It’s a work in progress, but already newly opened Marketplace restaurant, Café EurAsia, has the potential to become the food court’s hottest destination.

Andy Dhanpaul has recently acquired the space formerly occupied by Neville Anderson’s Café Aubergine. He’s sitting inside the restaurant, legs crossed, enjoying a glass of Pepsi and ready to share with Thursday Food his plans for expansion, some of which are to take effect as early as next week.

It’s a balmy Monday afternoon and Marketplace is enjoying heavy traffic, an unusual occurrence on the first day of the workweek.

The sounds of drills, jack hammers and tinkling metal notwithstanding, Dhanpaul has seemingly carved out a quiet enclave that has managed to find balance between the cosy, countryside feel of the former restaurant and the kind of urbane appeal of a Barcelona bistro. Throw in a touch of Mediterranean influence and the formula for interesting cuisine and conversation is complete.

“I’m going to put in coffee-style tables and wood panel flooring, Jamaican antique furniture and open out that wall to make the space more breathable,” says Dhanpaul, an architect, foodie and businessman whose career had its genesis at Sunset Beach. He also established Montego Bay’s Groovy Grouper and helms Jewel of India, also at the Marketplace.

“I want to complete most of the work by month end,” Dhanpaul shares, admitting that he and his team are still working to perfect all the elements of the restaurant.

One element that plays a role in the whole operation is his relationship with Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum; it’s both a personal and business move since his father Danny Dhanpaul worked in the sugar industry for many years and served as estate manager of the famed rum company.

“The bar on the terrace is called The Estate; we’re planning on installing a backdrop featuring the Appleton Estate 21-Year-Old Rum,” Dhanpaul notes, adding that the space will feature elegant barrel-style furniture. The restaurant walls, he shares, will be dedicated (each month) to the works of emerging visual artists like Laura Ann Fung.

He boasts, too, about “old man” Norman Walker, his able chef with whom he first worked at Groovy Grouper.

“Everything is designed by me,” asserts Dhanpaul in reference to the menu.

In deciding how best to present his food, the restaurateur tells Thursday Food he was inspired by clean, simple flavours.

His talk of simplicity is also borne out in the appetisers, healthy servings of black mussels in drawn butter cooked in white wine, garlic and parsley; and the flavourful Greek calamari salad.

Seafood lovers will also delight in the tasty Jumbo Shrimp with Heads finished with classic Spanish garlic, crushed pepper sauce topped with feta cheese. Or the exotic Coconut Almond Snapper Fillet sautéed with lemon grass: flaky, succulent and sure to be a hit.

“It’s all about going back to basics, enjoying the simplicity of just salt and black pepper added to the freshest of produce.”

He throws convention to the wind, and seemingly channels the late great Norma Shirley as he dismisses the pairing of mint jelly or rosemary with lamb. Instead he’s keen to suggest that his signature tamarind-mango sauce caresses the palate much more smoothly.

A noted fact once the tender, sauce-laden lamb is sampled. Meat lovers will enjoy, too, prime cuts of beef…and there are choices galore (think generous slabs of Rib Eye or the Bourbon New York Strip with signature red wine and mushroom sauce).

If there’s any room left, guests may appease their sweet tooth with desserts by Cordon Bleu-trained Terry-Ann Brown of Cook Up Creations ahead of closing the meal with French-pressed coffee from Café Blue.

It’s a spot for not only the foodie, but the wine buff and the curious as well.

And with over 75 bottles of wines from the cellars of 1876 wines, Betco, GraceKennedy and Wray & Nephew in house, Dhanpaul encourages guests to get creative, even for those who don’t consider themselves adventurous.

“I’m an architect so I always try to make things less complex; big flavours tend to complicate and I believe there’s room for this type of cuisine,” Dhanpaul shares as he raises a toast along with the superb Salento Primitivo from 1876 wines to 2011 — a new year filled with exquisite dining possibilities.