I first dined at Vue de Monde in Melbourne about 7 years ago.
A little younger and less travelled, it was my very first real fine dining experience and I remember it vividly. Not because it was at that time – at around $250 – the most expensive meal I’d ever had, but because the 12 course degustation was a feast for the senses, palate and imagination.
I still remember the creativity of dishes that resembled works of art by then head chef (and owner) Shannon Bennett. From a vegetable garden creation to a seafood bug lying on a rock to the petit fours served to end the meal featuring no less than sweet mousse that you had to squeeze out of toothpaste style tubes.
Years on, Vue de Monde blew my mind again.
This most prized Melbourne restaurant is now in a different location – on Level 55 of the Rialto (until a few years ago, Melbourne’s tallest skyscraper) but its food, produce and service, remains unsurpassed for me.
During Christmas week, together with my mum, sister and very special friends, I devoured another 12 course degustation in a setting that is unrivalled in Melbourne. Here on the Rialto’s top floor, as you look out to the stunning city skyline, you literally feel as though you’re dining in the clouds.
This time around, it was head chef Cory Campbell who had us captivated from the starter snacks through to the final cheese board – a meal that lasted well over 3 hours.
Here’s what we ate:
{Starter snacks}
Shucked local oysters
Salt cured wallaby
Tea-tree smoked salmon pearls
Duck tongue with mountain pepper
BBQ lamb hearts skewers
Smoked eel, white chocolate & caviar
{Course 1}
Barramundi, potato, chicken, caviar
{photo not available}
{Course 2}Kangaroo, beetroot, munthari berries
{Course 3}Blackmore Wagyu smoked bone marrow saltbush
{Course 4}Cucumber, sorrel
{Course 5}Duck yolk, pear and truffle
{Course 6}Marron marzipan and brown butter
{Course 7}Cured Kingfish with kale and buttermilk curd
{Course 8}Asparagus with whey and peas
{Pre dessert}Golden Vue
{Dessert}
Carrot and macadamia
Chocolate soufflé
Assortment of local and international cheeses, breads and jams
Petit Fours
Vue de Monde was a truly unforgettable experience. And it got me thinking. About this my hobby, which has become a part of my work and living. I really love what I do and even more so, sharing it with you.
While of course it’s about the food, what I love most is ‘dining’. The actual concept. The process. Right from the anticipation of trying a new place, to the perusing of a menu, to the tastes and delights of new things or old favorites.
And a fine dining experience really is like no other.
For me, it’s about discovery and an energy that just about transports you to an excited childlike state.
I love seeing the look on other people’s faces when they’re perhaps tasting things for the first time – like on this occasion – lamb hearts or buttermilk curd.
But most of all it’s about sharing moments with people you care about.
Because that’s what dining is about for me. Togetherness.
Signing off from Melbourne
(But back in Rome, ridiculously soon)
Baci, Maria
