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Related Editorial Content
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User Reviews on Anada
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 comments
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| Overall |
  
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Average |
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Food 5 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 7 |
Value 1 |
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Visiting from Sydney, and armed with a glowing Gourmet Traveller review, my dining companion and I arrived for our 8:30pm booking, only to be sent off for a “drink” elsewhere as our table wasn’t ready. They told us 5 minutes, we left it 10, but on return, our table still wasn’t ready and we were seated at the bar. Approaching 9pm we were finally seated at our table, at which point we opted to order the $50 banquet menu – the Chef’s choice of 10 dishes. With a wait like this they may as well have a no bookings policy.
They had a few sherries and wines by the glass – I had a manzanilla which was okay, but the wine I had by the glass was appalling. So tannic it sucked the moisture out of my mouth quicker than a chux superwipe and no fruit to boot. The culinary highlights of the banquet was the sourdough bread, crunchy and flavoursome with a wonderful chewy texture, the Acorn fed Iberico jamon ($18.00 / 20 grams) - pretty hard to stuff this up, and the Salt cod and garlic shoot croqueta ($3.50), crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside with a flavour burst in the centre.
Unfortunately the lowlights were more frequent. The first dish was a Boquerones (white anchovy in vinegar) with palm heart and pickled chilli ($3.00) whose flavours were just plain offensive and left a bad taste in my mouth. There was quite a bit of seafood throughout the banquet, including Charcoal grilled prawns with salmorejo and panceta ($15.50) and Stuffed calamari with sumac ($4.50). All had that fishy taste you get when the seafood has been out of the ocean a little too long.
A salad that presented as the 8th dish was a few lettuce leaves sprinkled with some fleshless pomegranate seeds. This rendered the salad bitter with an unappealing texture. At this point we were anticipating the last 2 dishes, hoping the meal would redeem itself. Unfortunately we were bitterly disappointed. At number 9 Mackerel charcoal grilled in vine leaves with pistachio and orange blossom sauce ($16.50) arrived. This dish was an assault on the senses. The blackened head and tail poking out from under the vine leaves was unattractive. The smell instantly wafted into your nostrils as it hit the table was a diluted version of the overpowering fishy salty taste that consumed your mouth.
They must have known we were starving by this point, as my dining companion mistook the 10th dish for UN food aid. We were unable to identify the contents of the terracotta pot, but we are sure it was some kind of legume in some kind of broth. However maybe it was a good thing, as the tables were so close together I don’t think we would have been able to squeeze out if we were given a decent feed.
Although dessert wasn’t included in the banquet, we took a gamble to get the bad taste out of our mouths. We went with the Churros with chocolate ($9.00) which were crisp and fluffy on the inside. Thankfully!
The sting in the tail was that when my friend got home, he realised he had splashes of red wine all down the back of his shirt. No idea how this happened, but I would deduce that it was a combination of poorly spaced tables and clumsy wait staff. Add another $100 to the cost of the night.
On the whole, the banquet was lacking in quantity, quality, and value. The service was friendly but not particularly attentive. The ambiance was bustling, with modern rustic décor. For a similar price you can get much nicer, more inventive food at Movida. For a similar food you can go to World Vision and save yourself a fortune. An excerpt from “Gastronomist goes to Melbourne, 2008”.
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Gastronomist -
See my reviews 4 , 30 October 2008
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| Overall |
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Recommended |
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Food 8 |
Ambience 8 |
Service 8 |
Value 7 |
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Great Spanish tapas going with variations of Sherries that you don't normally find off the shelf. Stuff La Goya Manzanilla for once.
Mackerel in Vine leaf with some kind of zest and pistachio was amazing. Their selection of Iberico Jamon ham was always very good, way better than some I've tried in a lot of other places. Shows that they paid attention to such small details.
Vongole clams we had once, however, weren't too impressive, tastes a bit non-fresh for some reason and missing the sea taste/sweetness underneath the sauce.
Too bad we could never get a table. Also a greater range of hot food would be welcome.
At least the food here isn't as 'killing me' salty and spicy compared to others.... probably something the chef did somehow realise it, as I heard he came from there originally.
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Iruka -
See my reviews 85, 14 October 2008
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 8 |
Ambience 8 |
Service 9 |
Value 9 |
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Characterful, rustic Spanish fare in a small bustling Gertrude St setting. Tapas-style menu with distinct and authentic regional flavours efficiently served by friendly staff. Very reasonable prices. Go for the 2nd sitting if you want to linger. Absolutely recommended.
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markd -
See my reviews 18, 12 October 2008
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| Overall |
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Recommended |
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Food 8 |
Ambience 8 |
Service 7 |
Value 8 |
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Really fantastic place. I was worried that it would be a straight copy of 'other' spanish style places in Melbourne but Anada sets itself apart. The food was fantastic with a real communal feel to the menu, just made you want to put everything in the middle of the table to share with your friends.
Obviously its a really busy place, its was just a bit disappointing cause we were rushed off our table because the next set of people were standing behind us waiting for us to leave. But that is just part of the atmosphere of this funky place. Loved it, would definitely go back with friends again.
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k4 -
See my reviews 1, 30 September 2008
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| Overall |
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Recommended |
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Food 8 |
Ambience 8 |
Service 7 |
Value 9 |
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Small place with a few tables. Two sittings on a Saturday night. Very good Spanish, good flavours - mackerel great. Good range of wine and sherries. Great value.
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merlot -
See my reviews 87, 07 May 2008
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