Lunch @ Vue de Monde

It's over a month late but I finally made it to Vue de Monde for my cancelled birthday lunch.

We being with the amuse which is now spans three courses - the first of which is Kangaroo Charcuterie:



There are two components - this is the kangaroo tartare



and a kangaroo sausage.

The second part is:



The sand it sits on is edible and does taste a lot like cooked biscuits. On top of the tuna fillet is a clear disc of tuna bone marrow (which we actually get to see how they get this later on)

And the third part:



Kingfish sits inside two wafers, topped with caviar.

Now onto the rest of the meal:



To drink: 2007 Luis Pato Beiras Vinha Formal Beiras VR, Portugal




First thoughts, it's an odd dish for a winter menu. As you eat it you realise that it is surprisingly substantial - the salad is a mix of shaved kohl rabi, nashi  and cucumber bound by a fantastic wild garlic broth. The broth shows precision as it could easily overpower the dish.




To drink: 2001 Howard Park Riesling Great Southern, Western Australia

If you've been to VDM through the years you'll have witnessed the progression of smoked dishes on the menu - years back they would use a piece of smoking charcoal on the plate but now it's got a lot more precise - the domes which cover this dish are fitted with a one way value, which allows smoke to be precisely placed in the dome without any leaking. When the dome is lifted at the table you get that full affect. 

This is a sublime piece of trout - from texture to taste, it is pure pleasure.




2007 Domaine de Bellivière Jasnierès Les Rosiers Loire Valley, France

It's a nice dish but considering we've already had salad this would have been nicer with some type of protein.




1998 R. Lopéz de Heredia Viña Tondonia Rioja Gran Reserva Rosado La Rioja, Spain

Once again, these are beautiful mushrooms but I feel as if they are calling out for something like a slow cooked egg.




2008 Paul Pillot Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Les Grandes Ruchottes Burgundy

Visually stunning presentation - these large stones have been heated before being set with the marron and its accompaniments.
 



I absolutely loved the creaminess of the cucumber sorbet but the granite and frozen lime seemed out of season for me, a touch too summery.


1998 Château Haut-Bailly Pessac-Léognan Grand Cru Classé de Graves Bordeaux, France

The first of our "mains" - real protein! You can tell this is perfectly cooked hare, still deliciously pink and superbly tender.



2007 Alain Graillot Syrah Syrocco Zenta, Morocco

The Wagyu was a wow moment - an incredible piece of meat. It wasn't just the tenderness it was the fullness of flavour that came through.

At this point of time, we're asked how we'd like to progress - we decide on one more savoury course before heading to cheese and dessert.



2004 Benanti Etna Rosso Serra della Contessa Sicily, Italy

Having left the decision up to the kitchen, they produce an almost standout dish of the day - it will be hard to top that Wagyu. Pigeon is a tricky customer, with a tendency to dry, but this was gorgeously moist. The earthy beetroot a good match to the flavoursome pigeon.



Now, you won't see this on the degustation menu but you must understand that all through this meal we've seen these potatoes coming out as part of the menu du jour and it's a temptation that proved too hard to resist. So as part of our request of an extra dish we managed to finally get a taste of this.

Fat fingers of potato, crisp yet ultra fluffy on the inside, accompanied by a lovely spiced tomato sauce.



2000 Moët and Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne Épernay, France

We're offered a selection of cheese styles but we can't go past a washed rind and I must say this is an absolute corker. It's creamy and rich, earthy yet sweet, it's the ultimate and perfectly matched to the mushroom and sherry accompaniments.



Another cleanser to get ready for dessert.



Time for dessert:



2005 Château Lafaurie-Peyfaurie Sauternes 1er Cru Bordeaux, France

Well, what can you say, it's a dish to make you smile. Served on a flattened wine bottle, this is the Vue version of carrot cake and it does indeed have all those flavour points found in carrot cake. Best of all, it is restrained in its sweetness.




NV Toro Albalá Cream PX Montilla-Moriles  Andalusía, Spain



Picture paints a thousand words - what can I say. Once again it is refreshingly restrained in sweetness, incredibly light but rich with pistachio flavour. The deliciously soft and light anglaise puts a perfect finish to the dish.

The meal is not over yet - coffee and petits-fours to come





They do look like lamingtons but they aren't made with sponge - it's whipped chocolate mousse.






I mentioned earlier about tuna bone marrow - well here they are working on removing the marrow from tuna.

The final treat comes as you leave - in the past we've been given boxes of chocolates but there's something new and quite different on offer. It's a breakfast pack - it's their way of extending the Vue experience to the next morning.



In our pack we got a brioche loaf from Cafe Vue and a packet of loose leaf Vue blended tea



there's also green eggs



well, two eggs and two biscuits. They even supply recipes - though rather than following them, the brioche ended up in a brioche and butter pudding!

The details:

Vue de Monde
Normanby Chambers
430 Little Collins Street
Melbourne
Phone: 03 9691 3888

Open:
Lunch: Tuesday - Friday Bookings:12.00pm-2.00pm
Dinner: Tuesday - Saturday Bookings:6.30pm-9.30pm

web:
www.vuedemonde.com.au