Zozzona (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

It was supposed to be a relaxing night out to close out on the last day of our long weekend. But the adverse weather changed all that, and we ended up arriving at Zozzona soaky wet from the heavy rain.

Zozzona is a hugely popular, casual Japanese-Italian pasta bar on hilly Hillwood Road in Hong Kong’s Jordan district. Led by Japanese chef Takayuki Kumai, the restaurant blends Tokyo’s neighborhood pasta-bar culture with freshly handmade pasta utilizing some of the freshest Japanese ingredients. I thought this guy would enjoy dining here, given his passion for artisanal pasta dishes.

Zozzona is a hugely popular, casual Japanese-Italian pasta bar on hilly Hillwood Road in Jordan district of Hong Kong. Led by Japanese chef Takayuki Kumai, the restaurant combines Tokyo's neighborhood pasta bar culture, freshly handmade pasta with Japanese ingredients. I thought this guy would enjoy dining here with his passion of artisanal pasta dishes.

Kagoshima hiramasa crudo ($148) — Thin slices of raw kingfish marinated with mint, lemon oil, and radish were pretty tasty, but I imagine it would be even more delicious if it were thick-cut.

Akami tuna tataki ($158) — Topped with Sicilian pistachio, Calabrian chili, and orange, the lightly cooked tuna tataki was missing that ultra-thin, perfectly seared outer crust to match the cold, buttery, and completely raw centre.

Linguine al frutti di mare ($198) — In a perfect world, I would’ve ordered the house specialty, the tagliolini “freddie,” featuring marinated squid in a homemade shiso and walnut pesto. But little nugget doesn’t eat nuts.

So instead, we had linguine tossed with local clams, mussels, and squid—finished with kombu dashi and a dusting of bottarga powder. The linguine had a really strong al dente bite, but in my opinion, the savory sauce could have benefited from more depth and a bit more thickness.

Spaghetti carbonara ($158) — Another simple pasta dish. The carbonara featured guanciale and jidori egg yolk, finished with a nice sprinkle of black pepper and shavings of parmesan on top. Again, pretty decent but I found the sauce a little too eggy for me.

Tiramisu ($78) — A classic preparation with a generous proportion of rich Marsala sabayon and creamy mascarpone.

It was balanced by a lighter ratio of ladyfinger biscuits. This was very, very good except that the ladyfinger was a little too moist. That was the only downside, but otherwise, the proportions were nearly perfect.

Little one had mixed feelings about tonight’s dinner and kept telling me that the pasta dishes at Pici were a little better. In fact, he went as far as to say they were the best in the planet. That was hilarious. 😋😆

Food Rating: 6.4/10

Price: $$$

Address: Flat A, G/F 29-31 Hillwood Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Jordan

Tel: +852 7073-8825

Website: https://www.zozzona.com/

Opening Hours: 5:00pm - 10:00pm daily