Hong Kong one Michelin-starred Spanish x Japanese restaurant Andō launches new seasonal menu by chef Agustin Balbi.
Hong Kong has seen a rise in Spanish restaurants over the past few months, which is great because we could all do with a dose of comfort food. But what’s arguably even better than Spanish cuisine? How about a fusion of Spanish and the delicate dedication of Japanese fare? It’s been a winning formula for JIA Group restaurant Andō, which has launched a new seasonal menu packed with flavours from the east and west.
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The new tasting menu by Argentine chef Agustin Balbi taps into his Spanish roots and Japanese training, delivering complexity and multiplicity in meanings, one that nods at his ancestral roots, while gazing at the lands that shaped his craft. With no printed menus in the restaurant, guests leave the fate of their meal in the chef’s hands, with every course deeply storied and grounded in a precious memory of Agustin’s unorthodox journey as a chef.
New dishes include Tardes en Palermo, which is named after the largest neighborhood in Buenos Aires, where chef began his training in a Nikkei restaurant, and which combines French Blue lobster, cauliflower, Kristal caviar, Spanish plankton, baby peppers and a roasted piquillo pepper sauce for a deep umami flavour. Inspired by Chef Agustin’s afternoons playing football with his friends, Que Rare Este Flan showcases a savory version of this nostalgic treat with Japanese Ama Ebi, which is steamed in chawanmushi egg custard with umami from clams.
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Diners should also look out for Departir, seasonal fish cured with black olive salt, seasoned with mirin and soy sauce, and crispy battera kombu; Risas Del Jardin, a nod to Agustin’s predilection for grilled meats that features his country’s Argentinian Hereford beef dry aged for 21 days, served with seasonal Japanese mountain vegetables and a rich, vegetable beef sauce; and Mi Domingo Favorito, garrapiñada with maple syrup and caramelized pecans nuts.
The new tasting lunch menu is priced at HK$788++ pp for five courses and HK$988++ pp for six courses.
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