ZZO LAB

The restaurant looks stylish from the outside, in a minimalist sort of way, and has plenty of parking in the front. The lady led us to a table, but it was right under the A/C and had snow on it. The waitress graciously set up another table for us and killed all fans. I had read a few reviews that pointed out that the restaurant was always empty, and it was certainly the case for us as we were the only guests. Both the food and drink menu are quite small, but I already knew what I was going to order for Thao and myself: the Portuguese seafood rice stew, a dish that popped up in half the reviews I read. A dish for two people, $15.00 seems a fair price. The boy went for the smoked duck breast which, at $9.00, also seemed reasonably priced. As a starter, I ordered a small plate of sous-vide octopus carpaccio at $7.00. Not sure how it can be a carpaccio (raw) when it was sous-vide (cooked), but whatever. I also ordered a Belgian Vedett Extra White beer ($3.50) whilst Thao and HA stuck to water. Prices do not include 10% VAT but there is no service charge. We were served warm, fresh bread with an excellent truffle butter. We were also given those magic napkins that unfold when water is poured over them. I first came across those in Vietnam a few years ago when Thao and I went to a very funky restaurant. So funky in fact that I thought the napkin was some sort of starter, much to the merriment of Thao. The minimalist theme from outside continues into the restaurant. The predominant colour is white, there is little decoration, but it is absolutely a style I like. No bling-bling, no weird pictures or pink deer (read the Min Min review), just focus on the important stuff. The starter arrived after 10 minutes or so. Octopus is not an easy thing to cook, and I have had my fair share of what felt like tennis balls. Absolutely not the case here, the octopus was very tender. Thao had braces fit yesterday and has a very sore mouth, but she still managed to eat it. The first main course was the duck breast. I tried a small piece, and it was very, very tasty and the meat, whilst not quite melt-in-your-mouth, was tender enough. I did not try the sauce that came with it, but HA said that it was excellent. Good French fries and vegetables too, not sure why they thought they had to add a sachet of ketchup to the whole thing. Then came our order and boy, did it look and smell good. A very large portion and certainly not stingy on the seafood. Lots of clams, prawns and squid, with a few mussels thrown in. The stew, more of a soup, was well seasoned, with a rich tomato flavour. If there was to be a very small criticism: the seafood could have been dropped into the stew a minute or two later. I understand it is a challenge as the seafood will continue cooking in the very hot stew. I think they could chuck it in at the table, and it would be perfect. And there you have it. A real jewel of a restaurant and they deserve to have much more clients than they do. Everything was near perfect, with friendly service, great food, and a pleasant atmosphere. Prices are more than fair and even fairer at lunch when they give a 50% discount on their pasta. Are we going back? Too right we are, more likely than not within the week. Ok, the name ZZO is stupid ;-). The owners are Korean and they apparently have a few more venues in town.