My expectations were set pretty high after reading through countless reviews of MoVida. A lot of them gave high marks and good reviews on its tapas, specifically Cecina, the air cured Wagyu beef. My reservation is as usual, for one and I know that this is one bar that I shouldn't miss. I've never tried or been in a tapas bar before and Spanish cuisine for me is always limited to paella, chorizo and the occasional garlic mushrooms or shrimps in olive oil served inside shallow terra cotta plates. But, fortunately, not in MoVida's book.
I got it all planned out. After reading all those reviews, I planned on which items to order but told myself to listen to the specials and whatever was drawn on the chalkboard. Right.
At 6pm, MoVida was already buzzing with the night crowd, considering that it's a Thursday night, not exactly a weekend. I took my place at the bar, at first, feeling awkward. My bar waiter came suddenly, giving me the wine list. I opted for the La Primavera Tempranillo, a smooth, easy to drink Spanish red. After I ordered my wine, the main menu was handed to me. Of course, it didn't take long for me to decide on what I want. I had my order memorized in my head. My waiter normally didn't took notes as the customers ordered, but with me, he had to take a few notes so as not to miss anything. So I had the following:
Tapas:
Oyster with Jamon and Olive Oil: This was part of the tapas special. Very fresh and briny oyster with a mix of olive oil and jamon pieces. With the zing of lemon, a simple and fresh start to a line of tapas to come.
Anchoa - Hand filleted Cantabrian artisan anchovy on crouton with smoked tomato sorbet. Clearly, very salty and fishy yet fresh anchovy fillet on a thin crisp crouton. The smoked tomato sorbet really didn't help much in balancing out the taste, but I like the cold and room temperature combination in the mouth. Anchovy lover's favorite tapas.
San Jacobo de Cordonice - Hunter Valley Quail, partially boned, crumbed, and filled with Jamon and Mahon Cheese. This is very similar to chicken cordon bleu but lighter and classier. It's just a relatively small portion but it is intense enough for you to savour each small bite and remember.
Viera - Roasted Spring Bay scallop with jamon and potato foam. Oh, how to describe this. I'll start with the potato foam on top. The potato foam tasted creamy and rich, very similar to mashed potato but lighter and airier version of it definitely. I can't really tell if there's butter but it is pleasant. The jamon is fried to a crisp and sat along side lightly roasted scallop. As I sliced into the scallop, its juices burst onto the potato form, forming an almost non-almugamating sauce in the scallop shell. I had to take a piece of my bread to absorb all that heavenly potion. Excellent.
Costilla con sobrasada - Roasted lamb cutlet encased in a Catalan pork & paprika pate. This came last but definitely not the least. Actually, the racion came before this tapas. Ok. So there's the lamb cutlet and there's the pesto on top. The pesto is probably made from parsley and cilantro, both very fresh tasting herbs. The lamb cutlet was medium well, not reeking with blood but still so tender and game-y. I say game-y because it was just lightly seasoned with salt, cracked pepper and olive oil, pan-seared then roasted and topped with the pesto. But wait, there's more. The paprika paste is actually fresh chorizo on each side of the cutlet, which gave it the flavor, spice and saltiness. I can really taste the paprika from the minced chorizo. Overall, this is a well-executed dish.
I got it all planned out. After reading all those reviews, I planned on which items to order but told myself to listen to the specials and whatever was drawn on the chalkboard. Right.
At 6pm, MoVida was already buzzing with the night crowd, considering that it's a Thursday night, not exactly a weekend. I took my place at the bar, at first, feeling awkward. My bar waiter came suddenly, giving me the wine list. I opted for the La Primavera Tempranillo, a smooth, easy to drink Spanish red. After I ordered my wine, the main menu was handed to me. Of course, it didn't take long for me to decide on what I want. I had my order memorized in my head. My waiter normally didn't took notes as the customers ordered, but with me, he had to take a few notes so as not to miss anything. So I had the following:
Tapas:
Oyster with Jamon and Olive Oil: This was part of the tapas special. Very fresh and briny oyster with a mix of olive oil and jamon pieces. With the zing of lemon, a simple and fresh start to a line of tapas to come.
Anchoa - Hand filleted Cantabrian artisan anchovy on crouton with smoked tomato sorbet. Clearly, very salty and fishy yet fresh anchovy fillet on a thin crisp crouton. The smoked tomato sorbet really didn't help much in balancing out the taste, but I like the cold and room temperature combination in the mouth. Anchovy lover's favorite tapas.
San Jacobo de Cordonice - Hunter Valley Quail, partially boned, crumbed, and filled with Jamon and Mahon Cheese. This is very similar to chicken cordon bleu but lighter and classier. It's just a relatively small portion but it is intense enough for you to savour each small bite and remember.
Viera - Roasted Spring Bay scallop with jamon and potato foam. Oh, how to describe this. I'll start with the potato foam on top. The potato foam tasted creamy and rich, very similar to mashed potato but lighter and airier version of it definitely. I can't really tell if there's butter but it is pleasant. The jamon is fried to a crisp and sat along side lightly roasted scallop. As I sliced into the scallop, its juices burst onto the potato form, forming an almost non-almugamating sauce in the scallop shell. I had to take a piece of my bread to absorb all that heavenly potion. Excellent.
Costilla con sobrasada - Roasted lamb cutlet encased in a Catalan pork & paprika pate. This came last but definitely not the least. Actually, the racion came before this tapas. Ok. So there's the lamb cutlet and there's the pesto on top. The pesto is probably made from parsley and cilantro, both very fresh tasting herbs. The lamb cutlet was medium well, not reeking with blood but still so tender and game-y. I say game-y because it was just lightly seasoned with salt, cracked pepper and olive oil, pan-seared then roasted and topped with the pesto. But wait, there's more. The paprika paste is actually fresh chorizo on each side of the cutlet, which gave it the flavor, spice and saltiness. I can really taste the paprika from the minced chorizo. Overall, this is a well-executed dish.
Racion:
Cecina - Air cured wagyu beef thinly sliced with a truffle foam and poached egg. This really wasn't my first choice but seeing that this was voted Best Dish of the Year a few years back, I simply had to try this. Pictures on some of the blogs really made this dish looked unappetizing, so I had my doubts but don't judge a book by its over. When this dish arrived, I was really hesitant to try it. Again, there was layering: Wagyu beef under potato foam under a beautifully poached egg. I sliced into the poached egg and the rich yolk immediately oozed out and combined with the potato foam and slipped onto the Wagyu beef. I sliced a piece of the perfectly marbled piece of Wagyu beef and coated it with the sauce. The moment it hit my tongue, I know what they were all talking about. Rich, luscious almost luxurious, warm, salty feeling all exploding at the same time but still, it gave you the feeling of home. No exaggeration, I immediately felt like being back at my aunt's kitchen baking butter cookies. It was really that good. The description of excellent just wouldn't cut it.
Waiter: "Madame! You've been doing well. Are you full?"
Me: "Nope. I want dessert."
I'm definitely not leaving this place without dessert. Ok. I let my eyes wander to the big chalkboard lining the upper part of the wall, arguing with myself whether I should order the churros or the flan or the hot ganache. My waiter suggested the Dessert Special. A chocolate fudge with hazelnut mousse with vanilla bean ice cream. Clearly, I don't see this on the menu, so I just went for it and ordered the Pedro Ximenez to accompany my dessert. Another note here, this is my first Pedro Ximenez and it is an excellent wine for dessert. I stuck my nose into the glass and the first hint of prunes hit me, followed by an almost toffee/caramel smell. Very rich and warm. My dessert came and as it promised, chocolate and hazelnut heaven. What could go wrong. This pure decadence has 4 layers: chocolate ganache, hazelnut mousse, dark chocolate and crisp nougat crunch. All that with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Not too sweet but packs a punch and went well with my Pedro Ximenez. A good end to an exceptional meal.
After a few tapas, a racion, a dessert and 2 glasses of wine later, being seated at the bar, people could clearly see and count how much I was ordering. Since I'm really there to eat and not to chat, I ate and enjoyed to my heart's content. The lady with her partner seated next to me caught my eye and asked me which one was the best. The definite answer was the Wagyu beef. So good. So real. So MoVida.
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