Chef Richard Sandoval and business partner Maestro Placido Domingo have opened two venues, La Sandia Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar and Zengo, in Santa Monica Place, a new outdoor mall. AvroKO designed both concepts. La Sandia is reminiscent of a traditional Mexican hacienda with white stucco, terracotta, reclaimed white oak and shades of talavera blue. Walls of terracotta roof tiles are handcrafted and arranged in a screen-like pattern, while Azure walls and flooring, inspired by a 16th century palace in Mexico City, are crafted with an elaborate patterning of traditional talavera tiles. In the interior dining room, a bronze fountain and traditional Mexican sculptures sit beneath an expansive retractable glass skylight.
Meanwhile, Zengo is a reimagined palace replete with Latin and Asian flourishes to complement the restaurant’s fusion cuisine. The space is outfitted in exotic teal, glazed red tile, brown leathers, and black concrete tile flooring. The two main walls of the dining room house an intricate paneling system of red lava tiles, while artisan-crafted rose-colored glass lighting pendants create a canopy over the main dining area. Oversized awning windows cascade along the restaurant’s east wall, while the north façade comprises movable glass walls that open to a covered outdoor patio. Art features in the space include custom glazed ceramic opium pillows, a curated wall of Asian tea tins and sculptural incense burners.
