Last night we went to watch Looper (if you haven’t gone to see it yet, I highly recommend you do very soon)!! Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a tasty one, yet we still needed some real food, and so we made a choice from the dining options in Elements Mall. We usually go to Prime Steak House because we know it’s good, and it’s always the busiest restaurant in Civic Square, which is always a good sign. However, we wanted to try something different this time, and when I asked PB if he fancied Western or Asian f0od, he replied “Something good”.

Well, despite the large number of restaurant choices in Elements Mall, “something good” usually falls in the Asian category – I find the Western options slightly lacking (unless you go to the Ritz Carlton or the W Hotel of course, but that is a different ball game). After a little research, I happily discovered that Joia is part of the Gaia Group (which includes Va Bene, Gaia, Isola etc. ), and Gaia is one of my favorite restaurants. Of course the downside of this choice would be that I would compare Joia to it’s sister restaurant, but considering that the price point is about the same, I assumed it would be an even comparison.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Abismal bread basket

While the bread basket may look pretty, the grissini were stale, and I think I almost broke a tooth on the baguette. It was also the first time that I’ve drank  Ferrarelle sparkling water, and it’s the worst sparkling water I’ve ever had. Think sparkling tap water, and stick to San Pellegrino!

Neapolitan Buffalo Mozzarella in Caprese Style $158

The texture of the mozzarella was dry and almost crumbly! Although I would normally say “it’s a Caprese Salad, leave it be as it should be!”, the shredded celery and peppers on top added a welcome crunch, but it couldn’t save an otherwise horrible dish. Who screws up a Caprese Salad?!

Pork Sausage and Mushroom Pizza $188

The pizza was decent, and you can never go wrong with sausage! The base was light and crispy, and the topping were well balanced. Possibly the least filling pizza I’ve ever had, in a good way.

Home made Buffalo Ricotta cheese and Porcini Ravioli on Artichoke Cream with Fresh Tomato and Pine Nuts $198

The ravioli was well cooked and not too thick, but they were stingy with the filling. The artichoke cream had nice depth of flavour and was a nice consistency.

Chocolate, Banana and Chestnut warm pudding with Almond Milk and Kumquat $108

This pudding was the highlight of the meal! Rich, oozing and just the perfect size, punctuated with an occasional banana flavour. The almond milk was yummy too, although the two things together on the same spoon resulted in a reaaaally weird taste!

While the food wasn’t bad per se, it was quite average (click here to see the full menu), and certainly no where near the level of Gaia. If you come with no expectations, then you most likely will have few complaints. We had a nice waiter, service was attentive and courses were served at a decent pace. The setting is intimate and works well for a date, a meal with friends or an informal business dinner. The terrace area is quite pleasant on a cool evening, but 100% pleasure on the terrace might only be enjoyed by smokers, as all of the terrace seating is the smoking area.

The bill came to $1082 for one starter, two mains, one dessert and two glasses of wine, it’s simply too expensive for that quality of food.

Would I go back?  N. O.  I would most likely try another option, and for a mall, Elements Mall has quite a few of them. The descriptions on the website perhaps makes some of them sound more appealing than they actually are – don’t you just love how Stormie’s is described as a “Western Delicacy”?!

Shop Name	Floor Location	Telephone	Category	Zone
Boulangerie Bo-Lo`GNE	1027	26132525	Supermarkets & Gourmet
Cafe Iguana	R004	2196 8733	Western Delicacies
Caffè HABITŪ	1001	2196 8466	Cafés
Chez Shibata	2003	21968921	Sweets & Confectionary
CHIPS REPUBLIC	2132	2581 1887	Cafés
dab-pa Peking & Szechuan Cuisine	1047	2196 8699	Asian Delights
DONDONYA	2103-04	2196 8589	Asian Delights
El Pomposo	R009	2196 8123	Western Delicacies
Fairwood	G002-03	28564460	Cafés
Full Moon	1028B	2955 5113	Asian Delights
GODIVA Chocolatier	2004 & 2004	23774836	Sweets & Confectionary
Grand Central Bar & Grill	R001	27364888	Western Delicacies
Holly Brown	1026	2856 1201	Cafés
Häagen Dazs	1106	2196 8328	Sweets & Confectionary
Inaniwa Udon‧Nabe	2002	2196 8989	Asian Delights
Joia Ristorante Italiano	R010	2382 2323	Western Delicacies
Katong	2100A	21968086	Asian Delights
Kowloon Tang	R002	2811 9398	Asian Delights
LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT	1025	2196 8333	Sweets & Confectionary
Lei Garden	2068-70	2196 8133	Asian Delights
LGB	2009	2196 8488	Western Delicacies
lppei-an Higomonzu(RAMEN & KUSHIYAKI)	1030	2196 8208	Asian Delights
Monsieur CHATTÉ	1091A	36203277	Supermarkets & Gourmet
nahm	1044-45	2810 7575	Asian Delights
PAK LOH CHIU CHOW RESTAURANT	1028D	3691 9168	Asian Delights
Papi	R011	2811 2681	Western Delicacies
Pret A Manger	1031	2196 8048	Cafés
PRIME Steak House | Wine Bar	R008	2810 8585	Western Delicacies
Sala Thai	1028A	2609 1898	Asian Delights
sen-ryo	1086	2196 8209	Asian Delights
Starbucks Coffee	2100B	2697 0533	Cafés
Stormies	R005-07	2196 8098	Western Delicacies
Tasty Congee & Noodle Wantun Shop	1080-82	2327 2628	Asian Delights
ThreeSixty	1090	2196 8066	Supermarkets & Gourmet
Triple-O’s	G004	28891000	Cafés
Wang Jia Sha	1068-70	2382 0101	Asian Delights
Wild Ginger	2133	2606 4198	Western Delicacies
wildfire	1005-06	2196 8099	Western Delicacies
Xia Mian Guan	1008	2196 8022	Asian Delights
Yu Joy	1028C	2196 8100	Asian Delights