BANGKOK — Bangkok's famed culinary powerhouse Gaggan will close its doors by the end of this month, its manager said on Thursday, bringing a sudden end to the recently crowned fourth best restaurant in the world.

The two-Michelin-starred restaurant, helmed by Gaggan Anand, has excited food lovers with its "progressive Indian cuisine" and molecular gastronomical creations since its opening in 2010.

The emoji-themed menu boasted diverse offerings, ranging from a mini cone topped with sea urchin ice cream to a yogurt sphere paired with red tea matcha.

But its manager said on Thursday that its successful run -- topping Asia's 50 Best Restaurant list for four consecutive years and ranking fourth in The World's 50 Best Restaurants this year in the awards organised by British magazine Restaurant -- will soon come to an end.

"The establishment will definitely close on August 24," said manager Vibhi Harnvarakiat.

Gaggan plans to open a new restaurant in Bangkok in late 2019, he added, declining to provide a reason for the abrupt closure.

The celebrity chef himself hinted at the upcoming change, confirming in a July 1 Facebook post that he had resigned the previous month, though he remains a business partner.

Days later, the chef posted that he had "made a proposal" to his current restaurant shareholders.

"We had some great ideas... that could change my Gastronomic future," he wrote on July 8.

Trained under Catalan chef Ferran Adria at Michelin-starred El Bulli in Spain, the Kolkata-born chef brought the precepts of molecular gastronomy to Bangkok with his 25-course menu -- which sometimes invited customers to lick their plates.

The restaurant was named Asia's best from 2015 to 2018, and also earned two stars in Thailand's edition of the Michelin guide launched last year. —  AFP