Even before I moved to Charlotte, I had a favorite restaurant here:  Coco Osteria.  I ate there on my first visit to the Queen City (and every trip thereafter).  I loved the food, the ambiance, and the service.  I never once dined inside of Coco’s—I always sat outside with a bottle of wine smack dab in the middle of uptown surrounded by the energy of the city.  To my horror, Coco’s shut its doors in December and reemerged as Malabar, a Spanish tapas restaurant, in January.  I was devastated.  To make matters worse, I had to walk right by 214 N Tryon every day on my way to and from work.  I’d peer into the windows trying to get a feel for the place.  I’d note how many people patronized the restaurant at various times of day.  I inspected the menu dozens of times.

Last month I realized some of my favorite dishes from Coco’s are now served at Luce, a sister restaurant located in the same courtyard, mere steps away.  So then I became a little less angry and slightly less hostile and decided to finally try Malabar. 

Inside Malabar, the seating area is quaint with about 15 or so tables.  They tend to fill up shortly after noon and again around 6:30 in the evening.

There is also a bar area with a handful of stools.

The Malabar dinner menu boasts four types of tapas (vegetable, meat, seafood, and cheese), plus entrees, and traditional made-to-order paella.

I needed a cocktail to assist me in analyzing the menu, and I opted for the Caipirinha, which had a mango puree and fresh muddled basil.  It was different from traditional Brazilian Caipirinha, but very enjoyable nonetheless.

It wasn’t an easy decision, but we opted for tapas rather than paella so that we could sample more of the menu.

The star plate of the evening was the Almejas a la Mancha (sautéed clams, chorizo, and saffron).  At only $10, I think this was a pretty generous serving.

Both the chorizo and the clams were tender and coated in a delicious Spanish red sauce.  My best bite was a sauce soaked piece of bread, topped with a large slice of chorizo, and garnished with a succulent clam.