Joia Ristorante Italiano Elements (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I come to the Elements Shopping Complex a lot but this is one of the very few times I take the time to check out their civic square up on the terrace (except once before lunch at Madam S'Ate) and I have to say it's a pretty cool experience.



Of course, I didn't come all the way here just to see their civic square really. I was supposed to have lunch at one of these restaurants and since I haven't had any Italian food for almost a week, I decided to pick JOIA Ristorante Italiano over the rest of the competition. 



After having an entire week of Chinese food, I was relieved to see some homemade pasta. Homemade angel hair in seasonal wild mushrooms ragout ($198) was a rock solid start. The angel hair was perfectly al dente and the wild mushroom ragout was a wonderful complement to the pasta. Excellent start~ 




Well, I was looking for something with acidity and I thought I couldn't do any wrong with this spaghetti with fresh Boston lobster in tomato and basil ($348). Again the spaghetti was firm to the bite and I love the tangy tomato sauce with all the lobster meat and some basil leaves in it. That was so good!



If I had to be picky about this meal, it's their Capocollo pizza ($198) that wasn't getting all the thumbs up from the three of us. Don't get me wrong, the toppings with mozzarella, Taleggio cheese, cherry tomato, rocket and Capocollo ham were nice but it's just not finger-licking good.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that they have this Sunday brunch priced at only $3xx which includes a good selection of seafood (such as lobster) and dessert (lots of them). Perhaps that's the way to go on my next visit.

Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: R010 Roof Level, Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Kowloon Station
Tel: +852 2382-0077
Website: www.gaiagroup.com.hk

ATUM Restaurant (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I was meeting my hair stylist in about half an hour and could really use a quick lunch by now but at the same time I remembered this brand new pancake cafe, Pan de Pain pancakes, at K11 so I thought what the heck, let's check this new place out first. But it didn't take long for me to realize that it's impossible to get in there without waiting another hour in the queue so I ended up turning my attention to ATUM Restaurant instead.



I had this very same dish last time I was here - crispy pork belly with creamy barley and fragrant leeks ($168). This was very tasty and the portion was generous too. Certainly won't mind having it again next time around.



I was already running 15 minutes late for my appointment so I guess I'll have to wait for my chance to sample their dessert on my next visit.



Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 101B, K11 Art Mall, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui / East Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 3586-1959
Website: www.facebook.com/ATUMDesserant/

Passion by Gérard Dubois at Langham Place (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I have been waiting for an excuse to visit Mongkok the past few months but finally decided I really didn't need coz I could always come and enjoy a sip of coffee at one of my favorite dessert spots, Passion by Gérard Dubois at Langham Place.



As soon as I entered the boutique, my eyes immediately lit up after spotting this new creation called Mango Caramel.



I am a caramel freak so I decided to take one home for a much closer look.



This looks pretty good on paper but I thought the caramel was a tad too strong for the mango mousse to handle. No complaints about the silky smooth texture though.



I changed something with the lighting tonight and those photos turned out to be awful! I better change it up again next time around.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 11, Level 4 Langham Place Shopping Mall, 8 Argyle Street, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Mongkok
Tel: +852 2967-8812
Website: www.passionbygd.com