Chef Jonah Kim and Chef/Restaurateur Mike Isabella are no longer partners, and that means that Kim is out at the Ballston restaurant, Yona. 

“Not all partnerships work out,” Isabella says. “This one didn’t and Jonah has parted ways with MIC [Mike Isabella Concepts]. We will continue to develop the concept and menu within our team. I wish Jonah nothing but the best.”

The Japanese and Korean restaurant known chiefly for its noodles opened in November 2015 with much anticipation. Kim was coming off of a stint at Pabu in Baltimore. The opening menu featured creative and finessed dishes like a waffle topped with lobes of uni and cool take on ramen inspired by Chinese ingredients called “ja-jang ramen” that was studded with squid and pork belly in a black bean paste sauce.

Despite the split, Yona’s menu (as of a meal Saturday night) still had dishes like the “kim-fil-a” and the miso porky ramen, both of which are the chef’s calling cards, even though the chef left earlier this month. However, the rest of the menu has changed significantly since Kim left, including the addition of sushi rolls and a sashimi plate.