed chicken wing served in a bamboo cage? "Just okay," said the self-confessed izakaya expert. A basa fish in a banana leaf had a 'very strong mustard flavour, with a slightly bitter aftertaste', she added.

The mains were lamb-heavy, served in tall, floral porcelain. Lily admitted one bowl left her completely puzzled: "A lamb brain? After eating it, I still wasn't really sure what it was." But the lamb chop, eaten straight off the bone, won her over: "Surprisingly tender and juicy."

The grand finale required her to lick the plate

Dessert started with a shaved-ice dish with glass noodles and green mango, followed by Gaggan's iconic 'lick it up' — a dish where you're literally supposed to lick the sauce off the plate. "I still don't have the courage to literally lick the plate in a restaurant, so fingers it is," Lily shared, wiping sauce with her finger.

She wrapped up with a meringue, saffron and pistachio ice cream, and a tiny wooden chest of sweets. Verdict: Visually stunning, but 'Indian desserts are still a little too sweet' for her, Lily said. Overall, she gave the meal a stellar '9.2/10'.

Her honest takeaway

In her caption, Lily wrote: "Even though I'm a foreigner and not deeply familiar with Indian cuisine, I was still amazed by how Indian food could be deconstructed, reassembled, and reinvented in such unexpected ways."

She also had notes. Lily didn't shy away from constructive critisism, writing: "At the end, I do have a few suggestions that could make the experience even better. The AC was constantly leaking water. There were quite a few small bugs in the restaurant. The refinement of some tableware could be improved. Some of the plates with Japanese or Chinese-inspired elements didn’t feel quite as fitting (to me)."

Despite minor teething issues, Lily concluded her review outside the illuminated entrance: "And honestly, when my foreign friends visit Delhi next time, I might actually take them to Raga instead of Indian Accent."

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