Zelo Spanish Restaurant &amp; Tapas Bar (已結業)

Zelo, situated by the escalator in LG1 of Pacific Place (between Metropolitan Café and Peking Garden), is a contemporary Spanish restaurant and tapas bar brought to us by Gaia Group, proprietors of acclaimed Italian restaurants Isola and Gaia. Chef Noemi Gutierrez, who came from Madrid and has once worked in the world’s top molecular gastronomy restaurant El Bulli (now closed), joined Zelo a few months ago and is now going to tantalise Hong Kong’s demanding palates by offering a selection of pinchos every Thursday from 6-8pm, starting from 29 November.

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Pinchos, meaning “thorn” or “spike” in Spanish, is basically tapas pierced with a cocktail stick, which are typically eaten in bars in Northern Spain. A selection of pinchos are laid out at the bar area at Zelo, and customers are free to pick the pinchos they like. If you are less physically active (a.k.a. lazy), the friendly staff at Zelo are more than happy to bring the pinchos to your table – but I can assure you that getting them yourself is much more fun!

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The Pinchos are charged at HK$23 per piece. This doesn’t sound incredibly cheap, but some of the pinchos are huge and are almost the size of an appetiser at some restaurants, so you shouldn’t need to eat more than a few pieces if you are still planning on having dinner that night!

Just to keep the alcohol flowing, Zelo also offers a selection of drinks, including Spanish sparkling wines, red wine and white wine, only at HK$68 per glass. Scrumptious Spanish tapas with wine…hmmmm, it does sound like a plan!

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Red Pepper with Tuna ($23)

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Roasted Bell Pepper and Eggplant ($23)

For the benefit of my Happy Hour-loving friends, I had to stuff myself in order to try out as many tapas as possible (disclaimer: I didn’t end up eating the piece of bread at the bottom as I would otherwise be too full to have dinner that night!)

I started with a few pieces of croquettes, as at times I needed potatoes like I needed air. I tried both the mixed vegetable croquette and the Serrano ham croquette, and they were light and crispy on the outside and soft and delectably smooth on the inside. However, I always find croquettes more delicious when they are still piping hot, so what you could do is ask the waiters to bring a piece of freshly made croquette to your table when it is ready (you might have to wait for 10-15 minutes though). The Serrano ham with tomato and olive oil was a carnivorous delight, as the ham was pristine and packed with meaty flavours.

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I mentioned that some of the pinchos were massive, and these included the cooked ham with fresh potato roll, the spinach tortilla with aioli and the smoked salmon with lettuce, onion, sour cream and dill. The cooked ham with fresh potato was wholesome and filling, with a thick piece of ham wrapped around silky, creamy mashed potatoes; the spinach tortilla was nicely layered, and the potatoes tasted natural and satisfying; the smoked salmon was indulgent and was perfect to go with my drinks, as the salmon paired very well with a generous, alluring layer of sour cream.

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Cooked Ham with Fresh Potato Roll ($23)

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Spinach Tortilla with Aioli ($23)

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Smoked Salmon with Lettuce, Onion, Sour Cream and Dill ($23)
The octopus in the octopus with paprika and olive oil was fresh and chewy, and I also adored the firm, bouncy prawns in my prawns with cocktail sauce.

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Octopus with Paprika and Olive Oil ($23)

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Prawns with Cocktail Sauce ($23)
Last but not least, the grilled cheese with blueberry jam was a winner. The melting cheese was tasty and addictive, and was grilled until crisp and chewy on the surface, without being dry. It was finished off with a dollop of blueberry jam, which added a light, delightful sweetness and was the cherry on the cake.

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