Gaggan Anand's progressive Indian cuisine is inspired by prog rock

This month Indian molecular gastronomy chef Gaggan Anand undertakes his first "pop-up" tour, which takes him from his Bangkok restaurant to Delhi, Mumbai, and Hong Kong, where he will be at Landmark Mandarin Oriental from September 22 to 24.

He will not be travelling light. "My 300 kilos of excess baggage will include psychedelic Gaggan pop-up T-shirts and uniforms, a lot of equipment and ingredients like secret spices and a whole lot of excitement," he says.

After making his way steadily up to third place in the list of Asia's top 50 restaurants, and 17th on the list of the world's top 100, he says he feels "it is time to go out into the world and see how good we are".

His parents came from north India, but Anand was born and raised in Culcutta. As a child he cooked with his mother, and he says he never wanted to do anything except become a chef. His career began with studies at India's best hospitality school; soon after graduation, he cooked for former US president Bill Clinton. He also travelled with Abdul Kalam, former president of India.

By 2007 Anand knew that what he calls "industrial cooking" was not for him, and he jumped at the opportunity of working in Thailand, first at the helm of contemporary Indian restaurant Red Bangkok, then as chef de cuisine for Bangkok's Lebua Hotels and Resorts.