The food at Zandru’s Tapas Bar & Restaurant is good enough that I would order it for take-out, but it’s not good enough that I would dine in again.
When you first walk in, you’ll notice right away how much space is wasted. There’s no feeling of intimacy here; in fact, the stark-white decor makes you feel like you’re in an Apple store. Meanwhile, the service is a bit spotty–on one visit, I was brought an uncleaned cloth napkin, and it took several minutes for me to get a replacement since the staff left the dining area.
I did say the food was good, so here’s a recap.
You’ll find four types of montadito, which is basically sliced baguette with grilled meat on top. The Spanish sausage ($4.50) is tender and has a bit of heat to it. The lightly toasted bread maintains its texture against the sauce, and the onions and black olives add a bit of breadth to the flavor.
Paella can be portioned for one or two people. Of the four varieties, I tried the valenciana ($16/$38). The paella itself is comforting, and I appreciate that the veggies were cooked through. If the dish only had the Spanish sausage, I would have been satisfied. However, it also had chicken, which was so overcooked, I almost gave up chewing it. The mussels similarly were dry.
Some of the best shrimp I’ve ever eaten came in the gambas as ajillo ($9). The shrimp was fresh and perfectly cooked, and the broth in which it sat was garlicky but not in an overpowering way.
The Spanish tortilla ($7) is actually an egg and potato pie. The potatoes were soft but firm enough to keep their form, and they were the primary flavor, ahead of the quiche-like eggs. The onions and bell peppers were not prevalent.
Among the Latin Fusion entrees, I tried the pan con chicharron ($10). The salsa criolla adds a subtle tang to the tender roasted pork, and the bolillo bread held up to bind all the ingredients together.
Zandru’s Tapas Bar & Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.
***
See more photos in our Zandru’s Tapas Bar & Restaurant Flickr album.
