(That's Shanghai)
Updated: 2008-01-23 11:14

Zoco's interior is pure spectacle; it's as if Nick Cave ran amok in a Moorish castle and created a dreamscape of exaggerated geometries and hypersensual tones.

Not sure what to expect from 'modern tapas cuisine', we sampled the deep-fried goat cheese dumplings (RMB 38), marinated mixed mushrooms (RMB 38) and patatas bravas (RMB 28). Each was flavorful, rich and oily; in short, remarkably like those pre-modern tapas we've eaten elsewhere.

Then, things took a heartbreaking turn, as our delicate monkfish main (RMB 138) was smothered by a brutish, bitter tapenade. The service, as one might expect from a Paolo Velini outlet, was warm and professional; perhaps this accounts for our pleasing impression of an otherwise passable meal.

Zoco
Open: Daily 11:30am-3pm, 3-6pm (tapas only), 6-10:30pm.
Location: Grand Plaza Club House, 2/F, 568 Julu Lu, by Xiangyang Lu
Tel: 021-6289 6889
Cost for two (excluding drinks) RMB 308