Anand said he had been invited to open a restaurant at the historic brewery before deciding the property called for something more ambitious.
“I got there and felt there was something magical about it,” he said. “I thought this needs to be a hotel, not a restaurant.”
Friedman said the partnership worked because each collaborator brought a distinct creative perspective.
“There’s no ego overlap,” he said. “We all have incredible respect for the lunacy of each other. We know we’re onto something good.”
Anand had earlier struck one of the summit’s more provocative notes during a discussion on gastronomy, arguing that the restaurant industry had become overly preoccupied with trends and social media.
“We follow trends. We don’t follow our mouth anymore,” he said, urging chefs and diners alike to rediscover curiosity rather than chase algorithms or online attention.
“I’m still a very curious person,” he said. “Go randomly. Find the queues. Why do you need a plan?”
The Bangkok-based chef questioned whether restaurants had become overly performative, lamenting that too many diners were more interested in photographing meals than experiencing them.
“Restaurants were made for socialising,” he said. “Even on Valentine’s Day, couples are just on the phone. Zero romance.”
Calling for what he described as a “social detox”, Anand encouraged diners and travellers to embrace spontaneity rather than meticulously planning every experience.
The philosophy echoes a decision at his Bangkok restaurant, Gaggan 2.0, where phones have been banned at the table since May after Anand declared that “living in the moment is luxury.”
