Movida - Melbourne

We hopped off a plane in Melbourne on a Friday night and decided to meet up with a friend for dinner. The dining place of choice was Movida. We had no reservations. We simply just rocked up to the packed out restaurant at 9.30pm. "Mind a 30 min wait?" sure- no problem. This is when you know you're in Melbourne - it's OK to start dinner after 10pm.

Sangria

A jug of sangria to start the night as we decided on the range of tapaz (small individual pieces) and racions (sharing plates) to order. My hubby and our friend both liked the sound of the specials a lot - and hence, a lot of the specials of the night were ordered.

First up was the Anchoa ($4.50 each). This was a hand-filleted 'Cantabrian Artisan Anchovy' on a long thin flat crouton with a small scoop of smoked tomato sorbet. This didn't pique my fancy, but my hubby seemed to enjoy it.

Anchoa - $4.50 each

Something that was up my alley was the Croqueta ($4 each). This was super yummy crispy golden deep fried silky croquet with a filling of potato, jamon and egg. Smoothness and tastiness yet crispy and crunchy. YUM.

Croqueta - $4 each

Next one was also my order - Sopa Ajo con Vieira ($6 each). This was a perfectly cooked scallop mimicking an island surrounded a sea of garlic soup. The garlic soup was really really rich yet somewhat light. The scallop was lightly seared yet soft and tender inside. It was perfect combo. Super deliciousness! I could have like 10 of these!

Sopa Ajo con Vieira - $6 each

My friend picked the Agridulce con Pato ($11.50 each). This was a slow cooked duck shank which was crispy on the outside and stringily tender on the inside. This was served with hazelnuts, raisins and onions. Not bad.

Agridulce con Pato - $11.50 each

That was our tapaz dishes. Our sharing plates included the Cecina ($19.50) which was air-dried thin slices of wagyu with a soft poached egg and truffle foam. OMG this was amazing. The egg flavour was strong, get complemented the soft tender wagyu slices and truffle foam greatly. Deliciousness!!!

Cecina - $19.50

One of the specials was the rabbit. Four round columns of rabbit was wrapped in prosciutto was accompanied by melty soft brussel sprouts. This was OK tasting :)

rabbit with brussel sprouts

Another special that we ordered was a white fish served with pipi in a white wine cream sauce. The fish was really soft and tender with a crispy skin. The whole combination was pretty yum.

white fish with pipi in white wine cream sauce

The buttered leek was another special we ordered. The leek was really soft and really really buttery. Super rich and deliciousness.

buttered leeks

Thus far, the scallops were most awesomeness of the night. Something which was on the same calibre was the Carrillera de Buey ($21.50). This was slowly braised beef cheek which was seriously 'fall off the bone' beef cooked in Pedro Ximenez, all sitting on cauliflower puree. The meat was soooooo tasty. The sauce was infused into the meat which was sooooooo tender. Zomg :)

Carrillera de Buey - $21.50

Last but not least, we ordered a dessert on the specials menu - crispy spanish donuts. The donuts were filled with custard. The ball of goodness was deep fried, coming out super tongue-burning hot and super super crunchy. The ball of sweet dough was coated with cinnamon and was served with vanilla ice cream. My spoon could hardly crack into the donut... but - well worth the effort once able to be dugged into.

specials dessert

Finishing dinner close to midnight? Usual for Melbournians... right? This restaurant was well worth the <30 min wait. The flavours here were spot on. Worth a return visit for sure!

Ratings:
Food - 9.5/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Value for money - 8/10
Overall - 33.5/40

Movida
1 Hosier Lane
Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9663 3038