We had heard that The Cufflink Club's Joel Fraser was working on a second restaurant on HongKong Street. But the night before its actual opening, we managed to crash a party there.  What did we find out? Read on:

Vasco is a new South American joint with Andrew Walsh, formerly of Esquina, in the kitchen. The place has a real Garcia Marquez vibe: leather booths, hanging copper lamps, colorful distressed tile work and bureaucratic-looking signage that reminds us of 19th century recreation clubs.

On the menu is a medley of iconic regional dishes: empanadas ($12-17), a few ceviche ($20-21), heartier plates like a cubano sandwich ($22), beef tartare with chimichurri and tortillas ($29), et cetera.

More interestingly, on the drinks front, they promise only South American spirits. No single malt whisky, no handcrafted gin. Nothing but mezcal, cachaca, rum, pisco and tequila. Even their house Negroni is made with mezcal instead of gin. Along with Latin classics like the mojito, the pisco sour and the pina colada, they have a handful of signature cocktails, including the naughtily named Cusco Puta ($24), with pisco, strawberry, capsicum, chili and lime.

Forgive our drunken pictures: we just wanted you to be one of the first to know that the place opens tonight (May 5).