Movida Next Door

Friday was my last day at the ad agency as I was only on a 5 week contract, which was a shame because I could have worked there forever! After work I met up with my friend Jade at Movida Next Door. Bare with me on this review it starts off a little hectic but finishes with a lovely Potatas Bravas.

I have dined at Movida twice now and have always really enjoyed it, particularly the great service. This was my first time at Movida Next Door and to me it was like the Jan to Marcia Brady. When I arrived I was desperate to go to the bathroom but I couldn't find it so I managed to flag down a passing waiter and was directed to the GIANT silver spoon containing the keys to the bathroom which was outside of MND in that little alley. Yay!

I finally returned to the bar and Jade asked the bartender what wine she could recommend from the list of about 5 reds starting at about $55. The only wine she could recommend happened to be the second most expensive before the $250 bottle and when I asked if any of the less expensive bottles where any good she just shrugged her shoulders. So we ordered the $75 bottle of wine whilst we were still standing at the bar and yes it was a nice smooth red with an undertone of 'looks like I will be eating tinned soup for the rest of the weekend!'.

We were seated at the bar about 30mins after our arrival, which was pretty good considering it was a Friday night and MND is one of the most popular places in Melbourne at the moment. The turnover here is fast however, you will not be made to feel rushed you probably just won't be able to afford another drink.

Jade isn't a fussy eater and enjoys good food so she was a great companion for Tapas. To start we ordered a rabbit cigarillo each $6.00 (I think), these were so yummy, I love rabbit and the pastry was perfectly crisp. Then we each ordered a piece of the pea and jamon tortilla $4 per portion. The tortilla was fluffy but the peas were a bit hard and it felt like I was eating a tart rather than a traditional tortilla. Following the tortilla we had a plate of mussels, $18 for probably a third of a kilo of mussels served very simply with a light white wine broth. I love mussels and these were very nice just not enough of them.

The Pièce de résistance was the potatas bravas at around $9 it was a generous serving of crisp on the outside soft in the middle absolutely delicious potato mess smothered in a rich, spicy sauce with a lovely white creamy cheese on top.

I am going to Movida (Restaurant) in September for a friend’s birthday and am looking forward to it because Movida is fabulous and is one of the places you can guarantee you will walk out of with a big smile and a satisfied tummy. Its little sister had a few downfalls but ultimately left me feeling the same thanks to the potatas bravas.

I definitely think that at Movida you get a lot more bang for your buck than at Movida Next Door so if you have been hanging out to go to Movida and haven't been able to get a reservation or can't wait 3 months, try turning up for a late lunch on a weekday it has worked for me everytime!

Address: 1 Hosier Lane, Melbourne, 3000

Phone: 03 9663 3038

Bookings: No