It is easy to get lost in the sprawling Elements mall in Tsim Sha Tsui; consider yourself lucky if you take a wrong turn and emerge from the maze into Civic Square. With a cluster of restaurants set around a picturesque water fountain overlooked by ICC, it is a pleasant enclave in West Kowloon. Joia, a contemporary Italian eatery, nestles snugly here. Sit outside on the terrace and enjoy the breeze from the harbour and views of the surrounding towers. Inside, wooden floors and a mix of contemporary furniture and Italian bric-a-brac make for a relaxed and rustic ambience.

Joia gives what it calls a “modern twist” on northern Italian cuisine. The basis is super fresh, quality ingredients and traditional recipes with a contemporary flair. It works and is tasty apart from when it occasionally oversteps the modern spin with a little too much fussy froth here and there. To start, pan-fried scallops with an artichoke salad is simple and cooked to perfection (HK$178). A house speciality of red prawns tartar with avocado, melon, buffalo mozzarella and green apple sherbet is immaculately presented and completely unusual yet successful in its combination of flavours (HK$178). Homemade pumpkin ravioli in black truffle and butter sauce with almonds and pistacchio is nicely al dente and delicious (HK$168). There is a great selection of meat and fish for mains, which makes for some tough decisions but the house speciality of lamb’s loin served with artichokes, potato and yellow corn polenta (HK$278) is a favourite, thanks to both the successful combination of flavours, as well as the superior quality of the lamb itself. Be warned, there is a 12-minute wait for the chocolate, banana and chestnut warm pudding (HK$108), but it arrives oozing with warm chocolate goodness and is well worth waiting for.

There is a large selection of Italian wines, prosecco and sparkling wines with about 15 available by the glass.

The staff are perfectly attentive, friendly and helpful but it can be hard at times to attract their attention.

A little pricey with dinner for two without wine coming to about HK$1,300