An exciting collaboration between two of Hong Kong’s leading chefs is opening in Wan Chai.
As the joint creation between Andō’s Agustin Ferrando Balbi and Mono’s Ricardo Chaneton, Rosita is the newest semi-fine dining experience to arrive in Wan Chai. Drawing on the Michelin-starred chefs’ shared South American heritages, the restaurant reshapes the idea of Latin American food, with authentic flavours meeting Japanese and French influences. Marco A. Livoti, previously of Sake Central and Holy Cannoli, helms the kitchen under Balbi and Chaneton’s direction.
Argentinian chef Balbi, whose family has Spanish and Italian roots, honed his skills in renowned Tokyo restaurants before arriving in Hong Kong to work at Haku, while Venezuelan native Chaneton trained in France under Mauro Colagreco. But tweezered embellishments and theatrics is not what Rosita peddles; instead, comfortable dining is key to the experience, so Balbi and Chaneton conceptualised an open kitchen plan that mimics the familiar setting of a living and dining room in a traditional Latin American home, enabling a warm feeling of intimacy for guests to feel closer to the chefs during their meal.
For its introductory menu, a six-course soft-opening experience showcases the wide-ranging culinary library that Balbi and Chaneton are able to achieve. Opening with a market ceviche, the meal continues to a corn, king crab, and parsley dish and a winter soup, before moving on to a lobster stew. Local ingredients are highlighted with Ping Yuen chicken with empanadas, before wrapping up with a lemon mint, rum, and berry dish, and churros with dulce de leche. South American labels lead the wine list.
1–7 Ship Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Tel: (+852) 9726 4188 (WhatsApp only)
All images courtesy of Rosita.
