Marea by Rausch

All is not quite as it seems at Marea by Rausch, the newest contender for the title of the best seafood restaurant in Cartagena, Colombia.

For a start, restaurants in conference centres aren't supposed to be this good. I mean, seriously, who's ever heard of an upscale cordon bleu restaurant with a sensational sea view and even more scintillating menu in a conference centre?

A zillion miles from the typical canteen grub served up in most corporate hospitality bunkers, Marea by Rausch, boasts inspired fare shaped by Colombia's most famous culinary double-act, Jorge and Mark Rausch.

Of Polish descent, the duo made their name through TV programmes and cookery books built on the enduring success of their Bogotá flagship Criterión, which after 10 years at the top of the game is still the best French restaurant in Colombia.

The brothers love to keep a fiercely loyal following on their toes with a constantly evolving menu and for their high-end Cartagena debut they've introduced a few pleasant surprises to set the seafood specialist apart from its forerunner in the capital.

Top of the list of their little box of surprises is Marea by Rausch's signature dish, the Mojarra Frita, a main that at first glance appears to be a simple, well-executed version of the fried fish Cartagena staple.

A plate of Caribbean perfection, no doubt: a whole golden fried fish, presented in swimming position accompanied bypatacones, coconut-flecked rice and tangy hogao sauce, but hardly a platter worthy of two of the most famous chefs in Colombia?

It's only when you plunge your knife into the centre of the fish and ready yourself to pick through the bones that you appreciate the Rausch brothers' genius.

De-boned and re-packaged perfectly into its original form, they've taken all the hassle out of one of the quintessential Cartagena experiences. 

It helps that the fish and all the other Rausch trademarks - fresh French bread with sun-dried tomatoes and costeño cheese, divine French desserts - are made with the finest ingredients. Other highlights from the menu include a Peruvian-style seafood rice infused with turmeric, an amazing Entrecote and pretty much everything on the dessert menu will satisfy sweet-toothed visitors.

The Rausch family's meticulous attention to detail stretches to the restaurant's ocean-fresh interiors, a product of a tried and tested collaboration with the brothers' sister-in-law Orit Feldman.

Don't be duped by the red herring wallpaper. The fishy themed walls were hand-painted with acrylic and outlined with a Sharpie pen.