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Monday 30 July 2007

Vue De Monde

It is often exciting to go to a restaurant that you have never been before. Especially one that has been much talked about. Despite the mixed reviews that I've heard from friends, we decided to give it a try... and finally got a table!

When we arrived, we were pleasantly greeted by the suit-clad restaurant staff. The entrance reminded me of a boutique hotel reception. Our jackets were taken promptly before we were led to our seats.

We had a seat far enough away from the kitchen but near enough to see the glass panel reflect the chef's preparation for dishes to be served. If you ever want a table at Vue De Monde, make sure you ask for one away from the kitchen, as it got noisier in the kitchen as the night went on. Of course, if you have a large table, I am sure you will be more absorbed by what is happening at your own table.

After our drinks orders were taken, the degustation style of dining was explained to us. We opted for the full degustation for everyone, i.e. 7 main dishes. You can only have one type of degustation for each table, you can't have say, one person who's having 5 courses, and three people having the full degustation. They were going to discuss our desserts after seeing how we went with our mains. So there is some flexibility in the menu... Minimum 5 main courses ($200) and they have a vegetarian menu.... I think the best bet is to order 5 main courses, and then add on more dishes if you are still hungry (at $15 per additional dish).

They will ask you what you don't eat etc... you really need to think about this before you go.... As you might get something that you didn't think of but you realize you don't like... For us it was hare, i.e. rabbit meat. However, it was a blessing in disguise in the end, because I actually liked the rare hare meat.... Eventhough I had images of little furry bunny in my head and it doesn't help that I was wondering which part of the cute little bunny did this piece of meat come from... I couldn't help it and that's why I don't eat the meat of anything cute.

Going to Vue De Monde is like going to watch a show at the theatres. It's dramatic, an adventure and full of surprise. But I'm one of those people who only need to see a show once...

Vue De Monde
Normanby Chambers
430 Little Collins Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
03 9691 3888
http://www.vuedemonde.com.au/

4 comments:

Truffle said...

Despite being terribly envious I always love reading reviews of VDM so thanks for sharing. I'll just sit here and feel jealous now :)

Kazmic said...

Don't be too jealous! It is a nice place for a special occasion, except you know what, I wouldn't go again, not because of the price but because of the experience. I really thing that it is all a bit pretentious. I want my gastronomical experiences to be about enjoying excellent food with people. At VDM, I felt that I was second to the food. Not often a nice feeling when your conversation is interrupted by the "grand entrance" of the food and master. You often feel obliged to say "wow" and "ahhh" when the food arrives even without tasting it. But having said that I will try Bistro Vue. I heard that it is fantastic.

Eehui said...

thanks for the review - discovering yr site is like opening my eyes to more good food for my dinner (yay!)

Kazmic said...

No worries, Lasilasi.. from the looks of your blog, you have many lovely food adventures as well. Well done! :)