RESTAURANTS : A WHIFF OF THE TROPICS : Sofritos<i> ,</i> Fufus<i> ,</i> Pupus<i> , Simples and Sticks: Coastal Cuisine in Hermosa Beach</i>

The sweet, tinny lilt of steel drums leaks out the door of Descanso, a new Hermosa Beach restaurant with a steamy tropical theme. Under a gaily striped awning, fat letters the juicy colors of banana, mango, and papaya spell out its name, Spanish for “little rest” or “vacation.” At the handmade tile bar inset with emerald palm fronds, party-goers in their best beachwear sip tall, cool drinks with names like Havana Banana, Koala Colada or Coca Cabana Cooler. A wraparound mural of sherbet-colored skies, exotic birds and bright umbrellas gives the large dining room the look of a beachside outpost. Descanso is lots of fun, and the food is just as high-spirited, characterized by bold, bright flavors and a whimsical sense of adventure.

The menu is an exuberant compendium of dishes from the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii and further afield. Owners Michael Frank and Robert Bell already had a California brasserie (Chez Melange), a Mediterranean bistro (Fino) and an Italian caffe and bakery (Misto), all in the South Bay. When they were first thinking of opening a tropical-themed restaurant, Frank and Bell took a research trip to Florida. According to a waiter (who turned out to be the manager), the two checked out dozens of restaurants--some for the decor, others for the food. The best meal they had was at Yuca, a Cuban restaurant in Coral Gables. When lunch was over, they asked to meet the chef. Expecting a Cuban to emerge from the kitchen, they were surprised when the chef turned out to be 24-year-old David Slatkin--from Tarzana. They later persuaded him to come back to Southern California and Descanso.

Slatkin, who studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., headed to Florida after graduating to learn about Cuban and Caribbean cuisine. He does seem to have a real affinity for this cooking--which Frank and Bell have dubbed “coastal cuisine,” a concept that stretches to include Morocco, Italy, even Bali and India. Any cuisine with a whiff of the tropics. Slatkin plays with textures and techniques, building flavor layer by layer with marinades, spice pastes and slow-cooked sofritos .

The adventure starts with the menus, which the waiter brings with a stack of brightly colored small plates. The idea here is to share everything family style. First-timers may be puzzled by categories like pupus and sticky fingers, cakes, sticks, bowls and, a little farther down the page, “simple mains.” And no etiquette book ever explained how to combine Island style poke and pappardelle with beef satay, seven-onion ramen and patacones (green plantain crackers) topped with mango and vodka-cured salmon.

You can study the long menu assiduously with the help of a glossary and ask a lot of questions, or simply close your eyes and point. Chances are you’d come up with a globe-trotting mix-and-match meal that intrigues with an exotic blend of ingredients and influences. The warm, enthusiastic staff can help too; they’ve all tasted the dishes and can describe them well enough to gently prod diners into risking the unfamiliar.

Some things you have to take on faith. Who could accurately describe the taste of their plantain fufu , a starchy, fruity mash of fruit and applewood-smoked bacon? Or the smoldering sofrito , thick with tomatoes, onions and roasted chiles, offered one night to spice up one of the blander dishes? The best strategy is to order in flights, several dishes at a time. With the exception of a handful of mains (as in main courses) and simple mains (plainer, less exotic main courses for those who just want a simple grilled fish, say), dishes don’t need to come in any particular order. Go easy the first time around; you can always order more.

Shrimp get a shaggy coat of spiced ground pumpkin seed that resembles armadillo hide; they’re terrific with that fiery sofrito. I loved the big black-bean-coated fried oysters served in their shells with a scoop of salsa and the lamb kebab rubbed with a cumin-accented spice paste and served alongside a fluffy turmeric-stained couscous. Moroccan-style shrimp are gilded with spice and served with the same irresistible couscous.

Ceviche of shrimp and fish is heaped in a coconut shell with a vibrant cilantro-laced tomatillo sauce. None of the dishes are all that fiery, but they can be easily doctored with some of the house hot sauce. Jamaican jerk chicken comes nicely charred and spiced. A meaty block of grilled fresh tuna picks up a little sweetness from the stake of sugar cane threaded through its heart. Proceed with caution; portions are generous. And the dessert course is yet to come.

Pastry chef Kelly Keightley has had some fun with the tropical theme, too. She rolls tuile cookies into tall cylinders and fills them with chocolate and a deliciously gooey banana mousse; she sends out these “towers” upright, a loopy cityscape on a plate. Her thick, exotic chilled mango-coconut soup is spiked with rum and comes with a warm mango chutney. And when she makes flan, she makes it rich, topped with toasted almonds, caramelized bananas and two very dark, very skinny chocolate cigars. There’s also a wonderful individual warm chocolate cake and a sundae of cinnamon, chocolate and vanilla ice cream scattered with chocolate-dipped macadamia nuts.

With the help of Ed Masciana, the owners have put together a remarkable “world” wine list. It’s filled with country wines from California, France and Italy, of course, but also from Spain, Greece, Australia and South Africa, and of some 45 wines, only a handful are over $20. Among my picks: the crisp 1993 Pinot Blanc from Au Bon Climat ($18), a sturdy rose from Gerard Depardieu’s Loire vineyard Chateau de Tigne ($16), which goes beautifully with spicy food, and the ’92 Shiraz from Rosemount Estate in Australia ($18), a gutsy red wine for gutsy food.

It’s a big, unwieldy menu, and some dishes still need work. The Key West conch chowder, for example, is too tomatoey, the conch rubbery; the key lime pie is a real disappointment. But in four visits spaced out over six or so weeks, the food at Descanso got better and better, the flavors more focused, the textures more refined. The kitchen is working hard, and young Slatkin is cooking up a tropical storm.

Descanso, 705 Pier Ave . , Hermosa Beach ; (310) 379 - 7997. Closed Sundays at lunch. Complimentary valet parking. Dinner for two, food only, $42-$66. Corkage , $7.50.