Iza in Civic Square, Elements, is the latest izakaya to open in Hong Kong. It’s a cosy space with an outdoor seating area, although most would agree it’s too hot for that right now.

We had a scrumptious start to the meal with the tuna tartare with crispy rice cracker (HK$115), a new creation by chef Suzuki. Diners pile bluefin tuna tartare and small cubes of tuna onto the crunchy rice crackers before adding some of the slightly tart sauce. The ingredients complemented each other, and the combination was a mix of smooth and crisp textures.

The Japanese sweetcorn (HK$48) was crunchy and sweet, although the portion was small. The asparagus dipped in an onsen egg (HK$28) seemed like a good idea, but in practice was messy to eat – we would have preferred to eat the ingredients separately.

First impressions of The Pond at Elements – Chinese gastropub

Skewers of pork neck with leeks (HK$28) and ox tongue (HK$33) were highlights of the meal, as were the shishito peppers (HK$23), which weren’t spicy hot (although they can be). The chicken hearts (HK$28) were pedestrian.

After the skewers, we were treated to an excellent una don (HK$158), or grilled eel on rice. The eel was perfectly executed, very smooth in texture, with a taste that was not too salty or sweet, and the rice underneath had soaked up the delicious flavours.

Assorted tempura (HK$118) was pretty straightforward, featuring a selection of prawns, sweet potato, onions and mushroom.