MOVIE FOODS HAVE AN ACQUIRED CUISINE IN MELBOURNE (302 hits)
YOUR WORLD NEWS APRIL 2012 15th Day Melbourne Source of news story: The Vine
Words: Jess Ho
Generally speaking, movie food is the tradition of buttery cardboard, chalky chocolate over low-brow ice cream flavours and a pail of post-mix diabetes. Sonically, it ruins the suspension of disbelief the film is trying to create and it leaves you wondering why you didn’t just go into a doctor’s waiting room and hand out bags of popcorn.
Cinema Nova recently launched its new bar and kitchen which brought in the crew from Comida Bebe to create its menu and drinks list. Comida Bebe is the pop-up brain child of three European, self-proclaimed food and wine tragics who believe in the marriage of food and art. Tending to the kitchen of Melbourne’s art-house cinema is no coincidence.
The bar and kitchen operate alongside the cinema with a Spanish menu and caters for even the non-movie watching crowd. There are pre-made items stored in the snack bar such as thick country tortilla served with char grilled capsicum and aioli, cakes and marinated olives. You can pick a selection of tapas – five items for $12 with culinary options that include salt cod, watermelon topped with a goat’s cheese mousse, and basil jelly. These smaller items classed as being part of the “two minute menu” and are designed as quick, noise-free bites to have just before or at the beginning of your movie session.
For those with more time, food is cooked to order. Exists a pintxos and cocas menu, crisp jamon croquettes, mandatory patatas bravas, and of course, seafood and chicken paella served in its own pan and cocas – referred to as the Catalan twin of the Italian pizza. The base of the cocas are unbelievably thin and come in three varieties; chorizo, vegetarian or caramelised tomato and jamon, each served bubbling with cheese, sauces and flavoured oil. For the love of fellow movie go-ers, cocas are best reserved for pre or post movie snacking.
There are two food packages that the cinema provides, the Tranquilo at $39 including cost of the film and the Completo, $59. The Tranquilo is designed for those who prefer a no-interruption experience where a selection of six tapas are served before the film alongside a drink of the diner’s choice. The Completo is a two course tapas meal, with 12 tapas served in total, where the first course is served at the beginning of the film and the second course is brought into the film at a discrete point in time, served with a drink and finished off with a choc-top.
