By Frank Sabatini Jr.

If there comes an evening when you want to hop off the merry-go-round of fancy mac ‘n’ cheese, newfangled ramen and pork belly everything, go to Sirena Gourmet Latin Seafood Restaurant. Nearly the entire menu escapes such copycat fare, which spreads faster across the culinary landscape than the time it takes to consume another “renowned” crab cake.

Even ubiquitous dishes like beet salad and ceviche send the palate down non-pedestrian roads, throughout South America in particular. The salad combines colorful varieties of the spicy root vegetable with nutty-tasting quinoa and juicy mandarins, resulting in a magical contrast of flavors and textures that calls for a moment of silence.

In another medley, which unites wine-braised leeks, asparagus, carrots, baby corn, and Chinese eggplant, a comforting twist arises from the discrete additions of bulgur and pulverized macadamia nuts. You immediately begin to realize the pilot of this kitchen dares to be different.

Chef Jaime Chavez, a native of Chile, cooked his way through Spain and Mexico, and taught at a culinary school in Tijuana before landing the executive chef position at Sirena, the Spanish word for “mermaid.”

His knack for pairing unlikely ingredients together is especially evident in the ceviches he makes, some of which are available only on Wednesdays from a special menu.

From that list, we were wowed by his “berrygood” ceviche stocked with shrimp, scallops, crab, and yellowtail. The presence of smashed blackberries and fleshy pomegranate seeds broke the monotony of the citrus that pervades conventional recipes, offering brilliant spurts of sweetness and subtle crunchiness.

His “veggieche” pushes the envelope further with turnips, rainbow carrots, jicama and avocado replacing seafood. Accented simply with cilantro and leche de tigre (the Peruvian term for lemon-lime marinade), we were no less awestruck by its defiance of tradition, which occurs in his other nouvelle ceviches such as salmon-horseradish, octopus-nectarine and beet-cured white fish.

While my companion dabbled in Sirena’s succinct, global wine list — starting with a fairly crisp A to Z Pinot Gris from Oregon — I succumbed to my love of pineapple with a mimosa blending the fruit juice with Cava Brut Reserve. Why don’t more establishments offer this tropical solution to what is otherwise a worn-out cocktail?

Skipping over oysters with lemon curd and a few sushi rolls available from a raw bar fronting the brightly lit open kitchen, we proceeded to a Peruvian-inspired potato nosh known as “causa.”

The chef presents the mashed potato cakes in an eye-popping trio, each flavored separately with pureed yellow chilies, arugula, and red beets. Their respective toppings featured crabmeat with red jalapenos; chicken with peppery huancaina (cheese) sauce; and marinated mushrooms with smoked red bell pepper puree.

Compared to causa I’ve tried in other Latin restaurants, where the spuds were accented rather lightly with chili peppers or lemony tuna, this lineup scored much higher in terms of flavor and versatility.

From a short list of entrees, my companion opted for the only vegetarian pick of barley risotto strewn with roasted tomatoes, arugula, green beans and peas. (We were told later that pretty much anything on the menu can be “veganized.”) The ingredients were tied together deftly by Parmesan cheese forming a sturdy, though non-goopy sauce. On the lip of the plate were beet ashes, which stirred up more curiosity than actual flavor.

Beautifully braised scallops of varying sizes comprised my main course. The knockout ingredient, however, was coconut-ginger sauce dotting the plate. It’s among the chef’s craftiest inventions, a sauce that can lure mermaids from the sea or give rise to any number of desserts.

Celery root chips and a medley of colored cauliflower mingled tastefully with the scallops, although the purple cauliflower puree sitting beneath the bivalves had the texture of baby food, and became overkill to the set. I would have preferred the precious coconut sauce in its place.

Other entrees include grilled octopus and root vegetables with black garlic emulsion; salmon with aji chili sauce and sweet potatoes; chicken and peas; New York steak with roasted Peruvian potatoes; and a daily pasta dish. For alternative starters, you’ll find jazzed-up fish tacos as well as house-made empanadas that change fillings every few days.

Sirena’s chic atmosphere occupies a corner lot with ground-level views of the Downtown skyline. Furnished with stylish brown-leather chairs and banquettes, it’s easy to hang out comfortably for a few hours before sliding into dessert, which also offers some matchless creations.

On the “apple & caramel” plate, the fruit was played up with ginger, Greek yogurt and intense blackberry sorbet, along with super-buttery caramel cream and a tubular-shaped cracker. A tall wedge of white-chocolate mousse with wine gelee and dark-chocolate topping didn’t disappoint either.

Sirena is raising the bar for modern-Latin cuisine by exposing us to a kind of fusion many of us may have never encountered. Hence, the adventure continues with multi-course meals Chavez will prepare in conjunction with acclaimed Latin chefs on the third Thursday of every month, beginning Aug. 20. Each dinner is priced at $70 (or $85 with wine pairings).

For reservations and details, call or visit the restaurant.

—Frank Sabatini Jr. is the author of “Secret San Diego” (ECW Press), and began his local writing career more than two decades ago as a staffer for the former San Diego Tribune. You can reach him at [email protected].