Oasis: an exotic tapas lounge for a late-night nosh

Oasis is definitely a late-night scene. Come to this new tapas lounge much earlier than 10 p.m. and you’ll feel like a tourist in Madrid, arriving for dinner hours before anybody else. The long, narrow dining room, fitted with cozy banquettes and metallic gold booths and lit by ornate ruby glass lanterns, may well be empty.

The decor by designer Eva Schwarz is a psychedelic riff on the idea of Morocco. It features cobalt blue walls, classic Moorish motifs and a mural that enlarges a Moroccan floor-tile pattern to cover an entire wall. Gold-mesh canopies cocoon each booth in its own world. How romantic is that? The hostess checks your name against her reservation list in the light of a lamp shaded with what looks very much like a pink turban.

And in the bar, brocade poufs and opulent divans with silk pillows invite lingering. VIPs can slide into their own sumptuous nook outfitted with two sofas and drifts of soft cushions. A chain with a metal tag reading “reserved” bars the entrance.

The menu is a mix of Spanish and North African-inspired tapas, or small dishes, to share. Before anything else comes good crusty bread and a gutsy dish of pureed chickpeas brightened with the flavors of garlic, lemon and hot pepper.

Then it’s mix-and-match from the one-page menu. Bright red piquillo peppers are stuffed with boquerones, those vinegary Spanish anchovy filets that are all the rage. Deep-fried calamari are paired with a fiery romesco sauce. And seared beef carpaccio is strewn with almonds and pine nuts.

The Spanish charcuterie plate works beautifully for two or four. It includes slices of paprika-streaked sausage, salami, ham and lomo (cured pork loin), plus four kinds of cheese, all of them excellent.

Slid off the skewer, the marinated grilled pork kebab is delicious with its cool, soothing quince sauce. Big, meaty shrimp are served on mashed potatoes in a complex “Berber” sauce that begs for more bread to soak up every bit.

But my favorite is the beguiling couscous, laced with preserved lemon and mint.

The wine list is a work in progress. The first bottle we ordered couldn’t be found. The second was not the vintage listed -- that turned out to be a misprint. Though the staff is still a bit disorganized, they’ve got the right idea: wines that can stand up to strong flavors. And eight of them are offered by the glass or carafe.

With a look is straight out of Matisse’s voyage to Morocco, tapas that are Moorish in inspiration and an edgy, late-night ambience, Oasis draws on more than just the neighborhood. Where else can you get a lamb and apricot tagine or clams in a spicy chile broth after 10 or 11 p.m.? Oasis stays open till midnight.

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Oasis

Where: 611 N. La Brea Ave.,

Los Angeles.

When: Open 6 p.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday.

Full bar. Valet parking.

Cost: Menu items $5 to $18.

Info: (323) 939-8900.