Sizzle, spice and so many other nice things pump up the culinary temperature at MoVida in Auckland this summer in a sun and sea-focussed menu that captures the upbeat energy of the season.

Award winning chef and founder of the original Melbourne establishment, Frank Camorra, has collaborated with the Britomart-based team to augment an already celebrated line-up of tapas with plates that turn the focus on local heroes.

Camorra based the first MoVida offerings on his Spanish mother’s home cooking and the lively, made-to-share food of his birthplace. In the 20 years since, he has built up this eatery to be an icon of the Australasian food scene. Now, together with the Kiwi crew, he has taken seasonal New Zealand produce, meats and seafood and given them his singular Spanish style.

Regulars will be tempted by the fresh, vibrant menu additions and first-timers are guaranteed to find an instant favourite among the dishes. Elite ingredients span the gamut of what’s local and what’s loved but share a common thread: care and attention to detail in the preparation.

This is cuisine to enjoy sociably with friends after a long, hot day at the beach, or to savour alone tucked into a corner on a bench-seat amidst the convivial atmosphere of the restaurant located in the Seafarers building on the waterfront.

So, what can diners expect as part of the new line-up? Well, more of the MoVida mastery of course.

Seafood is to the fore in dishes such as Cangrejo where wild-caught New Zealand scampi, an underappreciated delicacy, is elevated from the sandy and muddy depths in which they are found, to a higher realm, served delicately with chives and salted egg yolk on a springy crumpet.

House-smoked prawns pair with Cloudy Bay clams and butter beans in a version of Gambas Ahumada that is guaranteed to deliver oceans of flavour, and the grand shellfish march continues with a perennial player: green-lipped mussels (Mejillones) that are steamed and then topped with Mojo Verde, a herbaceous and acidic sauce that originated in the Canary islands.

Summer salutes a lightness of being which the tapas menu leans in to with plates such as Massimo Burrata prepared with Asadillo manchego, sweet roasted capsicum and an Andalusian salad to transport the taste buds to the very south of the Iberian Peninsula. Asparagus (Espárragos available until December 31st) shallots, mint and local stracciatella cheese finished with lava salt will find foodie favour, too.

At MoVida, the BBQ moves far beyond the backyard, to spotlight carne with a Spanish accent. This is next-level stuff. Wrap your chops around Moorish-spiced chicken thighs with padron salsa picante, sesame and yoghurt in Pincho De Pollo or talk a new language with bite-sized Lengua, a charred lambs tongue dish served with talos and the fresh kick of cucumber, kohlrabi, crème fraiche and mojo verde.

Finally, beat the heat with the mind-meltingly good Cerdo, featuring Kurobuta, the wagyu of pork, produced from purebred Berkshire pigs. Grilled over wood and tasting just like summer should.