I don’t know about you but I have a fridge full of questions for the food universe. Like why would someone stuff sushi inside a burrito; who on earth thought donning a milkshake with a donut was a good thing? And, most importantly, why aren’t there pork roll vending machines installed in all homes?

Ummm, anyway Subida, Woollahra’s newest tapas and pintxos (peen-chos) restaurant is offering another conundrum. I’m a little baffled as to why it’s dead quiet. The only thing rolling through the door on my visit, apart from yours truly, is tumbleweed. Even the waiter remarks, “You have the whole restaurant to yourself.”

Why that is, I don’t know, but it pains me to see it so empty because it ticks so many boxes. Yep, the wine list gets a triple-A rating – approachable, affordable and adventurous, that is. The service is enthusiastic, and the design of the Art Deco space is joyous. Walls are covered in colourful murals in a very Joan Miró (Spanish surrealist) manner by Sydney artists Brett Chan and Nadia Hernandez.

Perched on the first floor of the Light Brigade Hotel, it’s smarter than most of Spain’s tapas bars but stops short of serious restaurant status. With a cocktail lounge upstairs, and a rooftop bar further skyward, it’s quite the sleeping giant.

Chef Justin Schott has done the rounds in brigades around town, and here he gets to show off his Spanish side. Snack on Don Bocarte anchovy atop tomato and crisp bread, or a delicate salt cod omelette. Then rich romesco sauce adds sweetness to crunchy black squid-ink fritters, and although the potato bravos is a letdown, fermented capsicum and smoky tomato are spot on with a stunning snapper carpaccio. Smoked eggplant and yoghurt are superb with chipolata-sized chorizo. More please, chef – if only there were more people here to enjoy it.

With a full room Subida could be as colourful and enticing as the food itself.