Instagram: @joicejlau
I'm going to have to finish off my New Zealand miniseries later - exams got in the way of me getting it done earlier - because right now I have a number of people nagging me to post photos from my Vue de Monde experience, not surprisingly!
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| The Rialto Tower. Vue de Monde sits on the 55th floor. |
Last week I had some relatives arriving on a visit from overseas and we had the great privilege of taking a nine-course degustation at Shannon Bennett's famed establishment. Now, normally I'd write a detailed review, but in this case I really don't think it's necessary. Today, I'll just let the photos and videos do most of the talking...
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| I requested a "good table" due to our overseas visitors, and we were duly treated to one with views of Melbourne's CBD. |
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| Pre-appetiser: house-made salt and vinegar chips with macadamia paste |
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| Vegetarian appetiser: Carrot with dip |
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| Vegetarian appetiser: "Herb gel" |
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| Vegetarian appetiser: some kind of rolled vegetable with apple |
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| Appetiser: oysters |
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| Appetisers: Smoked eel, white chocolate, caviar (L) and truffle marshmallows (R) |
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| Appetiser: Salt cured wallaby, rolled atop a Himalayan stone |
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| Palate-cleanser: iced tea |
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| 1st Course (Vegetarian): Beetroot with crème fraiche snow - the "snow" was melt-in-your mouth texture |
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| 2nd Course (all): Melbourne Onion Soup |
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| Three different textures of onion, onto which the soup was poured. Check out my soup video below! |
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| 3rd Course (Vegetarian): Asparagus and blueberry with wasabi snow |
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| An interlude of sourdough servied with French Echire butter |
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| White truffles imported from Hungary. Or white gold? We paid extra to sample the white truffles with our next course... |
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| 4th Course (all): Duck yolk, pear, white truffle |
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| 5th Course (all): cucumber sorbet served atop wood sorrel which was flash frozen with nitrogen. |
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| 6th Course (Vegetarian): "Potato field" with nettle, cauliflower, spinach puree |
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| 6th Course (Regular): Barramundi, potato, caviar, lemon |
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| 7th Course (Vegetarian): Eggplant done three ways; onion, thyme |
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| 7th Course (Regular): Flinders Island lamb, olive, Australian anchovies, sunflower |
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| 7th Course (Regular): Blackmore Wagyu, beetroot, saltbush, BBQ sauce |
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| A pre-dessert palate cleanser: Kale, celery, coconut |
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| We got the tea sommelier to fix us a jug of tea to match with our desserts: Hamilton Zealong tea from New Zealand. |
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| 8th Course - Dessert 1: Rhubarb, white chocolate ganache, coffee ice cream |
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| 9th Course: Chocolate soufflé |
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| Petit fours to finish our meal: Champagne jelly pennies |
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| Petit fours: my favourite - Eucalyptus ice cream pops |
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| Petit fours: white chocolate shells with a contrasting savoury sauce |
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| Petit fours: Vue de Monde's reinvention of the classic lamington - done mousse-style with a splash of coulis on top |
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| What a lovely finishing touch: complimentary breakfast bags with tea, brioche, Beechworth honey, muesli and cookies. The ratio is one per two guests; our party of five received three breakfast bags. |
In every department, this was literally the best meal I've had so far in my life. Here's hoping there are many more such meals to come! Vue de Monde's food, artistry, service, location and ambience are surely right up there with the very best. It was such a perfect way for our visitors to experience modern Australian flavours, produce and decoration aesthetics. I do, however, have one word of advice: if you're going to get drinks matched with your food, I would stick to the wine matching because it costs roughly the same as the tea matching service.
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| The washrooms...haha! |
Food aside, my favourite thing about Vue de Monde has to be the fact that it is not the least stuffy. Service is very warm and friendly - unlike the cold and distant style I've encountered at other classy restaurants - yet always of the five-star standard you'd expect of such an establishment. Diners are actively encouraged to eat certain items with their fingers, whereas I've been to some higher-end places where you feel nervous if your knife and fork technique isn't perfect. The washrooms are cheekily labelled with Aussie slang (see above). Seated in our own private niche of the restaurant, sipping a glass of pink Veuve Clicquot, laughing and chatting with my extended family, I could almost be convinced that I was enjoying a luxurious private dinner in the carefree comfort of my own home...
Rating: A++
Vegetarian Friendliness: 10/10 (obviously, they will cater to any imaginable dietary requests)
Price Range: $$$$$
Vue de Monde
Level 55/Rialto 525 Collins St
Melbourne VIC
Australia 3000
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