Hong Kong’s one-Michelin-starred Andō and Bangkok’s one-Michelin-starred Wana Yook are joining forces for a two-city dining collaboration this October, beginning with two dinners in Hong Kong before moving to Bangkok.

Executive Chef Agustin Ferrando Balbi of Andō will host Thai-Indian chef Chalee Kader of Wana Yook at Andō on 6 and 7 October 2026. The chefs will then reunite at Wana Yook in Bangkok on 15 October 2026.

The Hong Kong menu is priced at HK$2,580 plus 10 per cent service charge per person, while the Bangkok dinner is priced at THB5,900++ per person.

Fire Meets Water

The collaboration is built around the contrasting ideas of fire and water, with each chef interpreting one side of the theme through his own culinary style.

Chef Kader takes on fire, drawing on the spice, heat and aromatic intensity associated with Thai cooking. Chef Balbi answers with water, using seafood, citrus, chilled preparations and marine flavours as a lighter counterpoint.

Rather than blending both approaches into a single style, the menu is designed as a sequence of dishes that lets each chef’s identity remain recognisable. Balbi’s cooking reflects his Argentine heritage and years spent working in Japan, while Kader reworks Thai regional recipes and the country’s familiar khao gaeng, or rice-and-curry tradition, in a contemporary tasting-menu format.

What to Expect From the Hong Kong Menu

The dinner opens with Wana Yook’s Kao Soi, Kader’s take on the northern Thai curry noodle dish, combining beef curry with herbs and crisp textures.

Andō follows with a tart of Kinmedai, Lemon Gel, Uni and Baby Basil, pairing raw kinmedai with cucumber, smoked soy sauce and citrus.

The dialogue continues with Wana Yook’s Kung Chae Naam Pla, which pairs amaebi with turmeric, lime and chilli, alongside pomelo, bitter gourd and shallots. Andō then shifts the mood with a chilled Buri, Citric Panna Cotta, Umami Sauce and Ginger-Lime Granita, featuring cured buri, yuzu panna cotta and a ginger-forward leche de tigre.

For Tom Jiw of Scallops, Kader serves scallops in a warming broth infused with beetroot and sweet potato, finished with pepper, fresh chilli and holy basil. Balbi responds with Coral Grouper, Seaweed, Crêpe and Maitake: crisp-scaled grouper with aonori, butter and Champagne sauce, accompanied by a seaweed crêpe filled with maitake mushrooms and finished with dashi foam.

A Rice Course Rooted in Thai Flavours

Rice forms the centrepiece of the main savoury course. Wana Yook presents Coconut Rice steamed with coconut solids, alongside Curry Tumis, a Melayu-influenced curry prepared with mussels or clams.

Hormok Morel reworks another Thai flavour profile by filling morel mushrooms with a mousse made from fish and red curry paste.

Dessert and Petit Fours

Andō leads the dessert course with Air Chocolate, Coconut and Dulce de Leche, combining 62 per cent chocolate, dulce de leche ice cream, coconut foam and a crisp cacao tuile.

The meal closes with petit fours from both restaurants: Wana Yook’s Bua Loy, a rice cake with taro in coconut milk, and Andō’s Fig and Ricotta Tart.

About Chef Chalee Kader and Wana Yook

Born to a Thai mother and Indian father, Chalee Kader has spent close to two decades in the restaurant industry. His career began in the United States before he returned to Thailand, where he spent six years as Chef Cuisinier at the French Embassy in Bangkok.

He later established several dining concepts in Bangkok, including 100 Mahaseth, Wana Yook and Soma, and has been Executive Chef and Co-owner of Wana Yook since 2021.

Set in a century-old house in Bangkok, Wana Yook serves contemporary Thai tasting menus inspired by recipes and flavours from across the country, with khao gaeng — rice served with curries and accompaniments — forming a central reference point.

For another recent Andō collaboration, read about its two-night dinner with Penang’s Au Jardin.

Andō x Wana Yook: Event Details

Hong Kong

Dates: 6 and 7 October 2026
Venue: Andō, 1/F, Somptueux Central, 52 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
Price: HK$2,580 + 10% per person
Reservations: WhatsApp +852 9161 8697 or book online through Andō

Bangkok

Date: 15 October 2026
Venue: Wana Yook, Bangkok
Price: THB5,900++ per person

---

Images: Andō and Wana Yook