MoVida

By Franz Scheurer

A narrow, cobblestone-paved, graffiti-covered alleyway houses the unlikely entrance to MoVida, a restaurant specialising in Spanish fare and tapas. Impossibly high ceilings with ‘decorative’ electric wiring, featuring huge, round light shades, a well-stocked bar on one side and a large blackboard on the back wall above the semi-open kitchen, set the scene. Large, Spanish product posters and some excellent wood art depicting food items work well with the simple, industrial, blonde wood furniture. There are no tablecloths but decent cloth napkins and good serving ware.

The menu is divided into ‘tapas’ (single serves) and ‘racion’ (double serves) and the idea is to share. We started with a ‘Gilda’, a Cantabrian white pickled anchovy, piece of smoked tomato, caperberry and stuffed olive on a ‘pincho’ (toothpick); the idea is to put it all into your mouth in one go to enjoy the flavours and textures. Great with a sip of fresh Manzanilla sherry! Next we tried a couple of daily specials, a deep-fried zucchini flower stuffed with goat’s curd and served with a drizzle of honey, and a fabulous empanadilla, a small half-moon pie made with sherry pastry and stuffed with salt cod and raisins. Both dishes were fantastic, innovative and moreish. A small platter of cold cuts, ‘Embutido’, with cured chorizo, salsichon and jamon prepared the way for the ‘Chocos con Garbanzos’, pan-seared, marinated cuttlefish with chickpeas, mint and tomato salad. A side dish of pickled artichokes were too acidic for our liking but the ‘Pimiento de Piquillo’ a whole hickory smoked baby pepper, filled with blue swimmer crab and potato confit absolutely blew our socks off. A dish of ‘Cabrito Asado’, Hahndorf milk-fed baby goat, roasted with thyme and garlic was an unctuous, gelatinous, and quite substantial, dish. It was perfectly seasoned, but, gnawing the 20cm long ribs, I figured that it must have come from the biggest baby goat imaginable. A serving of ‘Patatas a la Pobre’, poor man’s potatoes, Nicola spuds simmered in olive oil and garlic, made it clear that poor people in Spain eat far too well, and a serving of ‘Morchila de Burgos’, an in-your-face, skinless, grilled black pudding, put the crown on a lunch fit for a king.

The wine list is appropriate with an acceptable number of wines by the glass, and more importantly, a good selection of Spanish wines and Sherries. The Manzanilla is fresh (and marked with the date of bottling) and value for money across the board, is exceptional.

Although full as the proverbial, we ordered a flan, (crème caramel) and a serving of ‘Churros’, deep-fried, sugar and cinnamon coated, pastry sticks, with hot chocolate for dessert.

This is a really fun place, the food is sensational, the service amiable and helpful, I just wish they would move to Sydney!

Score: 7.5/10

For more information or bookings:

MoVida

Bar de Tapas y Restaurante

1 Hosier Lane

Melbourne

Tel.: 03 9663 3038