Vue de Monde www.vuedemonde.com.au
· Level 55, Rialto, 525 Collins Street, Melbourne
· Dining at Dinnertime
· Party of two
Set on the 55th floor of the Rialto tower offering amazing views of the city as well as amazing cuisine is Shannon Bennett’s Vue de Monde. A restaurant that was recently awarded ‘Restaurant of the Year’ in the Good Food Guide 2013, it is renown by foodies and foodie-wannabes as the place to dine. I had been wanting to visit Vue de Monde for a considerable amount of time and was pleasantly surprised and spoilt by my husband as he had sneakily booked us in for dinner a good three months prior to my birthday.
I must devote an entire paragraph to the service at Vue de Monde. It can only be described as impeccable and meticulous. From the moment you are greeted on the ground floor, through to taking their private lift straight to level 55, through to being escorted to your table via the impressive wine room, through to being seated in a kangaroo fur chair and right through to having your kangaroo leather covered table dusted of crumbs by staff between each course. As well as the usual napkin folding when you leave the table, the attention to detail was impressive. But this is just how the ‘Restaurant of the Year’ rolls, it is their thing and contributes to the experience.
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| Cucumber Sorbet and Herbs |
We were advised of two options for our dining session, the “Freedom” or the “Choice”. The “Freedom” is the degustation, basically a tasting meal of nine courses that would progressively grace your table over a comparably lengthy period of time. And at $250 per person, I considered this option to be overly indulgent for the occasion that we were dining for. To include matching wine it is $15 - $25 per course. So we opted for the “Choice” menu which is a four course meal where there were several options under each course. At $150 per person, I felt this option satisfied this particular occasion.
Each course had its in betweeners such as palate cleansers (a Cucumber sorbet with on the spot crushed herbs) and the fancy things you would expect in a restaurant of this caliber.
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| "Snacks" to Begin |
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| Salt Cured Kangaroo |
The experience began with Oyster, Salt cured kangaroo, Celeriac, Sunflower seed and Smoked eel, white chocolate, caviar. The presentation and how each item was strategically placed on the table intrigued me perhaps more than the actual food. However the salt cured kangaroo was exceptionally tender and delicious and was rolled right in front of you.
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| Trout Belly |
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| Ox Tongue |
For entrée we had the Trout belly, smoked eel, nasturtiums, wasabi and to be adventurous I chose the Ox tongue salad, Gascony butter.
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| Duck, Yabbie, Kale |
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| Wagyu |
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| Cheese Course |
Course number three was an Assortment of cheeses, bread, jams. The chesses are especially served to you from a mobile cabinet of different cheeses after you tell the waiter what kind of cheeses you prefer. Served with a variety of jams and bread, this course is not something I normally have when dining out however is a pleasant lead up to the sweet finish.
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| Pavlova |
For dessert we chose the Pavlova and Chocolate soufflé, chocolate mousse, crème anglaise. This course was an anti-climax to what was one of my most unique and special dining experiences. What we did not realise was the Pavlova would be “deconstructed” and therefore did not meet our longing expectations of crispy meringue and fluffy light egg whites. The chocolate soufflé was served by the chef where a knife was inserted to create a hole for the crème anglaise to be poured into. Very nice in theory but so very disappointing in taste. A lackluster finale to an enjoyable experience.
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| Chocolate Souffle |
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| Petit Fours |
And to round up the meal petit-fours were served.
From booking right through to after the meal where the menu complete with wine choices is emailed to you, It can be described as nothing other than an experience - and a memorable one at that!
