Zelo (Hong Kong)

As a mall, Pacific Place seems to be on the downturn. It's lights have dimmed and the crowds have dwindled. However, it is still home to oldies but goodies like Dan Ryan's and Peking Garden. I also recently discovered Spanish/Mediterranean restaurant Zelo. This is a pretty restaurant - tables covered in crisp, white cloth lie beneath domes that look like they are constructed from branches (this is the best description I can muster, unfortunately). The look of the restaurant and its exciting menu consisting of tapas, paellas, and delicious sounding desserts gave me incredibly high hopes.

We ended up ordering calamari with squid aioli (in the words of Masterchef, this was the dish of the day), clams, fish cakes (pretty yum, too), and garlic prawns. I had scallop and mushroom paella for mains, while the others had salmon and steak. We ended with chocolate cake and panna cotta. Before I go on, I must say Zelo has amazing deals. The mains on special were all priced at around $150HKD, and glasses of wine went for about $30. Needless to say, plenty of wine went around.

However, despite the good prices and beautiful interior, the food itself was a let down. The paella was bland and overpowered by mushroom. It lacked the colour and texture that other ingredients, like peas or peppers, could have added. Considering paella should be their specialty, I was sorely disappointed with this. No one else was particularly raving about their mains either. When we expressed our disappointment to the waiter at the end of the meal, he reacted defensively and was downright rude. It ended the meal on a sour note.

To conclude, perhaps the cheap price was too good to be true and simply reflected the quality of the restaurant's food.

Appetizers: Calamari, Clams, and Prawns

Fish cakes

Paella

Dessert

Food: C

Ambience/Deco: A
Service: C (Waiters were rude, even obnoxious. Sigh, 'fancy' places)
Price: $$$ (The offers are good but the food would not be worth it full price)