Tucked away down a street-art laneway, MoVida has been a dining institution in Melbourne for around 20 years – and that’s something to crow about in a city of discerning diners whose tastes can shift from ’yeah!’ to ‘nah…’ in a blink. Founder and chef Frank Camorra has been credited with opening the door to Melbourne’s ongoing mania for modern Spanish food and ushering in the era of tapas and sharing plates.

It is the not-just-a-bar, not-only-a-restaurant verve that’s a stand-out for MoVida, as Frank explains. “For me, a Spanish restaurant isn’t just a dining room. It should have a bar attached that adds a sort of vibrancy to that space. A classic, for me, is that a Spanish restaurant has to have the bar and the comedor (the dining room) working together. It’s a place where you don’t just drink, but you eat and you celebrate.”

The edgy, shoulder-to-shoulder original spot in Melbourne couldn’t be more different from Auckland’s Seafarer’s Building, where MoVida Auckland made its home in 2022. Here light floods through floor-to-ceiling windows which frame unsurpassed views of the Waitematā Harbour. As in the original MoVida, an open kitchen was a must to give a sense of theatre, though here huge woodfired grills add extra drama and more space gives the kitchen team opportunities for dishes such as paella. The hero bar is here, too, as are some signature dishes such as the Ortiz anchovy draped over a crouton topped with smoky tomato sorbet. But head chef Josh Shields puts his ‘new Spanish inspired by New Zealand’ stamp on the menu with Mangawhai oyster mushrooms, Hawke’s Bay chicken and other top local produce featuring across the seasons.

With each new MoVida, Frank is keen to allow the new venue to have its own personality and showcase its location. “I think the perception of MoVida is always going to be dictated by the original. I want to live up to those expectations. I think the food and the service is fantastic. In Auckland it’s just a little bit of a different atmosphere. It’s a bit more, I guess, grown up.” TRACY WHITMEY