Isola is a plush Italian restaurant chain with a history of setting up in equally ritzy shopping centres: in the original Hong Kong location, diners sip a crisp wine while gazing at boats drifting around Victoria Harbour, while Shanghai’s outpost claims the domineering Oriental Pearl tower as a backdrop for pasta-twirling. Sadly, the confines of Taikoo Li North’s corridor means there is no such vista from the capital’s branch; a trickle of passers-by will have to make do. Luckily the brand does transfer in its cuisine: like its siblings, Beijing’s Isola offers Italian fare, pared down until it fits neatly on a trendy plate.

Case in point: burrata is a good benchmark for Italian restaurants – the rustic ball of mozzarella and cream needs to be fresh or it’ll fall flat on its face. Isola’s version lacks the runny, oozy filling, so is less of a burrata and more of a caprese salad – though possibly one of the best caprese salads we’ve had: an untamed dollop of white, creamy cheese, with the accompanying rocket leaves, tomato and pesto adding a deep herbal pairing. That excitement did not extend to the octopus salad, which features tiny pieces of tentacle, rubbery enough to have been cut from a tire. The pillars of the salad are regular greens, bolstered by overpowering sweetcorn and too little lemon dressing to matter.

Isola’s pizzas are freshly baked in a fiery dome oven at the back of the restaurant. The base is an old world, thin, crispy crust – perhaps a bit too crispy, as some edges of our pie were charred black – loosely topped with a medley of ingredients. Keeping it simple results in confident flavours, with the wispy, savoury prosciutto ham and sizeable slices of tart parmesan being a highlight. It’s best shared with pals, smoothing out the rough edges of the meal with a rustic, crackling filler.

A lot of care and detail has certainly been put into the restaurant, down to the pitch-perfect wine list focusing on expertly matched Italian whites and reds. But a fine-dining restaurant can’t give a complete experience through pampering and attention alone – it needs to deliver on the plate too, and Isola isn’t there quite yet.

Address: N3-47, Third Floor,Building 3, Taikoo Li North, 11 Sanlitun Jie, Chaoyang District

Source: timeoutbeijing.com