MoVida

6.3 Average

Food  9      Ambience  6      Service  2      Value  8     

My partner was very excited about taking me here for an impromptu lunch and he had only great things to say after his initial visit a few weeks ago. Not really an ideal setting for an intimate lunch as there's probably more chance of achieving said intimacy with the people crammed in at the next table but I was prepared to not let that get in the way of a much anticipated meal.

The service was great to start with but that steadily got worse as time went on. The food itself was faultless and they have some great vegetarian options. We ordered Queso Manchego, Tomatitos, Puerros, Bunuelos De Bacalao Con Pil-Pil and Ensalada Valenciana. The latter came complete with a blonde wavey hair. We made the decision Not to bring this to our waiter's attention as we just wanted to have a nice lunch without any fuss.

During the meal there were a number of small fruit flies buzzing around our table which took a little too much of our attention and made our dining experience much less enjoyable. We did advise our waiter and he very nonchalantly replied that yes indeed, they were fruit flies and they're nothing new or to worry about. Having to drink from the same glasses that the flies had just been sitting on the rim of beforehand wasn't our idea of "nothing to worry about".

One of the dishes we ordered more of never arrived, we figured 30 minutes was more than enough time to wait as we had finished all our other food so decided they were definitely missing in action and asked for our bill. Funny how they remembered to charge us for the missing dish...

We brought this to another waiter's attention who then checked with our waiter, he advised us quite adamantly that we were charged correctly...Not the case and after a rather flippant apology, it was removed from the bill. We left here with a rather sour taste in our mouths and won't be dining here again for a long time to come.

Mar 05, 2012 

5.5 Average

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  4      Value  5     

6 of us went to Movida a few weeks ago. We had heard great things and were very excited about it. Unfortunately, our waiter didn't seem to want to be there. He was not attentive with pouring the wine and when we asked for the wine to be put on the table he promptly smashed it down on the table and walked off. He was incredibly rude and his actions and bad service ruined our experience.

We had the set menu and one of the meals was a plate of honeyed carrots. Very disappointing. The other staff who served us were very polite and explained the dishes very well. We will not be going back in a hurry. Movida did not live up to expectations. Somewhere else in Sydney is much better.

Feb 04, 2012 

6.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  6     

Inventive and flavoursome food. Will definitely go back soon for some more spanish delicacies.

Dec 19, 2011 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  7     

Delicious! A must in Melbourne. Everything we had was amazing, but two standouts: The octopus and chorizo were heaven, beautiful soft (no chewiness whatsoever) octopus with the most flavoursome chorizo I've had (and I've had a few!). The cinnamon sponge with pear sorbet. Yum. That is all I can say, I'm salivating.

Dec 08, 2011 

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

We had a great lunch sitting at the bar. I actually found it more interesting than sitting at a table because we got to chat with the waiters and see how they made the cocktails. There is a good vibe and the graffiti in the lane outside provides a unique backdrop.

They do a good mojito and have an interesting wine list. The food was beautifully presented and tasted great. I thought the sizes of the racion dishes were quite small and good for trying lots of different things but the cost would quickly add up if you were really hungry.

The only vegetarian tapas was a piece of cheese but there were a few racions which were all good. My husband heartily recommends the wagyu with truffle foam.

Nov 29, 2011 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  6     

We came here for lunch and it was the perfect, cosy and inviting spot. The food is incredible. As is the wine. We had a great waiter who looked after us very well. It's pretty expensive, but it was a special occasion for us and so we were splurging. I could imagine popping in here though, sitting by the bar for a quick snack and vino. Just lovely.

Nov 22, 2011 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

I loved the food, the ambiance and the great aussie made custom designed plates. A outing to remember for a long time. We will be back for the food!

Oct 24, 2011 

6 Average

Food  7      Ambience  5      Service  6      Value  6     

Had to wait two hours for a table during the Queens Birthday long weekend. We sat at one of the side tables: had selection of small tapas and main meals.

Beef cheeks with pedro ximenez was great as usual (it's the cauliflower puree that lifts the dish) as was a fried and crispy chickpea dish and the chorizo. The prawn entree was unexciting.

Prefer Movida Aqui in Bourke Street for the larger selection of choices including paella. As well as the availability of tables.

Sep 03, 2011 

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

We loved MoVida! The food, the ambience, and the service were all excellent, and we had a fantastic dining experience.

Stand out dishes were the Duck Liver Parfait, the Octopus with Chorizo, the Croquettas, the Beef Cheeks, and the Sautéed Chick Pea and Spinach.

The place was packed, and given the high standards of delicious food I can understand why there is such a long wait list on bookings. We’ll definitely be back.

Aug 29, 2011 

3.3 Below Average

Food  6      Ambience  3      Service  1      Value  3     

I have eaten at Movida a number of times now and the food has been great, however my last experience there has meant I will never go back. I took a potential client to the new Movida restaurant for dinner only to see the chefs in the open area kitchen playing with the food, licking their fingers and then touching the food. I have to say I was disgusted by their behaviour and the fact they did not seem to care who could see them.

Aug 15, 2011