ISONO EATERY & BAR – SHARING IS CARING & ENJOYING!

Following our superb experience at VASCO (see full review here), we decided to return and put ISONO to the test.  As previously mentioned, ISONO EATERY AND BAR is a more casual dining space with a relaxed atmosphere, and their menu is very much designed for sharing. For lunch, apart from a la carte options, they also provide a set lunch menu catered for groups.  Say for 4 people you can get a set lunch with 3 starters, 3 mains, 4 sides/ desserts and coffee or tea at a mere HKD 1040- definitely great deal.

It was such a pity that the famous pork shoulder was sold out by the time we were there.  However, we did sample a whole lot of different dishes and I would highlight some below:-

Fried Organic Egg with Iberico Chorizo & Spicy Tomato Sauce – you could imagine from the photos how delicious the dish was when the chorizos were soaked in the perfectly cooked egg!

 

Beef Tartare with Organic Egg and Truffle Mayonnaise – I bet many people would agree with me that Isono has one of the best beef tartare in town.  The beef was of perfect texture, and the truffle mayonnaise definitely added points to the dish.  I wouldn’t mind ordering a second one.

 

Spaghetti Carbonara with Guanciale –  Carbonara is such a simple and common dish, but ISONO’s version worths a special mention. Egg sauce was super good without being overly creamy.  They serve regular portion and also a larger portion for share! Perfect.

 

Classic Seafood Paella – on first bite we thought the rice was a bit too hard but we were told this was the traditional way of making paella.  Soon we were loving the chewy and flavourful rice of this classic dish.

 

 

We were spoilt which a range of desserts but this Apple Tart Tatin  was indeed eye catching.  Served with vanilla ice cream, it could definitely be a wonderful comfort dish.  You would also certainly love their Tiramisu and Creme Brûlée.

 

 

I would definitely recommend Isono for group hang-outs, especially for weekends.  With the high ceiling and natural light coming in, superb dishes to share and some bubbly prosecco, you would soon find yourself enjoying a oh-so-wonderful weekend afternoon at Isono.   We are already planning out next visit to make sure we try the pork shoulder!

Isono Eatery & Bar | 6/F, Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong | 2156 0688  | http://www.isono.com.hk/

Jamie’s Italian – affordable celebrity chef’s dishes

Among all the hot new openings this summer, Jamie’s Italian in Causeway Bay created the biggest hype. The line has become increasingly long since its official opening in end of July, filled with people waiting to check out what the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has to offer.

While we heard it is impossible to book a table until November, we tried our luck to walk-in at around 5:30pm.  We were told that the restaurant was already full (!), so we could only put down our name and go back 2 hours later. It wasn’t too bad at least we didn’t have to queue on the spot and we didn’t have to wait for calling of ticket number.

The restaurant atmosphere was fun and casual, with low lighting and a part of kitchen extended to the dining area.  We were seated at a long communal table – they left an empty seat in between parties so it didn’t feel too crowded.

 

 

The Bellini looked beautiful with peach puree at the bottom of the glass, surprisingly priced at only $45.  World’s Best Olives on Ice ($50) – – I can’t tell whether they were the best but they were quite good.  The black olives tapenade was even better!

 

Crab and Avocado Bruschetta ($70) – a bed of fresh crab meat mixed with slices of green apple, lemon and chilli, lying on a sourdough toast.  A refreshing dish to start the meal.

Spinach & Taleggio Croquettes ($70) – Simple yummy dish! The batter was light and crispy. The basil mayo also helped cut the richness of the creamy spinach potato filling.

 

It was a hard time choosing among the wide selection of main courses, but as pasta freaks we decided to go for the freshly made pastas! Everything looks good on the menu – thanks to the half portion option so we could try out more!

Vongole Tagliolini ($90/ $155) – the clams were so fresh! Tagliolini was cooked al dente.

 

Truffle Tagliatelle ($75/ $125)  was a personal favourite!  You get fresh truffle slices in a light cream sauce with a hint of nutmeg on al dente fresh tagliatelle.  What could go wrong?

Our Famous Prawn Linguine ($100/ $165) was however a disappointment.  The words “our famous” might have brought a higher expectation, but the dish, as you may see, was watery. The prawns were small and tasteless. The linguine was still good though.

 

We also ordered a side Rocket and Parmesan Salad ($40), their house aged balsamic was good and you could always get one home, among other merchandises, on your way out.

 

Now you would probably ask whether this place worths the two-hour wait.   I’ve heard mixed reviews regarding the restaurant since its opening. To be honest, if you are looking for authentic Italian dishes or Michelin-starred fancy dishes, this is definitely not the place that you are looking for.  The big name behind the restaurant is definitely setting the expectation way too high.  But to be fair, Jamie Oliver’s recipes are supposed to be something simple that you can also make at home, and the restaurant is also positioned as an affordable casual dining place, offering simple Italian dishes with a Jamie Oliver’s twist. With that in mind, I do think the restaurant delivers fairly well.  I certainly love the home-made pastas and they lived up to the reputation.  It offers an extension menu with dishes that most people would love, plus the prices are generally wallet-friendly.  All these add up to make it a great family restaurant/ group hangout spot!   I would certainly go back, just maybe when the waiting time is not as long.

 

BlueDuck Workshop – A hidden gem in the heart of Central

It was a girls night out.  We need a cozy place where we can comfortably chit chat (and gossip) all night long with nice food and drinks.  My girls and I love trying out private kitchens, especially when we need to look for suitable venue for our next private party.

BlueDuck Workshop has been around the private kitchen scene for a while and they do have a solid base of supporters. Its location actually couldn’t be more convenient- it’s right in an old building behind the camera appliances shop on Stanley Street.

The place is cozy which sits around 20, their tables can be easily adjusted to fit different group size, they also have beaded curtains to separate tables for privacy – no wonder we saw two TVB artists the night we went!

They have around 4-5 choices for each of appetizer and main course, menu changes regularly.

We were first served with Goose Liver Pate and Meat Rillettes and their homemade Focaccia. We were already asking for re-fill of bread even before the first dish!

 

Then came their signature dish – Black Truffle Eggs! We LOVE LOVE LOVE this dish. It looked so simple but it was so good that we asked for more bread so that we could finish dipping the sauce.

I chose Crab Meat Pudding for appetizer.  Generous portion of crab meat on top of a layer of orzo. Baked with cheese on top.  Winning combination indeed. Soup of the today was Tomato Cream Soup.  Comfort food!

 

I had Market Fish of the Day (Snapper) for main.  Served with squid ink pasta in a light cream sauce. You would see from the picture that I actually couldn’t wait to dig in. For desserts we had the simple Chocolate Fondant with Vanilla Ice Cream.

 

The dishes may look nothing fancy, but BlueDuck Workshop definitely proved that simple dishes are the best dishes – we were extra amazed as there was only ONE chef doing all the dishes and everything tasted brilliant.

More importantly, this full-course dinner only costs $380 per head, which was crazily good value for money in the heart of Central.  They do have their stock of house wine at around $360 per bottle, or you may bring your own for the corkage of $100 every two bottles. Great deal for big groups.

We are definitely holding our next private party at BlueDuck, wanna join us?

 

BlueDuck Workshop – Chef’s Soul Cuisine – 4/f, 6 Stanley Street, Central | 3175 2448 

 

NOM – (Really) Not Only Meatballs

There are so many new restaurants opening in Hong Kong this summer and it really takes time to catch up with the pace.  That said, NOM has always been on my to-go list, mostly because of the cute and catchy name. While we tend  to refer nom nom nom as yummy food, here it also refers to “not only meatballs”.  To live up with that name, NOM has an extensive list of meatball options, and of course they offer more than only meatballs.

NOM has a causal yet chic interior.  There are sofa booths for small groups and they can adjust the settings to fit big groups in long tables. There is also a separate bar area.

  

 

We started with the Beef Tartare ($158). The NOM version was served with piccalilli and chips.

Instead of the traditional beef meatballs, we went for the Seafood | Clams | Mussels | Crustacean broth version ($118).

NOM meatballs all came in set of three. These seafood meatballs are surprisingly good!  Thinking that they would only serve beef meatballs with seafood mix, the meatballs themselves were made of fish and shrimp.  They were juicy and fresh, definitely not as greasy as traditional beef meatballs.

Slight complaint on the menu was that they didn’t offer much veggie.  So we ordered the Baby Spinach with Roasted Pear and Blue Cheese ($78) for side dish which was the only option.

Apart from meatballs, NOM is also proud of their pizzas. Their pizza doughs are all homemade with their carefully selected flour from Italy.

People always say a Margherita pizza would best demonstrate the quality of pizza at a restaurant.  It’s basic and simple yet you must have a winning tomato sauce.  NOM’s Margherita DOP ($128) was great. The mix of tomato sauce with buffalo mozzarella and basil made the pizza irresistible! We also loved the chewy and crunchy crust.

Too bad we only got to try limited dishes among the two of us.  NOM is a great place for group dinners – casual atmosphere with menu options which are good for sharing.  Looking forward to coming back with more friends so we can try all the meatballs! Nom nom nom.

Nom – Not Only Meatballs, 1-5 Elgin Street, Central, HONG KONG, 2540 7988, www.nom.com.hk

 

 

VASCO FINE DINING – Spanish indulgence

So we’ve been to the Central Night Market, checked out the cute little shops at PMQ and here comes the latest addition to the blooming restaurant scene – VASCO FINE DINING. We all heard about the hype of this new project of Chef Paolo Casagrande and Tony Cheng of Drawing Room since earlier of the year and it’s finally opened on 29th July. The restaurant is still in its soft-opening stage and limited seats are offered each night.

Many thanks to VASCO for the invitation. They promised a romantic date night and lived up to it.

The lift opens up to a nicely decorated reception area on the 6th Floor.  This is also the floor where its sister- restaurant, ISONO EATERY AND BAR, is located.  ISONO is a more casual and relaxed dining space offering Mediterranean dishes while VASCO, a few steps up on the 7th Floor, is the fine dining area.

Contrast to the loft-style interior of ISONO, VASCO’s decor is chic and classy. It is an intimate dining space which sits around 50.  They also have a cool private room suspended between the two floors for a round table of 8 people, and another private room with a long dining table for a larger group of 12.

  

For dinner, they offer two tasting menus – Chef Tasting Menu and a Seasonal Tasting Menu, which offer different combinations of their signature dishes.  A la carte options are also available and offer dishes not available on the tasting menu.

We opted for the Chef Tasting Menu with Classic Wine Pairing (6 glasses).  For wine lovers,  there is also a Premium Wine Pairing option with 12 glasses!

We were first greeted with pre-dinner snacks, then THREE types of carefully selected Olive Oil and FIVE types of butter to go with the bread.

   

We LOVE the cute sticks of butter – flavours from left to right : Original, Mushroom, Tomato, Spinach and Beetroot.

 

  

Two dishes were offered for Amuse Bouche – Gazpacho and a piece of cod throat in cream sauce, paired with a glass of Cava. Trust me, they tasted better than they look!

 

Our first dish, Trout tartare with Orange, curd cucumber and trout caviar was such a delightful dish with the freshness of the trout. Perfectly paired with a glass of champagne.

 

Then it was Roasted Foie-gras, nori and duck consomé infused with citronella, horseradish and hazelnut salt. Instead of a sauce which is usually presented with foie gras, they poured duck consomé over the roasted foie-gras when the dish was served.  The combination was surprisingly good.  The dish was also served with a glass of Gewürztraminer – I was rather surprised they have it on the wine pairing list, I always love the unique lychee and floral note of the wine.

 

Followed by the signature dish, Red Palamos prawns and sea urchins on a seabed with crustacean mayonnaise, and this immediately became one of the favourite dishes of the year! The presentation of the dish was beautiful. The red shrimp was cooked to perfection- still half transparent.  The dots of orange sauce were the essence from the shrimp head, which highlighted the taste of the shrimp.  Sea urchin was fresh and matched with the palate.  Impeccable dish of freshness.

 

 

Farmhouse egg yolk with potato & mozzarella foam, cured Iberian pork jowl, basil and pimento d’Espelette  is another signature dish.  Creative combination, but wasn’t as impressive as the last dish.

 

 

 

Both Low-temparature cooked turbot settled on onion & Paprika marmalade, with braised endives, claims and octopus and Roast French pigeon, pork and dry tomato stewed, apple cream and liver toast were nicely cooked.  You would appreciate the chef’s techniques in handling these dishes.  Honestly I never really liked pigeon but this may be one of the best.  The fish was served with a glass of Chablis and then the pigeon with a glass of Rioja. The Rioja nicely enhanced the taste of the pigeon as well.

 

Finally…dessert time!

  

On the left it’s an olive oil sponge cake and frozen ice cream, with rice and cardamom essence soup poured over it.  It helped clear the palate before the final dessert – chocolate leaf with apricot jelly and frozen coffee.

  

The petite fours were placed in this interesting glass jar – with madeleines, macarons and raspberry jelly, as well as hazelnut truffles in a separate container.  By this time we were enjoying the Muscat which ended our meal on a high note.

We were very impressed with the overall quality of food and service at VASCO.  The unexpected and interesting flavours brought by the food and the paired wine continued to amaze me throughout the dinner.  You would see that the chefs have given a lot of thought behind every single dish.

The Chef Tasting Menu (8 courses) priced at $1180 is worth every single penny.  The Seasonal Tasting Menu (5 courses) costs $880.  A la carte main courses range from $300-600.  With the exceptional quality of the meal and the ambience they offer, VASCO could definitely be your next to-go place for special occasions.

We definitely see ourselves going back again sometime soon.  We also look forward to try their 3-course lunch menu which also features some of their signature dishes.

Treat yourself to a Spanish indulgence sometime!

Vasco Fine Dining, 7/F Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong, http://www.isono-vasco.com.hk

 

 

Brunch spots in Hong Kong!

Hands up if you like lazy weekend brunches !

Sometimes getting up early on weekends isn’t that bad when you get treated to a nice cozy brunch.  Try out the below places for your next weekend brekkie fix!

1. Lily and Bloom

They call their weekend brunch ‘A Movable Feast’. Quite different from your usual brunch experience, buffet style dishes are brought to your table throughout the meal. Perfect for lazy people like us! They also have a separate Omelette Station where you get to choose your own toppings AND the TYPE OF EGG – be it Japanese eggs, Thai eggs, duck eggs, Free range eggs. Good value brunch!

Price : HK$295 + 10% , additional costs for free flow of Bellini

5/F LKF Tower, Wyndham Street, Central | www.lily-bloom.com

2. The Flying Pan

My to-go place for diner style breakfast. Opens 24/7. Generous portion and option for bottomless coffee. Personal Favourite: Eggs Guacamole – a Mexican twist of the eggs Benedict with salsa and avocado. Also love their fluffy buttermilk pancakes which satisfy my random cravings for IHOP. Go to the Wanchai branch with more seats and shorter queue.

Price: HK$100ish per head

3/F 81-85 Lockhart Road, Wanchai ; 9 Old Bailey Street, Central | www.the-flying-pan.com

3. Madame Sixty Ate

Located in the J Senses building, the elevator opens up to a space with massive sunlight.  There are a la carte options as well as a breakfast menu for 2.  The honeycomb and coffee cream pancakes are devilicious.

Price : around HK$200 per head

1st Floor, 60 Johnson Road, Wanchai | madamsixtyate.com.hk

4. Club Chow

Hidden in The Pemberton Club Chow is a cool chillax spot if you wish to stay away from the crowd.  For Saturday brunch they offer a self-service salad bar, with main course choices like crab cake benedict, seafood linguine, and for meat lovers, lamb chops or striploin.  Their desserts are great too – it was a hard time choosing between Panna Cotta and Creme Brulee!  Their setting can be easily adjusted to cater your group size and there is a private section which can accomodate around 20.

Price: HK$128 up (closed on sundays)

9/f The Pemberton, Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan | www.clubchow.com

5. St. Betty

Indulge in the view of Victoria Harbour while enjoying the delish dishes offered at St. Betty! Their menu ranges from Classic Eggs Benedict to Smoked Haddock Fishcakes and the yummy wagyu steak sandwich!  Also try their mocktails – Princess Tam Tam is a refreshing choice with carrot, orange, ginger and rosewater.

Price: around HK$250 per head.

Shop 2705, Podium Level 2, IFC Mall, Finance Street, Central | www.stbetty.com 

6. Boqueria

All you can eat TAPAS!! And I can’t get enought of the paella and suckling pig! Upgrade the drink package to get access to the DIY Sangria Station (how cool is that), free flow cava and bloody marys. Perfect for hangover cures.

Price: HK$238, add $128 for the drinks package

7/F LKF Tower, Wyndham Street, Central | www.boqueria.com.hk

7. LUPA by Mario Batali

Italian buffet of chef’s selections, a secondi of your choice be it pizza or pasta and a selection of desserts, accompanied by live jazz music. Book a table on the terrace if you prefer an Al Fresco experience.

Price: $388, add $200 for free flow beverages.  Sundays only.

 3/F LHT Tower, 31 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong | http://www.luparestaurant.com/hongkong/home.cfm

8. Duddell’s 

Not a fan for eggs benedict or pancakes? Head to Duddell’s for unlimited dim sum served to your table with free flow champagne and Pimm’s cocktail.

Price: HK$580+10%, Non-alcoholic option at $480.

Level 3, Shanghai Tang Mansion, 1 Duddell’s Street, Central | duddells.co

9. Toro Steakhouse and Gastro Bar

New addition to the Civic Square of Elements, Toro provides a unique Latin American brunch. Appetizer buffet includes signature dishes like ceviche and blue crab causa, with Mexican dishes for main course like heuvos rancheros.

Price: HK$218 , optional main course add HK$40-50.

Shop R008, Rooftop Garden, Civic Square, 3/F, Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon | http://www.diningconcepts.com/toro/index.php

10. Oolaa

Generous portions for all your breakfast favourites – Breakfast Burrito, French Toast, Bagel etc., all reasonably priced.  No doubt it will remain a popular spot for breakfast.  Head there early!

Price: around HK$150

G/F, Bridges Street, CentreStage, Soho, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong | http://www.casteloconcepts.com/our-venues/oolaa

11. Le Dome de Cristal

The dome-shaped space of the ex “club 9” has now been taken by a champagne-themed restaurant.  Their weekend brunch provides an appetizer buffet, a 6-piece oyster platter and main course of your choice.  Make your experience perfect by adding $280 for the free flow of Louis Roederer champagne.

Price: HK$580, additional $280 for free flow champagne

3/F The Galleria, 9 Queen’s Road Central, Central | www.cristal-hk.com 

12. The Verandah at The Repulse Bay

Want a more lavish brunch? Make the trip to The Repulse Bay and indulge in the colonial charm.  The sunday brunch includes a quality appetizer buffet with unlimited freshly shucked oysters, alaska crab legs, foie gras station, pasta station.  It comes with a main course of your choice and desserts in buffet style. A lovely 3.5 hours pass by quickly with the entertainment of a Jazz band. The brunch is a quite pricey provided that it does not come with wine/ champagne.  It is certainly not a weekly choice but do treat yourself to The Verandah for special occasions. It gets fully booked every week so make sure you make one month before and request for a table by the window side.

Price: HK$638+10% (Sundays only)

The Repulse Bay, 109 Repulse Bay Road | www.therepulsebay.com

 

 

Let me know your favourites too!