Lunch at Vue de Monde

As I waited for my lunch companion and sipped on my dry sherry, I felt completely at home. Aaahh...Vue de Monde. A view of the world. Yes indeed. I make sure I go there everytime I am in Melbourne for more than a couple of days. I am always reccomending this to people as the one restaurant in Australia you must visit. So, this being my 5th or is it 6th time that I have been , I felt excited and yet at ease. But unfortunately, I was to walk out of there rethinking it as my first choice in Melbourne. 


Before the waiter offered us any lunch options, my lunch companion offered him his decision - "5+1". Five courses plus one dessert that is. Great value for lunch at $120/pp. The interesting thing at Vue de Monde is that you don't get a menu and don't get told what you are getting until it arrives. Wonderfully mysterious unless you are a control freak - luckily I am not. Well, at least not that much! You just simply say what sort of ingredients or dishes you don't like and "wallah", the dishes arrive. We also choose  to do the wine match per course which we were told would be about $10-$15 per tasting of a measly 60ml. 

1. Kangaroo charcuteri on a wooden bread plate. The tartare with nashi pear had wonderful gaminess of the meet and some sweetness that connected nicely with that of the pear. The pear texture contrasted nicely. The sausage was ok. Would not mind again. 5/10.
2. Truite  Fumee(Ocean trout with horseradish and baby beetroot, smoked at the table). The dish comes out covered. Once opened, a not too heavy smokiness drifts out. After the spectacle of the smoke on the table which entices the palate as the smokiness drifts into the nose a juicy trout of sashimi consistency is to be found. The sweetness of which went went nicely with a foam. The smokiness of the foam contrasted nicely the sweetness of the beetroot elements. The sweetness of the beetroot especially went with the trout.  Texture added with the horseradish (which tasted more like apples!) 7/10
3. Risotto aux truffes -  This is a Vue classic. Wow! This is no doubt still their star dish. Amazingly perfumed dish which should be eaten hot - 8+/10.
4. Écrrvisse Rotie - Roased marron with bisque glaze served on hot river stone.  This dish had potential, but the Marron really came out at a consistency which was too soft and not juicy enough. I really couldn't get the flavour of the marron despite being told that the cooking method enhanced the flavour! The glaze and other elements (cucumber etc) went well adding texture and flavour. This dish however never made it. Almost famous. Probably wouldn't go far to eat it again.  5.5/10
5. Trou Perigourdin. Palate cleanser. Vanilla yogurt with elderflower graninte. Unbelievably good pallate cleanser; I could have another few bowls of this. Perhaps Vue Du Monde could start a Yougart chain??!! 
6. Porc Aux  Saveurs  De La  Terre  - Western plains pork with flavours of the earth -Pork neck, loin and rib - We were explained that they were using some techniques that kept the flavour in.  As far as the neck and ? was concerned however,  they definitely kept  kept the flavour out for the most part! The neck was particularly disappointing considering how juicy and wonderful it can be (just go down the road to The Press Club and despite it not being to the standard of Vue, the Pork neck is ridiculously good - well was last year before Masterchef  started!). Most of this dish  was dry (except in the middle), two of the three cuts might as well not been there. The rib was juicy, tender and tasty. The skin was slimy  compared to the inside giving this part of the dish a good balance. 5/10 (saved by the leg?)
7. Wagyu Boeuf De Blackmore. Blackmore wagyu beef with dried berries & earl grey parsnip. Ok, well, yum! F1x, marble 9 beef cooked perfectly (that is to say rare), this maintaining the fat. The amazing flavours, especially sweetness (in a good way!) popping out through the meat went well with the ??(green sauce) accompaniment. The dried berries - i thought they were sultanas - also articulated well, while the parsnip(?- crunchy savourly/bland vegetable) contrasted well with the Beef. Really good dish 8-8.5/10
8. Pallate cleanser - Semi-frozen mango with lemonade (something ?). Another great pallate cleanser. I really think starting a pallate cleanser shop out front could be good business. Think about it - "Oh honey, I think we have just had too much of the KFC. Very oily stuff these aussie produce" -  "Yes dear, perhaps we could have a palate cleanser at Vue de Cleanser"! lol
9. Deconstructed carrot cake (Carrot patch) - It did indeed look like a carrot patch. Not too sweet, a balanced desert with really nice textures and flavours. 7/10 
10. Chocolate Soufflé- Chocolate soufflé with chocolate mousse and crème anglaise. Well cooked, but too sweet for me. 5/10
11. Pistache Soufflé - Demoulded pistachio soufflé with crème anglaise.  light, creamy with lots of pistachoes. Very enjoyable. 6.5-7/10

Ok, so, you're thinking - it wasn't a bad meal, some average scores. So, why did it possibly drop of as the recommended choice in Melbourne ? Well, the reason came after the food in the form of the bill. As I said, I have been here many times before, but after being told the rough estimate for our wine, we certainly weren't expecting a wine bill of $220 per person. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, $220 per --person. We did not even drink much! I am sure that whatever they served was genuinely worth that much, but it is about choice. If we had simply been told that the matching wine was $x, we would have been able to choose whether we wanted that or not. Or order at least 3 very good bottles! As I was explained by another sommelier who worked previously at Vue, it gave him incredible flexibility to serve wines from the cellar that would never be served by the glass. He is probably right, we did have some good wine, but I would still like a choice. 

This left a bad taste in my mouth after a reasonable meal. You live, you learn...I guess ! If you do go and I still suggest you do, make sure you ask the sommelier to limit your wine bill or order by the bottle.