Marvellous Movida

In a city that prides itself on fantastic eateries tucked away in the myriad of Melbournesque alleys, Movida still stands out as one of the best places to seek out for a drink and bite to eat. A spanish tapas bar, it serves up Spanish fare with little twists... but more importantly, the cooking is excellent and everything is well executed.

We stopped by here just after lunch and were only after a small snack with a drink... but the menu proved too alluring. We started with a Croqueta of leek and mahon cheese - simple, crunchy, cheesy and utterly addictive. We then followed with a crumbed stuffed quail leg of manchego cheese and spanish ham. The quail leg was perfectly tender and the contrast of the crunchy exterior and creamy fillings done just right. Then came a Cecina of air dried wagyu beef topped with a truffle foam and poached egg. The richness of the egg, earthiness of the truffle foam and salty, buttery cecina was a real treat for the taste buds... lovely.

Already stuffed from what had become a second lunch, we couldn't resist ordering the churros with rich drinking chocolate. The version here is great - crunchy just fried doughnuts with a chewy texture, it was doused with vanilla bean sugar and great with the accompanying hot drinking chocolate.

Service here is efficient and the prices are fairly reasonable for a tapas bar of this calibre. But what I love most about Movida's food is that their inventive menu that tries to mix and match flavours as well as textures in their food.

Movida draws in the meal time crowds naturally - which is why I've always tried to make a detour here for an afternoon snack on my previous trips to Melbourne... and always walked away feeling the guilt of having had a second lunch.

1 Hosier Lane
Melbourne 3000
(Open noon till late)