By Alexandra Greeley

Yes, it’s true. Chef/owner Howsoon Cham (known informally as “H.O.”) of the bright little Georgetown jewel Red Ginger is from Gambia and really did play soccer in his college days. So watching this athlete-turned-chef on stage at his new venture, Café Tropé on P Street just west of Dupont Circle, adds to his allure. Besides, his cooking — here a fusion of classic French with down-home Caribbean — will set your taste buds wagging. And with his Sunday brunch going gangbusters, chances to dine on exotic fare have multiplied, all in your favor.

Moving on from Red Ginger, a place he purportedly is selling, Cham has built his culinary skills up carefully, working at many primo DC spots before purchasing Red Ginger: Georgia Brown’s, John Harvard’s Brew House, and Willie & Reeds in Bethesda, to name some, and then working with award-winner Jeffrey Buben of Bistro Bis and Vidalia fame. So his credentials are impeccable, as is his rather eclectic and offbeat cooking.

And, of course, as he opens up in Dupont, Cham has redesigned the interior of this corner restaurant, once home to several different formats. The enclosed sidewalk patio is the same — though maybe not winter-worthy — and the interior now has a Euro-tropical elegance. Of course, come spring that patio will beckon with its weatherized indoor/outdoor comfort zone. Indoors, beachside paintings and persimmon-colored walls add warmth and white tablecloths add class. The bamboo flooring — the poster child for the going-green indoors crowd — may be environmentally correct, but it certainly gives the room a casual beach-y and in-the-garden ambiance that only heightens the Caribbean aspect of the restaurant.

Then there’s the French-Caribbean menu, as eclectic as about any you’ll find in town. Imagine offering rack of lamb with an onion-mint pistou in the same breath as Jamaican jerk chicken “lollipops,” which are actually artfully and carefully trimmed drumsticks coated in a mild spice rub — “We don’t make it Jamaican-hot here,” affirms the waiter — paired with fried cabbage, a sort of warmed-up coleslaw accented by an onion hash.

While the drumsticks may take some getting used to, Cham’s rack of lamb is first-class, and may be accompanied by such sides as truffled macaroni and goat cheese — a rather spectacular dish, if I may say so — and fried plantains, mashed potatoes or a sweet potato purée. If you dig plantains, you’ll definitely want to order the plantain-crusted oysters, which make the typical fried oysters taste like they’ve been dipped in sawdust. Crispy, with just the hint of plantain and oyster sweetness peeking through, these are an all-year delight.

While his appetizers run the gamut from a pear and Roquefort salad (a classic sweet-earthy pairing on any table) to a shredded chicken and celery salad, his Caesar salad is one of the more unique creations by that name in this town. Cham takes the traditional romaine and tops it with two toast points, the requisite anchovy fillets, and toss of dressing, and loads of Parmesan. By the way, say yes to a few grinds of black pepper.

Be sure you don’t fill up on the fresh-baked rolls served with an unusual tapenade, a purée of artichoke hearts, lentils, and lots of garlic. You’ll want to save room for the decadent chocolate-espresso lava cake, so rich and filling that you could almost make a sugary meal of this alone. Other choices: a banana cupcake with coconut cream cheese frosting and a coconut bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream.

As with any menu, selections come and go, but you can’t go wrong with the lamb, the Caesar salad, and the chocolate cake — a meal made in heaven, by some accounts. Then there’s always brunch, a menu that’s even more eclectic than is usual, one with French crêpes served with carmelzed mango and two eggs or an omelet of chorizo sausage, onion, and smoke gouda. Yum.

Note: Cham selected the word “tropé” to evoke the Frenchness of his restaurant: It’s Tropez without the “z”.

Café Tropé / 2100 P St., NW; (202) 223-9335. Closed Mon. (for now); Lunch, Wed.-Sat., 11:30am-3pm; Dinner Tue.-Thu., 5-10pm; Fri. & Sat. to 11pm; Sun. brunch 10am-3pm, dinner 5-10pm. Entrée price range: $8-$15.