I am not usually a fan of tapas style food but after trying this place – I am now a convert. We tried a selection of dishes and of course had to get dessert at the end. The food is presented in a colourful and engaging manner – sometimes on wooden boards with the bread placed to the side of a jar which contains the main hero of the dish. I think having food placed in this manner where it is interactive especially for tapas style food is a great idea.
You can have a look at some of the dishes we had in the pictures above. This was actually the first time that I have had Quinoa in a salad and I thoroughly enjoyed – I think the combination of all the other ingredients really enhanced the flavour. So now whenever I see quinoa in a dish, I always want to try it out and see other ways that this ingredient can be used. I didn’t eat the jamon myself, but was told by my two other girlfriends that it was delicious. The potted prawns was tasty, however as they were in the butter, I found it a bit too wet and oily.
The desserts were both amazing! Both had very different flavours that you wouldn’t expect to see in a dessert and this was one of the main reasons we all wanted to try this dish out. The Earl Grey Tart was interestingly flavoured – I have never been much of an Earl Grey fan so wasn’t that into this dessert and favored the Balsamic Pear better, especially because of the mascarpone ( I lovveeeee mascarpone) – the mix of the balsamic acidity and the smooth flavour of the mascarpone matched perfectly!
Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – A selection of small Tapas style dishes to share – can be found at http://themoat.com.au/Meals.html
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Located underneath the State Library – It is dark but cosy and lit by candles which makes it comfortable.
Standout Dish: Quinoa Salad
Service: Great and very Friendly
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://themoat.com.au/Welcome.html
Basement, 176 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne
(under the State Library of Victoria)
Tel No: 9094 7820
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 9am till Late
Saturday: 12pm till Late
