La Movida, SW11 3BU
- 300 Battersea Park Road
La Movida was a tapas restaurant in Battersea. It has now closed (according to Google Street View, this happened some time between October 2009 and May 2012).
The information below is retained for historical purposes.
Inside, through the saloon doors in the lobby area, is a tastefully decorated little place, with vintage Spanish posters on the walls, wooden fittings, and light provided from candles and other low-light sources.
Ewan and Kake visited on a Thursday evening in December 2008. Arriving just after opening at 6pm, we were the first diners. However, a few others had arrived by the time we left. Service was therefore attentive, but friendly. A dish of olives was brought as soon as we sat down, and there was no problem bringing us tap water, which arrived in a terracotta jug.
They have about seven choices for vegetarians, with another 20 or so meat-based dishes on the menu. We ordered most of the vegetarian ones photo, all of which were perfectly fine. The patatas bravas (deep-fried potatoes in a thin tomato sauce) had more sauce than Kake has seen at other tapas places, and the sauce was only very slightly spicy, but these are not really criticisms and overall it was a decent rendition. Artichoke hearts were simple but tasty. Kake was pleased with the aubergines baked in a cheese and tomato sauce; the ingredients were well-proportioned and well-combined. Ewan considered the mozzarella in carrozza (basically a cheese sandwich coated in egg and shallow-fried) to be excellent. Particularly enjoyed by both of us, however, were the garlic mushrooms, cooked well over a high heat. Kake, a non-vegetarian, had some garlic prawns photo, which were a decent size and cooked competently, but perhaps a little on the salty side.
The house wine (£13.50/bottle) was a perfectly drinkable rioja, and the food came to £26.30 in total for six items, plenty for the two of us. With the auto-added 10% service charge, we paid £20/head. In all, a good value meal.
Ewan's verdict: I'd be happy to recommend this place, and return if in the area.
Kake's verdict: I'd also come back, and recommend it to anyone who happened to be in the area, though I don't think it's worth travelling across London for.
Accessibility: One step up to get in, and another two (shallow) steps to get to the toilets.
See also: