Movida Next Door, CBD

The ever beautiful Hosier Lane... Just as stunning at night as it is by day

G'day everybuddy!

I sincerely apologise for the lack of updates the past few weeks. The past 7 days has been SO crazy at uni and I honestly don't think I've been stretched this thin for such a long time. Sleeping at 5am, leave for uni in the morn and only back at 2am, the whole shebang... And me, being me, I still chose to go out with friends for a good time despite all my crazy commitments. I brought this upon myself. But you know what, NO REGRETS. Got everything done in time and still managed to have a BLAST with friends in between.

Why? Because my motto is to: "Work hard, play harder".

Only thing is that my body completely broke down at the end of last night and has been trying to recover desperate ever since. I've obviously put too much stress on it the past week. Sigh...

Any-hoo, back to the post. If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you'll notice that I've been posting a lot more Reviews than I do Recipes recently. Normally, I try to have a good balance of both. The reason is because the number of restaurant posts in my drafts folder is just so insane at the moment that I can't stand it. Plus, delaying some recipes just gives me more time/opportunity to re-shoot them when I can hehe. Hope you're all okay with this for now, though! But I'll definitely be back later in the week for a recipe post ;)

So, this meal was had sometime last semester. A few of us met for the first time at the Cacao Green Tasting we did, so we decided to plan a dinner together afterwards and I'm glad to finally be able to share our meal with you today. One thing about our meal was that we ordered a bunch of stuff off their "Specials" menu, which I'll highlight in blue, as reference.

Now, on to the food!

Monte Enebro -- $8.00

(Roquefort Culture Semi Soft Goat's Cheese with Figs)

I swear this tasted just like a mild blue cheese, but so delicious! Smooth, creamy, soft and the candied figs added just a nice amount of sweetness to each bite. LIKE.

Mejilliones -- $19.00

(Mussels in Wine)

Great!! Though, the sauce was a bit mild. But, the mussels were so fresh and tender. In fact, I think they were slightly undercooked, which was why they were on the softer side, but I preferred it that way.

Sesos -- $5.50

(Fried Lamb Brains)

YESSSSS!! If you know me, you'll know that I'm a HUGE fan of innards and offals.

This was perfect and right on the money. Creamy and delicious, almost like a semi-firm custard. Deep fried till perfection and I enjoyed the bearnaise-like sauce underneath. Awesome!

Bomba -- $4.80 each

(Chorizo-Filled Catalan Potato Bomb with a Spicy Sauce)

Definitely the most underwhelming dish of the night, for me. Mainly because it was almost $5 each and nothing special, IMO. If only they were more generous with the filling, otherwise it just tastes like any other croquette to me.

In fact, I still prefer eating Koroke (Japanese croquettes) more than this... Ha.

Berenjenas -- $12.50

(Eggplant Chips with Salmorejo)

SOOO GOOD!! Uber thing, crisp on the outside with a soft, fleshy centre. Seriously addictive, couldn't stop eating. BEST.

Pez -- $25.00

(Hapuka in Burnt Butter Sauce)

Now, this was actually my first time eating Hapuka (from the waters of New Zealand), a fish that I'd heard about for sometime. Glad to finally get the chance because it was AMAAAZING. Honestly, one of my favourite fishes now. Flesh was firm enough to hold its shape well but still so delicate in the mouth with a faint taste of the ocean. I love it so much. Perfect sauce to go with it too. Hope you get the chance to try the Hapuka here too!

Morcilla -- $16.00

(Blood Sausage with Baby Brussel Sprouts, Croutons and 65 Degree Egg)

FAVOURITE DISH OF THE NIGHT, and there were lots of great ones to choose from too. It was picture perfect, as soon as it hit the table. And the baby brussel sprouts were just too cute for words.

First, it was delicoius because it was the spicy kind of morcilla, which I enjoy. Jam-packed with flavour and fragrance. Plus, the fried croutons made were crisp and delicious.

But, best thing about it was how the super soft egg just bound everything on the plate together. Loved it so, so much. Best blood sausage dish I've had so far. Beautiful.

I even asked the waitress if there was any chance they would put this on their permanent menu and she said that it's very likely it will be running throughout Winter, because it's a nice and hearty dish. GO TRY!

Crema Catalana -- $13.50

(Baked Citrus and Cinnamon Custard)

Now, the desserts... Wee-hee~ The waiter told us that this was different from a creme brulee (because it's more citric), but I disagree. Call me uncultured, but this was baked custard with a torched sugar layer on top. CREME BRULEE! Plus, it wasn't that citric to begin with.

This was okay, but I still prefer normal creme brulee with vanilla pods. Though, the crust was perfect. Good sound, good crack and enjoyed that it was slightly dark/burnt.

Churros Con Chocolate -- $12.00

(Spanish Doughnuts with Rich Drinking Chocolate)

Churros weren't too dense or oily, which was nice. Chocolate was rich but not sweet. Nice.

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Overall, quite impressed by all the food we ate that night, and it was honestly one of the better meals I've had in Melbourne. Granted, most of the mains we ordered were from the Specials menu, which would be a shame if it's not there anymore because they were DELICIOUS! I'm still grinning just thinking about each of the dishes from that night and must say that I really like this place, more than I expected. Try and order these dishes, if you can.

Movida Next Door isn't exactly cheap given the portions, so I guess it'd be more suitable if you're a working professional? One of those meals that put me back to homecooking for the next 5 nights, but it was worth it. Also, thanks again to Ashley, Drew and Ming for their great company that night. Always a pleasure and definitely look forward to eating with all of you again, woo-hoo! =D