The buzz: Enomod (short for Enoteca Moderna) is a new Mediterranean restaurant bringing the concept of 'social dining' to Hong Kong. Prior to its scheduled opening in late April 2013, we attended the open tasting to get a preview of what's to come.
Atmosphere: Replacing French brasserie, Entourage, on lower Elgin Street, Enomod Hong Kong is now a cosy, rustic space with a cocktail bar and a Bohemian-styled dining lounge on the first floor.
Enomod Hong Kong is bringing retro back with a 1920s slicer.
Designed by Ermanno Lelli and HEAD Architecture and Design Limited, there are exposed pipes, copper piped lighting and classic old fashioned lamp shades. Each piece of furniture adds a vintage element to the surroundings, and we're especially impressed by the elaborate finishing of the communal dining tables and concrete bar counter, both etched with the Enomod logo.
Extra touches include traditional European wooden wine barrels imported from Italy and a refurbished retro 1920s scale and meat slicer on the charcuterie counter.
Food and drink: Enomod Hong Kong serves a Mediterranean mix of charcuterie, premium steaks, seafood, tapas, pizzas and pastas, and we had the chance to try some of the pizza and pasta offerings at the tasting.
Both the rosemary tuna and Parma and fig pizzas had a thin and crispy centre contrasted with a soft and fluffy crust, topped with tangy tomato paste and a generous handful of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. The simplicity of it reminded us of the pizzas in Italy -- a welcome relief from the heavy ingredients usually piled onto Hong Kong pizzas.
Pasta is served al dente at Enomod Hong Kong.
The linguini puttanesca featured cherry tomatoes, olives and anchovies while the tagliatelle was cooked in a beautifully creamy walnut carbonara sauce. If you love seafood, we highly recommend the fresh clam farfalle tossed together with pesto and olives.
Pastas were cooked al dente for authenticity, but those who prefer their pasta cooked longer will definitely have that option, we're told.
Verdict: With less than a month before the grand opening, Enomod Hong Kong will definitely add a new element to the SoHo dining scene thanks to its mix of Mediterranean flavours.
Enomod Hong Kong, 1/F, 1-5 Elgin Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 6711 0582, www.facebook.com/Enomod
By: Andy Yeo
It's all about travel, photography and food in Andy Yeo's life and his monthly credit card bills lie testament to this. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Australia, Andy has returned to his hometown to capture the best that Asia has to offer. What good are weekends if not for short trips overseas to get your taste buds excited and memories well documented? His philosophy is to try everything at least once especially when it comes to food, after all, life's too short to say no! Read more about Andy at www.misteryeo.com.
