Movida
Phone 03 9663 3038
Friday. 8.30pm. EG and I were already half tanked after boozing it up at Hell’s Kitchen following a particularly hard week at work for the both of us. By this stage I had sunk four pints of Coopers and was well on my way to feeling oh-so-good, more so because I had a dinner reservation with friends at Movida, which unbelievably, I had never been to before.
I anticipated my first Movida experience to be a little different to how it actually played out. But I guess the fact that I was a little drunk helped me (us) deal with what you are about to read. But I’ll get to that in a tick.
Movida was not at all how I imagined. I thought it would be a little more Spanish; more dark wood, more cramped, more intimate. What I found was a rather arty industrial space - high ceilings, white plaster, tiled floor, bronze, a bit of wood, subdued lighting and a wicked bar-to-roof wine rack. It did feel a tad aloof though.
The rather extensive menu had been uhmmed and aahed over, but by this merry stage I was having a hard time focusing on the words (many of which were in espanol). Alas I knew they did a degustation/set menu, which is a convenient way of handing over the ordering reins. We all concurred this would be a great way to proceed 
Whilst we waited for our first dish to arrive, it gave me the opportunity to spy on the surrounds. On a table just to the left of us were what some would term “the dining dead“, a rather glum looking couple who didn’t say a word to each other all night. I was transfixed. They ate their meal in complete silence. This would be in stark contrast to the couple who would next fill their seat (keep reading).
The first round of dishes arrived, starting on the left with the Ortiz, a Cantabrian artisan anchovy on a crispy thin crouton with a quenelle of smoked tomato sorbet. I am SO bummed I didn’t get a better photo of this, as it really was the prettiest dish. The crouton was as long as your finger, and running the length was a sexy plump fillet of anchovy. I picked it up and bit halfway, getting a mouthful of crunchy fried bread, salty to the extreme anchovy, and the most stunning smoked tomato sorbet, which is up there with the essence of tomato at VDM. Friggin awesome.
Next up was the vieira y espuma, an oven baked half shell scallop, dressed in a herby oil and topped with potato foam. The menu actually stated this came with jamon, but it wasn’t in the dish that came to us. But we didn’t miss it at all, cause dang, this had us all aaahing again. The potato foam was surprisingly potatoey - I don’t quite know how they captured the soul of the spud. It was partnered superbly.
Little deep fried croqueta, flavoured with smoked eel and horseradish surprised us with their very salty smoky flavour. Ms.P actually thought they were a little too salty and smoky, and perhaps it would have been helped with something creamy or tart to dip them into.
Okay, this is one dish I was quite surprised to find - the famed jamon iberico. Served on a lukewarm stone dish with home made grissini, the intramuscular fat had started to melt ever so slightly, making for a sumptuously smooth mouth feel. It was savoury and salty and deliciously meaty. The grissini too were wonderful, and tasted of olive oil.
The caball ahumado, or smoked Spanish mackerel with pine nut gazpacho sorbet was rocking. It was very salty (…are you getting the gist), but the fish was divinely unctuous. What surprised me was how well the pinenuts partnered with the smoke flavour - a real culinary marriage. The sorbet acted to counteract the salt somewhat, venturing down the creamy tangent. I always thought gazpacho was a cold tomato and bread soup, but originally it was a just a cold bread soup made of stale bread, garlic, olive oil, salt and vinegar. No tomato. Hence the tomatoless pine nut gazpacho sorbet.
At this point our friends, the dining dead, had vacated their table. The next peeps to fill their seats were a very fashionable thirty-something couple. They were rather full of themselves, making much ado about the place, ordering and drinking MUCH of the expensive wine, being very demanding of the staff etc. Hmm…I wonder where this will lead?
Okay - now for the devestator. Are you sitting down? This is cecina, voted “dish of the year” by The Age Good Food Guide 2007. It is air cured wagyu beef thinly sliced with a truffle foam and poached egg.
This is what cecina looks like when you enthusiastically stab it with your fork. OMG. I cannot begin to tell you how wonderfully amazing this dish is. Okay, it is salty, but cripes, the air cured wagyu is so voluptuously rich and savoury, the perfectly poached egg yolk coating it like thick cream, giving a mouth feel that is deliciously naughty. And if that wasn’t naughty enough, a heady truffle foam grabs both the wagyu and the yolk by the hand it leads it on a merry little dance to your tastebuds. Mr.Camorra needs to be spanked for this one.
And yes, there is still more! Perfectly cooked frenched lamb cutlets, pink on the inside and nicely charred on the outside. Topped with a salsa verde (well, it wasn’t a typical salsa verde, but it was a sauce and it was green, so heh!), it was amazingly vinegary and vibrantly green. I couldn’t quite figure out the flavours in this one (by this stage I had a couple more cervesas under the be
lt), but it was great.
To go with our lamb cutlets was the espinacas con garbanzos, or sauteed spinach with chickpeas and spices. I have a real soft spot for chickpeas, and found this dish to be rustically satisfying. The gravy was heady with cumin, and I guess shows the wonderful Moorish influence on Spanish cuisine.
These little bruschettta-like bites are not on the regular menu, so I don’t have a nice swanky Spanish name for them. Basically they were an olive oil infused crostata topped with a herby/oniony/tomatoey salsa and a strip of jamon. They were good, but interestingly they arrived more towards the end of the meal than the start.
Finally (…yes, we got there) was a lip-smackinly salty loin of wild boar, sitting on a salty (!!!!) silverbeet and raisin stew. By this stage I was really quite over the excessive use of salt in the food, it really was WAY too much. It didn’t stop me eating the boar, cause it was bloody fantastic and a shame to waste. But I was somewhat put off by the extreme sodium overload. For one thing, it just made me want to keep drinking beer *light goes on*
Dessert doesn’t come with the $48 degustation, but how can one not try the churros? Sadly, this was one of the very reasons I wanted to come to Movida - for the damn churros! So were they as good as I imagined? Well, the churros were good - nice and donutty and covered in cinnamon sugar. But the rich drinking chocolate served alongside was a little, er, mysterious. I was thinking it would be pure melted chocolate, when in fact it was more like a dark chocolate floury custard. I dunno. The “chocolate” tasted watery almost - it wasn’t creamy or milky at all. Hmm…perhaps I don’t know what I’m talking about, but it just didn’t really do it for me.
The fashionable dining couple by this stage were looking a little worse for wear. The lass had her head on the table, and her partner was patting her back, trying to rouse her to leave. My glance kept moving from them, back to my friends, back to the waiter pouring our drinks, back to my friends, back to the fashionable couple stumbling (literally) towards the front door, back to my friends, back to their table and a big pile of vomit on the ground, back to my friends…..WHAT THE?!? This chick had vomited all over floor!!!!!
We all gasped simultaneously and then burst out laughing. I guess having had a few ourselves, this otherwise icky situation turned out to be one that proved extremely amusing.
Between guffaws, we managed to wave STOP to the waiter when he was almost about to walk into the nastiness. He dropped the f-bomb (as I’m sure I would do in a similar situation), grabbed a napkin off the table and placed it delicately onto the pile, and then scurried away for some help. He returned with the maitre’d, who shook his head in disgust confessing that the fashionable couple didn’t even have a booking, and had “name dropped” to get in to the place. I asked who’s name they dropped (I wanted the goss!!), but unfortunately he was not very forthcoming
They offered to move us to the bar, but we decided at this point to call it a night. How could you top that?
Written by mellie on
May 6th, 2007 | Tags: bars, restaurants, Spanish | Category: Uncategorized
| 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
| Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL
May 7th, 2007 at 12:19 am
That is completely unacceptable behaviour in a restaurant.
No, I mean the waiter swearing.
What a great meal. Everything looks wonderful. You take a great photo with four pints of Cooper’s on board!
May 7th, 2007 at 1:39 am
What a night! Sounds like it was interesting. Shame about the salt-levels in the food, but aside from that it sounds quite nice!
May 7th, 2007 at 1:59 am
excellent review! Bloody yuppies- who let them out of their offices in amongst civilized people!?
May 7th, 2007 at 2:06 am
$48 degustation, you can’t argue with that. What gorgeous food. And at least there was excellent entertainment value!
May 7th, 2007 at 2:16 am
Oh gosh- what an experience, hope you still managed to enjoy the rest of your meal. MoVida has somewhat lost a bit of favour with me b/c of the slick surrounds- but the food is still fantastic (albeit salty)! In fact, I think that’s what attracted me initially-the croquettas and scallops render me little more than a pavlovian dog… EVIL EVIL!!!
Also,recommend the calamari & chickpeas and the paella is tasty too!
May 7th, 2007 at 3:32 am
What a brilliant review! I have to ask because I’ve had such mixed responses to this question; do you consider the place to be good value for money?
May 7th, 2007 at 5:23 am
phwoar!!!! i loved reading this …and ogling at the pics
I might need to arrange a revisit sometime soon…and the salt overload? i wouldn’t have it any other way, though my blood pressure would suggest otherwise.
as for the churro sauce i think you’re spot on. it was more custardy (custardly?) than chocolatey which i didn’t like as much as i expected. but sounds like a great (or at least interesting) eating experience was had by all. Well, maybe not for the yuppie chick…or the waiter for that matter!
May 7th, 2007 at 11:22 am
Hiya kitchen hand - and here I thought the waiter swearing was the highlight of the night
And I too was surprised the photos came out. The beer probably helped!
Hi Anna - yes, it was certainly interesting. Thanks for kicking off the night so well at Hell’s too
We must do that again, and soon.
Hey Shannon - haha…so true. I was absolutely gobsmacked. For such a refined yuppy couple, they sure degenerated well enough.
G’day mel. and truffle - yup, you can’t beat $48 per head (but you must have a minimum of four people on the table to take advantage of this deal). It was great value for money IMHO, and I was *extremely* full at the end of it. I believe it could be a little pricey if you did individual tapas/racions though.
Hey there m’s nemesis - yes, I did feel a little uncomfortable in the rather slick environment. As I said, I found it all rather aloof. Ed from Tomato made an interesting comment about that exact thing over at Eating With Jack. Oh no, does that mean I have to go back and try the calamari and chickpeas, and the paella now?!? Oh…alright…if I must
Hi serenity later - glad you enjoyed the read and looking at the pics
Yes, even though the salt is certainly a part of the experience, it would have been nice if they just toned it down a wee bit. We had like five/six dishes in a row that were ubersalted, and it just got a little overpowering. But I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks the chocolate dipping custard is a bit icky.
May 8th, 2007 at 3:59 am
Hey have you ever been to Spain? Just so you know whenever I’ve had Churros in Spain they chocolate sauce has always actually been custardy and not pure melted chocolate so I kind of assume that Movida make it the more traditional way.
Great review by the way. I’ve been a couple of times and love sitting at the bar.
Now whats that other spanish tappas place that opened a few months ago up the top end of little collins? Thats nice as well although not as refined as Movida.
May 8th, 2007 at 6:46 am
Hi bb - I haven’t made it to Spain (yet), so I am yet to try authentic churros in the mother country. As I mentioned in my post, I wasn’t really sure about the tradition of the “dip” - so thank you for enlightening me. In my head I always imagined it would be pure melted chocolate. Well…perhaps that is more a want than the reality
Are you thinking of Bar Lourinha? That too is another place I have to try
May 8th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Mellie, great review as usual. I’ve been meaning to go back to Movida, and now after seeing your review, I will definitely go. Everything you ate was not on the menu the last time I went. Either that or they do different dishes for the degustation. It all looks great though.
What a laugh that was to have someone vomit in Movida of all places.
I have to agree with M’s Nemesis and say that the paella is amazing. Also, the beef bistec was unbelievably good, down to the garlic potatoes.
I also found the churros at Movida a bit funny tasting. I didn’t like it. I thought the chocolate would be melted chocolate too, but it was this strange mixture.
I just went to Bar Lourinha a few nights ago and its not half as good as Movida, and equally expensive. I don’t recommend you go there since its really cramped and hard to talk even because the noise levels are so loud. The churros is better though.
May 9th, 2007 at 1:53 am
Its great to hear that some people have the same opinion as me about the churros at Movida!
I wasn’t a big fan of the chocolate custard sauce either. I cant comment on the authenticity, having never been to Spain, but the chocolate sauce you get with the churros from San Churro is much better!
May 9th, 2007 at 3:29 am
Hilarious! How pretentious for the waiter to say that the yuppy couple only got in because they name-dropped.
I’ve been reading this blog for a while now. Love it! Thanks!
Do you mind recommendations? Can we request reviews?
I’ve got some favourite breaky places you should check out:
St. Ali in South Melbourne. (www.stali.com.au) I am addicted to their lamb pizza - I have it every Sunday for brunch. With a coffee, it costs me $11.00 and I’m happy and full till 4pm.
Also BlueCorn in Barkly St. St Kilda. Their breakfasts are great value for money. They do yummy beany, corny, chorizoey, breakfasty burrito and fajitas thingys that you MUST try.
May 9th, 2007 at 5:18 am
Fantastic. A highly enjoyable review and seemingly good value for money too - have been wondering about the place for a little while.
Classy couple. Horrid way to end your evening. I love that the waiter gently placed the napkin on the stuff.
May 9th, 2007 at 9:11 am
G’day thanh7580 - your review of Movida is also excellent! It is funny how one can ramble on when one thoroughly enjoys the experience
And ooh…that bistec looks friggin mouthwatering! BTW, Eating with Jack is currently doing a comparison betweenn Movida and Bar Lourinha. Since you have been to both, you should throw in your two cents worth.
Hey anon - I guess expectations are always a bit of a killer. The churros con chocolat have always been a fabled dish, and one I wanted to experience first at Movida. Oh well…I’ll just have to change my perceptions now, and sneak over to San Churro
Hey there tania - thanks for de-lurking
Yes, I’m always up for a recommendation, though my list is rather long and my waistline rapidly expanding 
St.Ali has been on the list for a while now, and Bluecorn, though more for lunch/dinner rather than breakfast. EG will be well up for anything with chorizo though, so we’ll have to make the effort. Thanks for those!
Hi lucy - yes, I think the degu is great value for money. Ooh…one thing I neglected to mention was the female waitress who, unbeknownst to the whole vomit thing going on, walked over to pick up the napkin (as an efficient waitress is want to do). She picked up the corner, we all yelled “STOP”, and she obviously spotted what was underneath as she almost vomited herself! Her gag reflex wasn’t fanastic…lol.
May 10th, 2007 at 1:17 am
Mellie, I do tend to ramble a bit when I like the food and experience in a restaurant :-), it just my love of food shining through.
Thanks for the links to Jack’s comparison post, I’ll go and put in my two cents.
May 10th, 2007 at 5:31 am
another delurking.
My boyfriend and I were down in Melbourne this week for a bit of a break. We went to Movida on tuesday night and found the place really relaxed and welcoming but still packed, maybe there’s a different vibe on weekends??. We tried 5 different dishes and found only one to be too salty - the whole fried baby prawns. Totally agree with the other poster - you have to try the cuttlefish and chickpea dish and the fat lambs tails were a highlight for us. Oh yeah and the creme caramel and fresh quince ice cream. Yeah we kinda liked this place
BrissyGirl
May 12th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
Hey thanh7580 - I too ramble…I think it is a foodie bloggers want
Hey BrissyGirl (or latest delurking anon) - I think Movida is pretty much busy most nights of the week! I’m glad you got some less salty dishes - I guess we were kind of stuck doing the degustation, and unfortunately most of the dishes were sodium enhanced. But I must go back as I want to try the cuttlefish/chickpeas, the bistec and the paella. And perhaps to tackle a few other desserts too
May 14th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
I loved how you described the taste of the cecina. How do you come up with such gems
Movida is another “I’ve been wanting to try” restaurant. After this review how can I not go now!
May 15th, 2007 at 2:25 am
Hi Mellie
I keep meaning to post a comment on this… loved your piece and the dramatic grand finale!
Funny enough (actually maybe not!)I have also witnessed this type of shall we say ‘chunky indiscretion’ in a restaurant but of the projectile style and all over the table top! I also had the privledge to apply the rubbergloves and remove the cutlery on the table and then fold up the table cloth for the linen bag - I was the waiter! It makes a great story actually, perhaps worthy of a post sometime…
Re the custardy churros, I also totally agree and was surprized by this.
A spanish freind tells me they are the ulimate post boozy session treat (replacing the warm meat pie in Aust.!) and that the chocolate part is just one of many ways the churros are served, sometimes they are even filled with the chocolate.
I am off to Spain in 6 weeks so will happly volunteer to be the food blogging communities churros guinea pig while I am over there and dutifully report back. (it’s a tough job, but it sounds like somebody needs to do it! hehehe)
Keep up the great posts and thanks for the links!
Jack
May 16th, 2007 at 4:32 am
Hey there cherrie pie - lol, I don’t know how I come up with half the crap I do
Ususally I just close my eyes and relive the experience - it tends to elicit a verbosity that is quite unexplainable. So put this one on your “to do” list - you’ll love it!
Hey jack - eww, you poor thing! I think I would have bundled up the chunky indiscretion and thrown it in the bin! And you should definitely blog it - call it your “Waiter Confidential”
I just don’t understand it though - it is such a waste of good food and wine! And ooooooh, I am so jealous! I hope you have a wonderful time in Spain. And yes, I dub thee churros researcher. Go forth and eat copius amounts of churros and report back your findings.
June 20th, 2007 at 3:23 am
I must confess to vomiting at Movida as well. I managed to avoid doing it in the restaurant itself, but made it to the bathroom. I had a busy day and hadn’t eaten much before getting there, and the combination of very rich food and some Spanish bubbly did it. I have also vomited after eating at another Melbourne restaurant with rich food.
June 20th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
Oh dear anon - that seems to be a rather unfortunate reaction!