The new menu at Islero, a swanky Spanish joint which sits at the back of Plaza Athenee hotel, gives Bangkok diners a taste of the pointy end of Spanish fine dining.

The restaurant opened nearly a year ago now, but with new head chef Emiliano G V Alverellos (past employers: Mugaritz [2 stars] and El Bulli [World's Best Restaurant 2006-2009]), they’ve built on the menu’s fancier, El Bulli-referencing touches to offer a taste of Spanish cuisine that goes well beyond tapas.

While dishes like the grilled lamb rack with lamb ragout (B1,200) and Carabinero shrimp carpaccio (B480) deliver simple, produce-driven flavors, things become a lot more leftfield with chef Alverellos’ take on the Catalan classic of green peas with chorizo (B650), in which every pea is actually a bursting sphere of condensed pea puree.

Dessert chef Ilianna Karagkiozi has also done wonders in the pastry kitchen with an olive oil-infused chocolate mousse (B260) and orange cheesecake (B240) constructed as four perfectly deceptive tangerines.

Athenee Tower, 63 Wireless Rd., 02-1688100