Solbam x Au Jardin Collaboration @Seoul

This summer, Solbam welcomes a team of chefs to Seoul.

For one evening, two restaurants from different cities, each expressing the seasons through their own cuisine, come together in a single kitchen. Preparing for this collaboration is about far more than creating a new menu. It is an opportunity to share the seasons, ingredients and experiences that have shaped each restaurant over time.

This year, Solbam is delighted to welcome Andō from Hong Kong.

Since opening in Central, Hong Kong, in 2020, Andō has quickly established itself as one of the city's leading fine dining destinations, earning a Michelin star in its first year. It has since been recognised among Asia's 50 Best Restaurants and continues to earn recognition across Asia's culinary landscape.

To understand Andō, one must first understand the journey of Chef Agustín Balbi.

Born in Argentina, Chef Balbi grew up surrounded by the culinary traditions of Spain and Italy. Some of his earliest and most enduring memories were formed in his grandmother Lola's kitchen, where family meals around the table laid the foundations for the way he thinks about food today.

He later moved to Japan, where he spent many years training at Michelin-starred restaurants including Ryugin, Cuisines Michel Troisgros and Zurriola. There, he developed a deep appreciation for the seasonality of Japanese cuisine, the structure of kaiseki, and the philosophy of omotenashi. After serving as Executive Chef at HAKU in Hong Kong, he opened Andō, his first restaurant, where he continues to express his own culinary language.

Even the restaurant's name reflects this journey.

In Spanish, "Andō" conveys the idea of moving forward, while in Japanese, Andō (安堵) evokes comfort, relief and peace of mind. Together, these meanings embody Chef Balbi's philosophy: to keep moving towards new possibilities while offering warmth and genuine hospitality at the table.

As you experience Andō's menu, a common thread gradually emerges.

Its cooking begins not with recipes, but with memories.

His childhood in Argentina, the years he spent in Japan, and the life he has built in Hong Kong come together naturally within a single tasting menu. Rather than representing the cuisine of a single nation, each course reflects the life and memories of one chef, layered gently through the changing seasons.

No dish captures this philosophy more completely than Sin Lola.

Inspired by the rice dishes his grandmother Lola used to prepare, the dish evolves with the seasons as different seafood and ingredients reach their peak. Yet it has never left the menu since the day Andō first opened. What began as a childhood memory has become the restaurant's signature expression of that story.

At Solbam, too, seasonality lies at the heart of our cooking.

Even the same ingredient reveals entirely different characteristics depending on its harvest, origin and the conditions of the year. We strive to honour the individuality of every ingredient our producers cultivate, designing each course so that every dish contributes naturally to the progression of a season.

This collaboration, too, began with a series of questions.

What best captures the Korean summer today?

Which seafood is at its finest? Which vegetables carry the deepest aromas at this moment? How would each of us interpret the same ingredients from our own perspectives? What role should each dish play within the overall journey of the menu?

The greatest part of our preparation was not spent exchanging recipes, but understanding one another's seasons. We shared long conversations about ingredients, techniques, the intentions behind each dish, and the rhythm through which an entire menu comes together.

In one interview, Chef Balbi remarked, "Cooking is ultimately about expressing the life a chef has lived."

This evening brings together two teams who have each cultivated their own understanding of the seasons in different cities, Seoul and Hong Kong. Though we look upon the same summer, we have interpreted it from different perspectives. We hope this shared menu offers an opportunity to experience the values that both Solbam and Andō hold dear: a deep respect for seasonality, respect for the producers behind every ingredient, and a belief in genuine hospitality.

Thank you sincerely for joining us today and for sharing this special meeting between Solbam and Andō.

We hope this evening offers you a taste of a summer that exists only here.