Isono Eatery and Bar

The décor is lovely and unique at Isono. The restaurant manager attentive and hospitable. The food is good too, although some dishes better than others and nothing completely stood out. E.g. the hamachi was good but the atlantic salmon was dry and bland. The pastas were well cooked and perhaps the best out of the tasting menu. However the desserts failed to impress. The tiramisu had no discernible coffee liqueur and the cream was heavy. The toffee ice cream in the catalan crème foam was completely melted.
Ambiance is great especially if you get a balcony table which is more private. You have to spend a minimum amount though to reserve the balcony table and if the people at the balcony next to you are smoking, get ready for an entire night of succumbing to second hand smoke.
Other than that we would return if they improved some of their lacking dishes and enforced a better non-​smoking policy.

I was here for lunch just now, to meet the catering group manager to check out the venue and menu. Here are my random notes:
— Spanish fusion cuisine, by Italian chef. This is linked to Vasco upstairs by a Spanish chef
— 2 private rooms, each sits 8 – 10 people
— open bar space, good for networking event
— has a tiny unofficial balcony for the smokers
— very high ceiling, seems spacious
— friendly staff
— we ended up having a super long lunch as they didn’t want to serve the main course until we are completely done with the entrée
— very affordable for lunch. Approx 160 for a 2 course lunch
— food was good. Serves warm bread (makes a difference!)
Happy to return.

3.5 Stars
One of the two restaurants located in PMQ from Drawing Room Concepts, Isono Eatery & Bar is the more casual and easygoing sibling which serves bold Mediterranean dishes made for sharing with friends. I came here for Restaurant Week lunch which costs $ 198 for 3 courses which I later find out actually costs more than their regular lunch menu ($ 159 for 2 courses/​$ 189 for 3 courses). The difference isn’t a lot but I thought the whole point of Restaurant Week is to encourage diners to try different restaurants around the city at a discount! I mean at least that’s the point of Restaurant Week in the US and in Hong Kong, it seems to be the opposite as I had the same experience with RW in previous years which was why I wasn’t going to go this year but since my friend wanted to try it for our scheduled lunch, I went along.
The elevator takes you to the 6/​F which is where Isono is located while Vasco is connected by a flight of stairs. I quite liked the industrial chic décor at Isono complete with metal beams, hanging lights and wooden furniture while high ceilings and windows let in vast amount of natural light during the day. I also noticed quite a few private dining rooms available as well.
After we placed our orders, we received some baguette and bread sticks wrapped with baloney. I didn’t touch the baguette as it wasn’t hot but the bread sticks were great to munch on.
Beef Tartare with Organic Egg & Truffle Mayonnaise — I have a weak spot for beef tartare so I have to get it since it was one the menu! The beef was fresh and chunky enough but even after the mayo, it could have used more seasoning to spiced up the flavors as it was quite bland at the moment — definitely could have used more mustard.
Half Spring Chicken with Baby Bell Peppers & Espelette — I actually ordered the pasta option at first and after seeing someone else having this, I switched my order because the chicken looked really good! I liked how perfectly browned the chicken was on the outside but the white meat was quite lean and tough while, again like the beef tartare, the chicken could have used more seasoning. This could have been so much better with just a drizzle of sauce or something else to provide an extra kick in flavor as the flavors were quite one dimensional.
Marsala Tiramisu with Chocolate Crumble — the tiramisu was rather interesting as it contained a layer of sea salt which provided a contrasting texture and flavor to the sweet dessert. I liked it at first but the saltiness became overwhelming as there was too much of it which took away from the rest of the flavors.
Verdict — the Restaurant Week lunch didn’t leave me wholly impressed but I do see potential in the lovely décor and space of Isono which would be a great spot for a casual night out eating and drinking with friends.

This upscale spanish joint on the top floors of PMQ offers great ambiance and cool views. All of the food was delcious, but we felt that the portion sizes were small for the price.

What a gorgeous restaurant in a great setting. Walking through the artists’ spaces at PMQ (a former police dormitory) to find this cavernous, stylish restaurant was definitely a treat.
Food is a blend of Spanish tapas with French and Italian influences and they have a great wine list to accompany it. We had the seafood paella (good), the grilled octopus (excellent and probably my favorite plate of food there), mussels (good), and the veal ossobuco which my companions really loved.
Service was relaxed but attentive. I’d like to come back here next time we’re in HK.

Just recently, I was invited to have dinner at the newly opened Isono Eatery and Bar at PMQ. Very exciting to learn that PMQ has opened a new restaurant serving, nonetheless spanish, mediterranean tapas fusioned from France, Italy and Spain. I didn’t know what to expect, since PMQ is newly opened and the concept of it was little stores in a convenient square that occupies what used to be a police dormitory. I thought that Isono would be presented the same way, small and squeezed in. I was very surprised when I found out it’s anything but small. Right when you enter PMQ, on the right hand side, at the very end there is a huge elevator that takes you up to the 6^th floor where Isono is located.
Walking in the restaurant, you immediately are impressed by the décor. It is a real restaurant unlike many of the pop-​ups at PMQ. In the front there is a «meat bar.» This is where people can just hangout and enjoy drinks with some of the finest Iberico ham. They designed the marble table top like the marble of a good piece of meat.
Inside the double doors, lays before you an open space restaurant, with a rustic old mediterranean feel. Low lights hang dimly and casually, above, you can see the more formal restaurant «Vasco.» There is a special room called the «floating room» at Vasco, it is visible from Isono as it «floats» above. A huge projector plays black and white movies on a brick wall laying as a backdrop for the rustic Isono Eatery, taking you back, to an authentic vibe while giving you something to glance at. There’s 4 rooms with floor to ceiling glass walls so you can see exactly who are in them when you walk by. Some people who want privacy might have an issue with that. Each room seats 10 people comfortably. Birthday party anyone?
Time to talk about food. The must order drink is the bloody mary. They infuse their vodka with smoked Iberico ham and you pour it from your own ketchup bottle. It’s quite a creative way to serve not to mention delicious. Mine had a little too little vodka though. You might want to tell them to make it stronger.
We ordered the T-​bone tuna cheek, the Salmon infused with truffle oil, beef tartare, octopus with potatoes, a Duck ragout pasta and a meat Paella. Everything was great. The tuna cheek was spectacular. Overall, this is definitely a fun place to hang out with friends and eat. They’re cocktails are superb.