Andō, the fine dining destination from Chef/Founder Agustin Balbi and JIA Group, has embarked on an exciting new chapter this season with a completely reimagined lunch and dinner tasting menu, a refreshed wine program, and new design touches in its intimate dining room and private dining room.
The changes at the Michelin-starred and Diamond-recognised Andō are part of the restaurant’s continuous evolution since its opening in 2020 and act as an expression of Chef Agustin’s personal and culinary journey. Below, we look at what’s new in more detail:
A Fully Revamped Culinary Experience
Driven by his pursuit of refinement, Chef Agustin Balbi has created a new tasting menu that pays tribute to his multicultural identity. The new menu is a testament to storytelling through technique and memory, weaving together origin, craft, and emotion in every dish.
Highlights include:
- Asparagus / Piparras / Salchichón Tart – A delicate introduction of Japanese green asparagus with pickled peppers and Iberico salchichón.
- Wagyu / Fermented Chili / Tostada – Kumamoto wagyu with fermented chilli and sun-dried tomato atop a crisp tostada.
- Shiro Ebi / Passion Fruit / Mochi – Marinated white shrimp with passion fruit vinaigrette, homemade mochi, and finger lime.
- Carabinero / Herb / Kristal Caviar – Spanish carabinero prawn with herb panna cotta, mustard leaves, and Oscietra caviar.
- Suzuki / Seaweed / Cava – Suzuki (Japanese sea bass) paired with nori and sorrel cava sauce, razor clams, and a seaweed pancake.
- Meloso Rice – Japanese rock lobster in smoked paprika and seafood stock rice.
Chef Balbi’s roots shine in dishes like the Hokkaido Pork / Sansai / Kale, finished with his father’s chimichurri, and the Spanish Lamb with garbanzo purée and white asparagus — both heartfelt homages to home and heritage. Dessert courses like Yuzu / Marigold and Strawberry / Almond Milk Mousse elegantly round off the journey.
A Revamped Wine Program by Carlito Chiu
Complementing the new menu is a revitalised wine and beverage program curated by the recently awarded MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong Macau 2025’s Best Sommelier, Head Sommelier Carlito Chiu, designed to amplify the narrative and nuance of each course.
Highlights include:
- Champagne Drappier Brut Nature IMMERSION – A rare bottle aged 646 days under the English Channel, showing remarkable depth and marine-driven minerality.
- RAW Course: Tomorrow Wine 2022 – Onoyama Bikki Rouge – A chilled Bordeaux blend with Oolong tea-like freshness and whole-cluster complexity.
- MUSHROOM Course: Kioke Jikon Sake – Served warm to highlight umami, fermented in traditional wooden vats for microbe-friendly richness.
- MAIN Course: 2009 Talley Vineyard Pinot Noir – Sustainably grown, native yeast fermented and aged in French oak for elegance and structure.
- RICE Course: Mansong Yellow Wine – A cross-cultural expression blending Eastern rice-washing and Western ageing techniques.
- DESSERT: Jean Vesselle Ratafia – A rare Champagne liqueur aged in oak with spiced, candied fruit notes.
Each pairing has been chosen to deepen the dialogue between dish and drink, offering a curated sip-to-bite journey from start to finish.
A New Canvas for the Experience
The restaurant’s interiors have undergone a soft transformation in tandem with the culinary revamp. Inside, there is new tableware, custom tablecloths, and rotating wall art, all of which have been thoughtfully selected to enhance the dining room’s tactile and visual dialogue and reinforce Andō’s identity as a space where cuisine meets culture and tradition meets innovation.
Since its opening in 2020, Andō has defied culinary conventions — not bound by geography or genre but grounded in personal memory, craftsmanship, and curiosity. This full-scale revamp signals a bold new chapter for the restaurant, offering returning guests something wholly new while staying true to the soul of what Andō has always been: a space for discovery.
Address: 1/F, Somptueux Central, 52 Wellington St, Central, Hong Kong. You can learn more about the restaurant on its website, www.andohk.com.
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