a take on mezze

my last spanish outing seem to have made me a little bit wary on spanish cuisine but i was still up for another food adventure. this time we headed to mezze, been hearing some great reviews about the place so i was pretty optimistic.

we were initially served with bread and gremolata. the bread was placed in paper cones which was nicely done and the gremolata was something to rave about. the balsamic reduction gave it the winning factor i could eat the bread and gremolata pairing as a meal =).

for appetizers we got the croquettas which are stuffed with cheese and ham, flavorful and crisp in the outside. the patatas brava are potato wedges drizzled with aioli. enough seasoning and perfectly cooked inside. the salpicao wrap is basically stuffed with lettuce and some salpicao, the beef was tender and well seasoned. great starters for our spanish feast.

after the platter, we were served with some grilled ahi tuna salad. the tuna was fresh and tender served with some herbs and spices more like a ceviche the only difference is that the tuna was seared. the dish was refreshing, a nice way to cleanse our palate post the fried appetizers.

the shrimp and scallop is served in a creamy concoction with a tinge of yellow color which probably came from saffron placed on top of peppers in a crunchy ciabatta bread. i like the the crunchy bread which contrasted the creamy seafoods but it would have been better if the bread was a bit warm.

paella de dona nena is a house speciality. served with a complete range of your usual paella ingredients. didn't scrimp on the seafood and shellfish. the rice is well cooked, i like that the rice is soft and meshed well together with the ingredients but having it piping hot would have been great.

for dessert, we had tropical rice pudding. it's mango rice pudding served in a puff pastry garnished with some berry coulis. the mango and rice tasted great but would have been better served sans the puff pastry. i think the textures just didn't add up well. i also liked the house iced tea which is similar to the raspberry teas you get at other establishments.

overall, it was a great meal. way better dishes than my previous review on spanish cuisine. the wait staff is very attentive as well especially on how they explain the dishes being served. i am definitely coming back just to get that newly toasted bread and the great gremolata.

tasting menu (may1-30) : 1000PHP
mezze
greenbelt 2