On 8th November 2022 (Tuesday), Chef Agustin Balbi of one Michelin-starred Andō will join hands with the world-renowned Chef Gaggan Anand of Restaurant Gaggan Anand for the most anticipated culinary event of the year, together with Tatler Dining. Andō’s first event with an international guest chef in three years, the exclusive collaboration will present a 7-course Andō x Gaggan collaboration menu priced at HK$2,588 per guest, with optional wine pairing at HK$788 for 4 glasses and HK$1,088 for 6 glasses.
“One of the unfortunate consequences of Covid travel restrictions was that there were fewer opportunities for international guest chef collaborations. I am so thrilled to finally announce that our first event with an overseas guest is with none other than the legendary and my old friend Chef Gaggan Anand, a chef that needs no introduction as a true industry trailblazer,” says Agustin Balbi, Executive Chef & Co-Owner of Andō. “The menu is a unique representation of our respective journeys, with exclusive dishes to look forward to.”
Introducing Guest Chef Gaggan Anand: Pioneer of Progressive Indian Cuisine
Kolkata-born Gaggan Anand recalls some of his fondest childhood memories of riding his father’s motorbike to the Sunday wet market, going home and cooking dishes for his family with fresh produce. For Anand, cooking isn’t work, but rather, an act of love – and that simple yet powerful philosophy has given his cuisine an unmistakable edge with every venture he pursues.
In 2019, Gaggan closed following a dispute with Anand’s business partners, and undeterred, the rebel chef went on to open Gaggan Anand in Bangkok later that same year. A year on, Gaggan Anand landed at no.5 in the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021 list, in addition to receiving the Highest New Entry Award. Anand continues to invigorate and reinvent Indian cuisine, with each imaginative menu infused with unbridled creativity and emotion, but most importantly, rooted in love.
Andō: Innovative Spanish x Japanese cuisine by Agustin Balbi
Derived from Chef Agustin’s Latin surname Ferrando, Andō in Japanese connotes a sense of contentment, while in Spanish, it is the equivalent of ‘-ing,’ the verb participle to describe the act of doing in the present. Born into a Spanish and Italian family, Agustin’s love for food was ignited at his grandmother’s dining table, where fond childhood memories of his late lola’s homemade Latin dishes would inspire much of his innovative cuisine today at Andō.
During his formative years as a chef, Agustin’s rebellious streak took him eastwards to Japan, where he spent several years honing his craft in Tokyo’s veritable kitchens including two Michelin-starred Zurriola, 3 Michelin-starred Nihonryori Ryugin and 2 Michelin-starred Cuisine Michel Troisgros. Aside from shaping his culinary philosophy, Agustin’s time in Japan holds a special time in his heart, as the place where he met the love of his life Yoshika, now his wife and the mother of his two children.
Never satisfied working in the various kitchens of Bangkok, Anand opened his eponymous restaurant in December 2010. He strove to redefine the status of Indian cuisine and bring to it a philosophy of progression; to rank equally among other respected world cuisines. The blood, sweat and tears of nine years of building Gaggan saw its innumerable success, most notably achieving the no.1 spot on Asia’s Best Restaurants List for four consecutive years from 2015-2018, no.4 on World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019, and 2 Michelin Stars.
