Rating: ★★★☆☆

Address: 6/F, Grand Progress Building, 15-16 Lan Kwai Fong, Central 中環蘭桂坊15-16號協興大廈6樓

Telephone: 2530 1890

Previously located on 15 Hollywood Road (hence the name) and now relocated to Lan Kwai Fong, Mesa 15 is a Michelin one-starred restaurant which offers modern Spanish cuisine in a sleek and stylish environment. The restaurant’s old location is taken up by its sister restaurant Numero 15, an upbeat and casual tapas bar. The decor of Mesa 15 is bright and serene, with marble countertops, a semi-open kitchen and wooden chairs and shelves imbuing the space with a homely and subtly luxurious vibe.

Tables are set comfortably far apart, and the service was attentive and graceful. We came on a Saturday for lunch and each of us ordered a three-course set lunch priced at $200.

(1) An amuse-bouche of creme cauliflower was served, and we found it delightfully creamy and suitably flavoured.

(2) A starter of fresh Irish baby mussels in spicy tomato sauce followed. The spicy tomato sauce was tangy but we were not particularly wowed by the baby mussels, which tasted average.

(3) The slow-cooked free range egg was wonderfully smooth and raw-middled, but the smoked potato foam needed more flavours and was a tad too airy.

(4) The smoked egg plant and ox tongue salad had a great range of fresh flavours, and the firm, chewy ox tongue was particularly good to eat.

(5) The signature octopus black rice was our favourite dish at lunch – the crispy grilled octopus had an enticing smoky flavour, and the octopus black rice was unforgettably flavour-packed and had a perfect consistency.

(6) The pan seared slow-cooked Norwegian salmon fillet was excellently juicy and tender, and the wafer-like crispy skin was simply gorgeous. The wasabi mash potato was a bit bland though, and the wasabi flavour was hardly detectable.

(7) The slow-cooked Iberico pork cheek (+$20), in a sweet sherry wine purée, was soft and tender, but the flavours were mellow and the dish overall lacked flair.

(8) The white chocolate lemon mousse cake tasted fabulous – lemon with white chocolate was an unexpectedly great match, and the biscuit base formed a fantastic contrast with the velvety and creamy foam.

(9) The strawberry Greek yoghurt foam tasted even more impressive. The Greek yoghurt foam tasted sweet and attractive, and was lifted by the taste of strawberries which was pleasant and refreshing.

(10) To round up the meal, I ordered a cup of latte, which was slightly watery but tasted decent.

The Spanish cuisine at Mesa 15 was overall thoughtful and refined. However, we found the standard of the meal a bit inconsistent and we are not sure whether, even with its one Michelin star, it can set itself apart from the other Spanish culinary establishments in town. (My recommended Spanish restaurants in Hong Kong are BCN and Catalunya!)