MoVida to launch in Geelong

Publicans of the old Eureka Hotel in Geelong are preparing for a new tenant with the announcement that Corio-raised chef Frank Camorra will bring his renowned Spanish restaurant MoVida to the location.

Mr Camorra first flagged he was on the hunt for a new venue in the region in March after confirming that the redevelopment of the Lorne Hotel by its new owners meant his four-year tenure there was coming to an end.

It’s a return to origins for the executive chef, who’s behind a string of Spanish cuisine inspired eateries that have been at the forefront of Melbourne’s inner-city activation of laneways and small streets.

“One of my first jobs was cooking on Little Malop Street, but it’s changed a lot for the better now,” Camorra said.

“I remember seeing bands at the Eureka…that pub has had a lot of different facelifts, I think we’ll add to that precinct.”

Although planning for the venue that will be at the rear of the Westend is in “very early days”, Camorra said the venue was following a similar formula to that of his highly successful Original MoVida on Melbourne’s gritty and graffitied Hosier Lane.

“That precinct seemed like a perfect location for us – it’s a completely derelict unused space, a laneway off a laneway,” he said of Short’s Place site off Little Malop Street.

“There’s definitely a demand there for eating, entertaining… you can see it.

“We’re just starting to work with designers, but it’ll be a MoVida restaurant with high and low tables and an open kitchen for theatre.”

As with Melbourne, the venue will have seating for about 80 diners, including at the bar, where they’ll be served tapas, sharing plates and drinks.

Presently in Auckland where he and his team opened a MoVida at the end of August, Mr Camorra anticipated it would be the end of summer before the Geelong site opens.
“March/April we’ll be open, we’ve got plenty of time to get there so we should be good.”

Westend publican Cam O’Keefe said he had been in discussions with MoVida for the past six months, “now it’s all systems go.”

“It’s not only exciting for us, but for the precinct that is Little Malop and the community down here, and for the wider food scene of Geelong.”

Camorra’s return to the street and venue where he started to cook and see live music will also be a return to family, as his cousin George Camorra owns the 18th Amendment Bar and Manhattan Bar, both within a minute’s walk.

“It’ll be good to be back,” he said.