Mesa 15 is located at 15 Hollywood Road (hence the name), right next to another Spanish tapas restaurant, Tapeo. The former Starbuck’s has been darkened and the old coffee bar is now the glass-encased kitchen, where you can see the team of chefs at work. There is a variety of seating arrangements at Mesa 15, including a semi-circular front bar, a large communal table in the middle, some high tables, two cosy booths tucked in front of the open kitchen as well as seating upstairs. Black mirrored ceilings, marble tables, light wooden floors and dim lighting all combine to make for an atmosphere that is more club than restaurant.

The menu is conceived by Alejandro Sánchez, a chef with a single Michelin-starred restaurant in Andalusia and includes the tapas you’d expect (patatas bravas, croquetas, gambas, cochinillo) as well as some modern interpretations such as a baby rib burger. From the classics, the croquetas (HK$55 for four) are on the creamy side while the homemade pickled mussels in broth (HK$79) verge on both salty and undercooked. One of the house specials from the starter menu is the mini baby-rib burger with red pepper jam and blue cheese dressing (HK$55 for two): although the meat itself is tender and juicy, the accompanying red pepper jam and blue cheese are just not strong enough to register as a presence at all, making the dish bland. From the mains, another special is the 24-hour slow-cooked crispy suckling pig (HK$159). The pig has a lot of fat that has not been rendered out and has a sticky texture in general, and it also could have done with a more acidic sauce or side to cut through the fat. Also disappointing is “Alejandro’s fish and chips” (HK$99): a dish named after the chef should be a stand-out, but that is not the case here. The fish is thick, chewy and tastes mostly of paprika and the aioli is bland. A much better option is the slow-cooked free-range egg with sautéed mushrooms (HK$79). The mushrooms come with two eggs on either side and while the dish is not the most attractive when the eggs are broken, it is comforting and one of the best-tasting dishes of the night. Desserts are also hit-and-miss: the chocolate biscuits (HK$42) are chewy and unmemorable, but come with three dollops of sensational chocolate mousse, which alone are worth going back to Mesa 15 for.

The wine list is Spanish with a fair selection of favourites such as Rioja. There are four reds by the glass and two whites. Wines by the glass come in stem-less wine glasses, which may not be to everyone’s taste.

The food at Mesa 15 comes extremely quickly. Even the suckling pig, which is said to take 15 minutes, comes within five. While this may suit Hong Kong’s style of dine and dash, the experience ends up feeling rushed and not like a place where you could linger over your drinks while nibbling on leisurely tapas.

At less than HK$300 per person (excluding wine), Mesa 15 is inexpensive for this stretch of Hollywood Road and portions are generous. However, the quality of the food is only average and will have to improve before Mesa 15 can be considered truly good value for money.