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Awards
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2008 |
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The Age Good Food Guide 2008 - One Chef's Hat |
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Related Editorial Content
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User Reviews on Movida
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 35 comments
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| Overall |
  
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Recommended |
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Food 9 |
Ambience 8 |
Service 6 |
Value 7 |
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We turned up and were greeted by a surly man informing us that we were an hour late. After we pleaded that we had confirmed the time the week before he gave us a "look" and sat us anyway. From here the experience only went up, we had a very friendly waiter who definitely added to the experience.
We ate our way though a lot of food (Olives, 3 tapas, 5 racion, Churros) between two people, it was probably too much especially after my wife reached her limit. However, the food was just too good and we wanted to keep trying more. The Cecina Wagyu was definitely the highlight, while the cuttlefish and chickpea was a bit too "fishy" for our liking.
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crub -
See my reviews 3 , 06 October 2008
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
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| Overall |
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Average |
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Food 6 |
Ambience 6 |
Service 2 |
Value 4 |
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Is it just me? I simply don't get MoVida, there is so much hype and love for this place but after 4 visits it is still a bit lost on me. The last visit was impulsive and we were given a table on a busy Sunday night, they made a bit of a fuss about us being out by a certain time but there were other 'walk-ins' accommodated while we were there. This was strange as we've been trying for ages to make a booking and have always been told that it is full.
Service was pretty dismissive to say the least and the food, well, I'm confused. We ordered artichokes which were tough and hard, cod which tasted like something nan served in the 70's, all on the recommendation of the snooty waiter! How can this place have a chef's hat? Is the emperor completely naked or what?
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kbel -
See my reviews 11, 23 September 2008
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| Overall |
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Average |
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Food 7 |
Ambience 6 |
Service 6 |
Value 5 |
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On one hand I really like the concept of this restaurant. It has flourished as it should deserve. Great wine and overally good food. The only gripe I have about here is that, the food is overly seasoned and salty, too strong even for Spanish standards, and sometimes the food preparation is hit and miss.
I liked the concept of a lot of dishes here, but they were not aimed at foodies. They're aimed at people who wanted salty food and drink more sherries, mineral waters and wines, and have a great time. The air cured wagyu with egg and truffle emulsion is probably the only dish here which isn't overwhelmed by spicing or lemon tang or salt and pepper. I love this dish to death.
Everything else without exception were just over the line pungent, especially compared to places like Bar Lourhina or Anada, which were more normal. I give it a 7 overall for food. The menu and inventiveness is definitely a 9. But the taste is more like 5-6, unfortunately. Hard to be 'fair' when rating this place as a food place. Especially when is a bar.
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Iruka -
See my reviews 86, 05 September 2008
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
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| Overall |
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Below Average |
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Food 6 |
Ambience 4 |
Service 2 |
Value 3 |
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There is a great deal of spin that surrounds dining in Melbourne, and much is generated by some of our food critics and their relationship with the industry (for example, who is invited to the various food festivals, read promotion and who is reviewed, read same).
MoVida is consistently rated as one of Melbourne’s unique dining experiences. I have been a fan for many years. I expected a certain standard. That is not what occurred recently.
Take bookings. I was told that there was no table for two for a Tuesday night a week or so prior, and was offered to be placed on a “waiting list”. I was surprised to be called at 2.30pm on the day and offered a table at 8pm, which I accept as I am at a nearby function earlier that evening. I arrive to find the restaurant 2/3 full, and most are completing an earlier meal with few there after 9. All walk-ins are accommodated.
There was sameness to the food both in terms of seasoning (read salt) and oiliness; though the croquettes were uniformly bland (it did say cod not potato on the menu). Frank Camorra was not there, and as we have seen elsewhere, when the key players decide to spread their wings (more restaurants/cafes here or there, promotions, new book, a prominent feature now at MoVida) quality invariably falls.
The tab arrives in Spanish, all very authentic back home, but liable to cause confusion when the order of the day is to order multiple small dishes, and there is no way most punters can spot vieira from costilla, or mojama from conejo [Scallop, lamb cutlet, tuna jamon and rabbit], especially after a few finos. Bill errors occur and are rarely spotted.
But when a wine on the tab costs more than any wine on the list, you would expect an unscrupulous employee or three to spot the mistake. Even if instructed politely that there is a mistake on the tab. Twice.
The general manager’s subsequent email reply was that “mistakes occur” and we seemed happy. Yes, I am always happy being charged almost $100 extra for a bottle of wine. I do not wish to appear “unhappy” so as not to further spoil the evening.
No, this was no “mistake”, no “slip of the finger”. The incorrect price had been deliberately added, either in the system or manually. Let’s face it, my friend and I had consumed a bottle before dinner, and had several Sherries before this bottle of red. Any low paid, menial, dim-witted opportunistic part-time hack of a waiter would have taken us for a pair of sozzled muchacos and happily decided to activate an “automatic tip”.
Dining in Melbourne is about who and what you are, and this influences how you are served. Think of it as “the pro versus the punter”. I deferred my review pending a response, but received a fairly contemptuous reply from management, safe that their product is safe. An open reply was necessary. What would Downes or Lethlean have said if this had happened to them?
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merlot -
See my reviews 88, 30 August 2008
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
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| Overall |
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Below Average |
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Food 1 |
Ambience 5 |
Service 6 |
Value 2 |
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The food here is awful. I had 5 dishes and would have sent back everyone of them. Croquettes tasted like they were filled with Continental Mushroom soup mix, anchovy tapas was one anchovy with a splash of oil ($6.00), oysters had no flavour and the worst was yet to come: octopus with potatoes, raw potatoes and the octopus was so chewy I had to spit it out, plus absolutely zero flavour, no flavour at all. Standard beers were $9. Waitstaff apathetic.
Most overrated restaurant in Melbourne. The food here is horrendous.
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victorg -
See my reviews 1, 24 August 2008
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
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| Overall |
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Not Recommended |
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Food 2 |
Ambience 3 |
Service 1 |
Value 2 |
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Went there last night after much hype and was utterly disappointed. The waiter at their door pretty much ignored us in the line of waiting patrons and offered only one couple out of 4 couples a drink while they were waiting. He took us to a table and put the menus down without saying a word, and walked away. He took our order quickly, some tapa.
The croquette was far from amazing and my friend ordered the quail which came out cooked on the outside and stone cold red fleshy raw on the inside. They took it back and didn't charge us but the sight of the raw meat was enough to put us off. The tortilla espanola also came out raw with yolk still flooding out, not my idea of a true Spanish tortilla.
Our drinks came during the meal which was annoying and we were left with a $55 bill for 25 mins of poor service and raw food. Never Again Movida, try somewhere else. Don't line up for this place - waste of money.
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emac -
See my reviews 4, 12 August 2008
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| Overall |
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Recommended |
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Food 7 |
Ambience 8 |
Service 8 |
Value 7 |
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I took a seat at the bar on a busy Thursday night, I must have been lucky and slowly worked my way through a number of the tapas dishes on offer and the various Rioja's on offer by the glass, The Roda 1 being a highlight.
The atmosphere was lively and a welcome respite form the cold, dreary winters day that I had left at the door. The dining and bar area is dark and comforting and the food that I sampled was generally made up of one or two simple yet elegant quality ingredients/flavours with a modern twist on traditional spanish dishes. The highlights for me were the Ortiz (anchovies with smoked tomato sorbet), the Empanada (a special on the day), the Lamb Sobrasada and the Pimiento de piquillo.
The service was knowledgeable, humorous (in a good way) and efficient. All in all a great way to spend an evening in Melbourne. I would definitely go back next time I am there.
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jd_aus -
See my reviews 9, 05 August 2008
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| Overall |
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Average |
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Food 4 |
Ambience 6 |
Service 8 |
Value 4 |
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The only saving grace for this supposedly amazing restaurant was the service. The wagyu was inedible, the piquillo peppers were cold inside, and the croquetas were bland. The quail though was VERY VERY enjoyable, but 1 good tapa isn't enough to get me back there anytime soon.
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jamess -
See my reviews 3, 02 August 2008
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| Overall |
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Average |
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Food 6 |
Ambience 6 |
Service 7 |
Value 5 |
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It is for the one next door, was there on friday night, little bit too simple for the food, will have to go back and try the rest of the menu, been hearing a lot about it and was disappointed, overrated maybe?? the Spanish wine that was served was a disaster, they have very nice wine in Spain, but I guess might have been unlucky, perhaps? Will go back to have another go ..
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cacao -
See my reviews 2, 29 July 2008
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 10 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 9 |
Value 7 |
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Came here with 2 friends on a very busy Sunday night without a booking and the lovely staff found us a table after only a short wait. The tapas are the best that I have ever tasted, and very different to your standard tapas - one of which was the special. The beef cheeks which me and my friends still reminisce over now! I recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Melbourne.
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Louisa1 -
See my reviews 16, 08 July 2008
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