I've been contemplating how much of a cheap-as food snob I am, and have proudly decided I'm just enough of one to write this post in thought out honesty.
Boy, was I excited. After my booking at Gingerboy for a Chinese New Years banquet dinner, fell through I was pissed. I was so angry, nothing was going to make me feel better - except for booking a dinner at Vue de monde (for our cocktail night) and the first Saturday night booking available for Mo Vida Aqui; which turned out to be April 12th. It was February. So we saved, we waited, we researched and we got excited.
I don't think I am going to bag out Mo Vida Aqui as much as I want too (I think I was a bit PMSy that night- so i take responsibility too) for a crappy night, but apart from a few great choices I was underwhelmed with both the food and the service.
I like my table service to be seamless. One waiter for the evening (or one for drinks and one for food - i dont care) and a friendly and understanding manner. We had about three or four waiters asking us the same questions over again - I don't like that. Almost as bad as when Bestie May and I went to Nobu in Hollywood and they kept taking each of our plates away before we'd finished!
Anyway back to the night. This little rant will be titled - "The Paella Saga".
I have a odd sense of humour, or so my friends and dinner companions tell me - I tend to be sarcastic in a very serious manner (isn't that what you're supposed to do). Some waiters/bar staff/retail peops find it charming and it breaks the initial awkwardness. But ours did not think I was charming, funny or being sarcastic at all.
We wanted to get a paella to share as a base dish amongst the five of us - a complicated task considering (as I explained to the waitress) "she's Jewish, she's Muslim, he doesn't eat fish and I don't eat red meat or poultry..." - we understood the dilemma this caused, but i found it really weird that in a multicultural city like ours a vegetarian paella (at $50 a pop) was too much to ask for.
Other Jess explained that it's not authentic to have it without either seafood or meat - but I wonder how authentic is it to be eating Spanish street food at a overpriced restaurant in Melbourne with a 12 week waiting period? Okay so I'm a bitch sue me.
Anyway, after much discussion we got the seafood paella, which turned out to be over seasoned, bland and with poor quality chalky seafood. Bummer.
So that's the paella saga - onto the rest!
And the eating begins... as well as the salivating...
Buey - Roast beef wagyu with tocino de cielo, potato crisps, pickled garlic and black garlic ($17.50) - the non-fish eaters pink-tastic suppliment shared with Bestie May, who's only eating request is 'sans raw tomatoes'.
Paella del Marisco - Bomba rice cooked with seafood and saffron (Grande $48: 2-4 people)
Bomba - Catalan potato bomb filled with chorizo ($4 each) I didn't have one but the two pig eaters and one naughty Jew thought they were delicious. The good Muslim and I had the calamari sandwiches.
Pincho de tortilla - organic egg potato and onion tortilla ($4.50) - Yummy moist goodness - if a little stocky and cold. Is it supposed to be served cold?
Brocodillo de Calamares - Calamari sandwich with basque guindilla and mayonaise ($6.50)Wowsa - this was amazing ... I knew it would be as Jess Ho told me so many a month ago.
We also got a couple of the specials including stuffed deepfried zucchini flowers - which were pretty yummy - however they were stuffed with the same sauce that they were served with and I think the meat eaters got another dish - but I'm not too sure?
So if you attended this dinner please let me know if I missed anything out.
If you have been to Mo Vida Aqui, I'd love to know what you thought. Was this just a bad night or is the hype too much? Which MoVida do you prefer?
MoVida Aqui
Level 1, 500 Bourke St, Melbourne. (Access via Lt Bourke St)
Lunch & Dinner. Mon-Fri: 12 noon until late. Saturday: 5pm until late
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