Perched on the 25th floor of the Soundwill Plaza II (Midtown), it was natural to expect some sort of harbour view from this new establishment but what I didn't realize was that the new building directly opposite to Soundwill Plaza II (I think it's called V-Point) has already finished its development and it's completely blocking the view!
OK, so no view from the window but I must say, I have been very impressed with the décor of this 150-seater the moment I stepped through the doors.
This place also features 2 private rooms and an outdoor terrace. There was no view from the private room neither but love the fact that it's so bright and airy.
Ian Kittichai, chef and co-founder of Issaya, was also on hand (in white shirt, sitting at the sofa) during the opening week to train up the local team ahead of the grand opening.
I started things off with a glass of Thai iced milk tea but surprisingly it was not nearly sweet enough (one at Greyhound tasted slightly better).
We decided to explore the set as well as a la carte menu here. This pomelo salad came with the set ($178) and look at that presentation. So adorable~
Our server quickly transferred the pomelo salad over the plate before putting them together with the seared tiger prawns and hard boiled egg. They did an admirable job tearing the pomelo into bits and pieces and the red chili dressing was simply amazing. Very refreshing start!
Another starter from the set menu was the slow cooked duck leg, with tropical fruit and roasted cashew nuts in long red chili pepper dressing. The duck meat was pretty succulent having been slow-cooked for hours but the seasoning was a little too mild comparing to the previous dish. Still not bad.
"Issaya-spiced" Australian chicken was next. This was rubbed and pan seared with herbs and a special coconut turmeric sauce. It was so tender and flavorful, definitely my favorite dish of the afternoon.
A little less successful was the tiger prawns sautéed in a house blended pepper-holy basil sauce. Don't get me wrong, these tiger prawns were fairly tasty but it just didn't blow us away like it did with the chicken.
We could definitely use some rice to go with the chicken and tiger prawns. This wok sautéed short grain rice from the set was exactly what the doctor ordered. What a perfect way to offset the spiciness of the main dishes.
When I first opened the rice container, I immediately smelt what I thought was truffle oil in there but no, it was mushroom-scented oil to go with some corns, grains, Chang mai mushrooms and garlic. Very nice way to finish off the set lunch.
But this was a tale of the two cities. After a strong showing from the set menu, things dropped off considerably with the a la carte menu (especially dessert) starting with the coconut creme brulee with wok-sauteed chopped chicken, galangal and kaffir lime leaves.
This tasted like a flour pastry with minced chicken and coconut juice on top but nothing more. Decent but unspectacular.
We waited a long time for this and at one point, thought they have forgotten about it - Australian veal cheek simmered in house blended spices, hand pressed coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves. I was pretty sure there was some red curry in there too.
The portion was a little small for a main course but I like the mix of rich and complex flavors. The cheek was very soft and silky too.
After all those meat and seafood, of course we had to get some greens to balance it out - wok fried Chinese young broccoli with bird's eye chili, garlic and soy sauce.
Dessert was where they've lost us. Having experienced all the wonderful creations from Ian's Issaya La Patisserie at Central Embassy back in Bangkok, our expectation was riding a little high and we just didn't realize the wheels were about to fall off from here.
Issaya assorted petite-fours ($85) - in a typical French meal, this is supposed to be free so charging us $85 for a pair of marshmallow, toffee candy, macarons, jelly candy and cookies was just outright ridiculous.
Smoked coconut cheesecake with citrus compote and tropical fruit foam ($85) - They put something like a cigar in there to create this smoky effect but it felt more like a show. I wish they could have just forget about those flashy stuff and simply focus on how to make these cakes more tasty!
The set lunch definitely represents the best value for money (a starter, a main+rice and a drink at $178) and is the way to go here. Dessert is a largely forgettable experience so until they find a quick fix, I would probably stick with their set lunch for the time being.
Food Rating: 5/10
Price: $$$
Address: 25/F Soundwill Plaza II - Midtown, 1 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay, Hong KongClosest Metro Station: Causeway Bay
Tel: +852 2154-3048
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