YOU feel the spirit when in the Parlour Wine Room – the spirit of the original establishment before it tragically went up in flames in June 2011.

But it’s 2014 and the Parlour Wine Room is in full swing once more, offering Spanish tapas, international, national and regional boutique wines and colourful cocktails created at the massive bar.

Set in the New Acton precinct, Parlour Wine Room’s menu is easy to manoeuvre. In the evening, you can enjoy oysters or tapas, including white anchovies ($6), pork crackle ($8) and marinated olives ($9). Or focus on sharing tapas plates, or hot tapas, including three-hour braised beef cheeks, baby onions and smoked potato foam ($42).

The menu isn’t as extensive during the day (fair enough) and ranges from $8.50 for a Croque Monsieur made with sexy Serrano jamón, Maffra cheddar (from Victoria) and aioli, to $16 for tapas plates.

Our party of four visited at lunch and were up for sharing the plates. At the Parlour Wine Room the dishes change with the seasons. We ordered the chorizo cassoulet with white beans and a 62C egg, a method some chefs says produces the perfect result.

The chorizo was spicy (although not overly so) and a bit tough. The rich and beautiful sauce cried out to be soaked up with fresh bread, however. We thought it a good idea for Parlour to automatically offer even a small basket of bread with the dish.

The chicken liver pate, with pomegranate gel and toasted brioche, was delish.

Wanting a bit of veg, we shared the braised green beans with mint and garlic yoghurt. We agreed the tastes were confusing given what the menu stated (mint, garlic, yoghurt) and we weren’t prepared for the pucker power of the beans. They were surprisingly overly acidic and didn’t agree with us.

The décor is eclectic, with many “seating zones”. Tip: some zones are more comfortable and conducive to eating than others, so choose carefully.

Art deco is a strong influence and Edwardian-type pieces of furniture are scattered about. The big parlour chairs are no surprise, given the name of the place, and floral patterns are predominant. If you prefer, there is ample outdoor seating.

Service was friendly but slow, especially at the beginning of our visit when we wanted to settle in with a glass of wine.

Sangria jugs are available for $25 every day and on Tuesdays, two courses and a choice of house wine or beer is $30.

Open for lunch Thursday to Sunday, noon to 3pm. 16 Kendall Lane, New Acton 6257 7325.