Isono Eatery & Bar (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Last Christmas has been one of the weirdest one in the past decade in the sense that we have chosen mostly Chinese restaurants to celebrate the occasion. How odd was that! Now that I've realized the horrible mistake, I decided to right the ship and indulge ourselves in something from the Western civilization over New Year. 



This is my second visit to Isono Eatery and Bar at the ever-popular PMQ and I have a new partner in crime joining me for lunch this afternoon (Yeah my mom).




The Modern European themed menu is something new to my dining partner here but as long as she's enjoying the ambiance, no complaints there. And no complaint from me too as the 4-course set only set me back at $248 per head, which I considered a pretty good bargain at this day and age.



Fresh Japanese hamachi with tomato, capers, olive and red onion dressing, that was the way I started things off this afternoon. The hamachi wasn't the freshest but I liked the chopped tomatoes, capers and olive providing a nice complicated mix of flavors and just the right amount of acidity. Not bad.



I followed up my hamachi with a nice bowl of homemade tagliatelle topped with Bolognese sauce. You could tell the tagliatelle was really fresh and the bite was perfectly al dente, the way we all like it.



Less successful was the Mezze maniche carbonara with guanciale. Just a little too salty with the seasoning.



They've turned it up a notch from this point on starting with our first main course, slow-cooked suckling pig shank which was nicely prepared along with a bed of mashed potatoes, some chorizo and chives.



The chargrilled Scottish salmon with seasonal vegetables and lemon sour cream was equal to the task as well.



Personally, I thought this was the best dish of the afternoon - Catalan cream foam with pineapple and toffee ice-cream. Love the Catalan cream foam on top that worked so well with the fresh pineapple cubes and toffee ice-cream on the bottom. Just wish it could be a little bigger in size!



I thought the food was good but the service was largely inconsistent. We've got a server who's always wearing a smile on his face and was totally spotless throughout the meal and at the same time, there's this guy that looked as if he has lost his whole fortune on a football game last night. Very contrasting "style" shall we say. 

Food Rating: 5/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop H601-H608, 6/F Hollywood PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central / Hong Kong Station
Tel: +852 2156-0688
Website: www.isono.com.hk