t's late at night and the room is buzzing. Toned twentysomething magazine editors, Gastown warriors and downtown darlings are happy to get a table. Cobre is new, but word-of-mouth is keeping the tables filled at this little spot.

Taking the best features of the heritage building in which it resides, the split-level space is naturally loft-like, with dark woods, brick walls and a proficient refurbishing of the original wrought-iron railings. Sure to appease those with subscriptions to Dwell and a taste for diversity - and really, it does - the restaurant is calculated to keep diners slightly moving along.

Chef Stuart Irving, manager Tyson Reimer and Jason Kelly (both from Wild Rice, Bin 941 and Raintree) have brought forth a tapas dining concept that ranges from Spanish ceviche to tacqueria and tapas plates. If the boys have followed Restaurateur 101's golden rule to "Build What You Know" (a likely scenario, given that the chef’s previous status as executive chef at Wild Rice), it's safe to say that creativeness is on the agenda.

And indeed these Spanish dishes have been explored and repackaged with flavours from Argentina, Cuba, Brasil, and Mexico. The boys realize there's money in toning down the traditional Latino cuisine's Y chromosomes. A Local albacore tuna ($12), for example, hits the table with a pumpkin seed and sundried tomato pesto, while the Cuban lobster gets the ancho papaya treatment. The diver-caught scallop ceviche salad ($12) gets not much more than a simple dash of lemon. Irving's menu, in line with his less-is-more aesthetic, is concise.