The one-night-only four-hands dinner at Gallery by Chele produced several culinary gems—from the Palawan Lobster to the Duck Roselle, Asado Argentino to the Rice Caldoso.
Following the successes of their previous collaborations, chef Chele Gonzalez recently welcomed to Manila chef Agustin Ferrando Balbi of restaurant Andō Hong Kong for a one-night-only, four- hands dinner at Gonzalez’s Gallery by Chele in BGC.
The Argentinian chef has made a name for himself in both Japanese and Spanish cuisines at his Michelin-starred restaurant. Also ranked as 37th in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024, Andō likewise showcases his innovative style of cooking.
With both Spanish and Italian roots, Balbi says that cooking is truly in his blood, but it was those summers spent working at a family friend’s restaurant that put him on the path to his culinary journey. His passion for football ingrained in him the value of teamwork before he set out to formally train, cutting his teeth in some of the best restaurants in Buenos Aires and New Orleans.
His culinary interests brought him to Japan where his work in Tokyo’s veritable kitchens placed Balbi among the Top 10 Japan San Pellegrino Young Chefs in 2015. Aside from shaping his culinary philosophy, Japan is special because it is where he met his wife Yoshika and where they started their family.
After moving to Hong Kong in 2016, Balbi was put at the helm of contemporary Japanese restaurant Haku under the guidance of three-time Michelin-starred chef Hideaki Matsuo.
Andō, though is Balbi’s first venture on his own, the name of his restaurant derived from his name Ferrando. Here, Andō’s modern tasting menus are a translation of Balbi’s own unorthodox journey onto the plate— one that nods at his ancestral roots while gazing at the land that shaped his craft.
Balbi acknowledges his growth as a chef over the years, and, true enough, it was reflected in this collaboration with his old friend.
“This collaboration with Chele was very different from before,” he said. “Our first collaboration was a long time ago— concept-wise and maturity- wise, we were in a different stage in our lives. Post-COVID, we find ourselves in a more mature stage in our cuisines, everything is a little bit more concise, and we are in a time and place
where we can express ourselves in the best way possible. Our friendship is also much deeper, and we know each other even better now. Surely, our cuisines will also align better.”
Like Balbi, Gonzalez is also thriving in terms of his career with Gallery, thriving as it grows effortlessly into its 11th year, and Asador Alfonso garnering attention for its unique Spanish roasting house concept, as well as having his own little family to keep him grounded.
While he is no stranger to collaborations with some of his generation’s culinary greats, he truly values the time spent in the kitchen with his dearest friends.
“I enjoy nothing more than bringing another friend with me to the kitchen,” he confessed. “Cooking is all about sharing. It is also an opportunity to talk about many things like the industry, what is happening in Asia. To learn from each other, to see how he has grown and share with him our growth.”
