El Rincon @ Changkat

Replacing Le Bouchon at the corner of Changkat Bukit Bintang, El Rincon swaps its predecessor's French fare for Spanish sensations. It's one of 2012's most promising restaurants.

Meals here start with complimentary "Pan Tumaca" _ warm, crisp bread spread with olive oil, tomato, garlic and salt. A simple but surprisingly satisfying Catalonian toast.

Andalusian gazpacho, another classic, the liquid equivalent of tomato salad. El Rincon boasts a Spanish chef and at least one Spaniard on a service team that emanates warm professionalism, so customers can be assured of authenticity.

Northern Spanish anchovies _ slick, slimy and salty _ in a roasted bell pepper salad.

What a load of tripe: Braised veal tripe and chorizo in tomato and pimento sauce. This hearty stew is an acquired taste, not for the faint of stomach, but it's ideal for a cold, rainy evening.

Fleshy Iberico pork cheeks, offering a coarse, crimson-hued chew for red-blooded carnivores.

Suckling goat roasted in its own juices. Goat isn't the most tender meat, so this is understandably tough, with a gaminess that not everyone will enjoy. But it has a rustic charm, and it left us high on a protein rush.

Jordan de Asso, Grenache, 2010.

All in all, El Rincon is the perfect companion eatery for tapas specialist Pinchos next door, though they're not affiliated with each other. Prices? A three-course meal with wine will surpass RM100 per person.

El Rincon,
Amigo Sentimieto Coliseum, Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
Open daily for dinner.