Newly opened on Guanghualu, the new branch of Mare features a modest décor and an incredible selection of tapas. We opted for their tapas platter (YY70 per person, minimum two people), featuring six different tapas, chosen daily by the chef. Our selection offered tasty bites of croquettes, grilled prawns with aioli, chorizo with cheese, and chicken with bleu cheese, highlighted by fried calamari and grilled lamb. Next, was the beef tournedo (YY98), served with a truffle sauce and cooked to a perfect medium-rare, a savory “hurrah” for meat eaters everywhere. The mixed seafood platter (YY180), a combination of crisp cod, fresh prawns, grilled monkfish and salmon, showed a lot of potential—had it not been for an overdose of salt that necessitated a gulp of water after each bite. Finally, the paella (YY90 per person). One of our favorite Spanish dishes, we were more than willing to endure the 40-minute wait time, and were surprised when the sizzling pan appeared after a mere 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the excitement soon faded as we sunk our teeth into dry mussels and soggy and tasteless rice. Not a lost cause, we made a few revisions of our own, dousing the pan with the salty sauce from the seafood platter for extra flavor. Overall, a decent beginning, which will no doubt be improved with a few minor adjustments. Nonetheless, as long as the beef tournedo remains the same, Mare is one restaurant worth trying.