Dinner @ Vue de Monde

It's Paalo's birthday so we're off to Vue de Monde and unlike our last visit, my eyes are in perfect condition and my taste buds are all working fine!

We begin, as always with champagne, which is soon joined by the Amuse



A much different form and presentation when compared to previous offerings - the oyster is a clair de lune and it sits under an apple gel

European Vacation - Scandinavia

We sadly come to the last in this series of European Vacation with Raymond Capaldi - the final destination is Scandinavia which explains why Abba is playing during dinner.

As with the previous dinners there are some options - in this case the first is a Tribute to Noma.



Delicately smoked, soft and gelatinous, oozy explosions of eggy goodness



The whole pot was generously filled with a delicate and fluffy tarragon cream topped with a crunchy malt soil, into which spankingly fresh radishes had been planted. What surprised me is that most people just ate the radish and left the tops behind.

To Drink: Carlsberg Pale Lager, Elderflower Vodka Martini

~Entree~



To drink: 2007 Delatite Sylvia Kabinett Style Riesling

A delicate and refined offering - it teases you with the aroma of smoked eel and then charms you with it's light touch.


~Main~



To Drink: 2005 Bannockburn The Estate Shiraz

The belly is rolled and stuffed with a sausage like farce, the skin a good blend of crunch and caramel like chewiness. Those celeriac sticks coated in hay ash are a real taste sensation.


~Side Dishes~



There's a subtle flavour of beer to these slightly firm onions



The carrots still have a nice bite to them, the pork greaves just shatter in your mouth



A stand out salad where each mouthful offers a new combination of flavours.


~Dessert~
A salute to Rene Redzepi of Noma for putting Nordic food on the world stage.



To Drink: 2005 Late Harvest Viognier

A dessert that isn't obvious and probably did stretch some people but for myself, I really did enjoy it. I think the key that bound the goat milk curd and iced sorrel was that thin, translucent sheet of anise caramel. It give you an initial crunch which then became chewy, which in turn released a refreshing anise flavour that cleansed your palate.


~To Finish~



To finish off both an amazing month of dinners and to celebrate a rather stunning celebration of Scandinavian cusine, it's fitting that we end with Aquavit. If you managed to attend all of the dinners I think you'd agree, we've experienced something quite special.



No meal is really complete without a peek into the kitchen where all the hard work is done.

The details:

Matteo's
533 Brunswick Street, Nth Fitzroy
Phone: 9481 1177

Open:
Lunch: Sunday-Friday from noon
Dinner: 7 days from 6pm

web:
www.matteos.com.au

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European Vacation - Spain

A more relaxed evening is in store tonight as we enjoy the third European Vacation with Raymond Capaldi dinner - this time we taste the delights of Spain.

This week the extras are 3 tapas dishes and 2 side dishes and I don't really have to say that we've opted for the complete menu.

~Tapas~



The mussels are buried underneath gorgeously moorish salsa, which has just enough bite to keep you wanting more. The presentation is delightful.



Crisp coated bites of chicken, chard and saffron - so good we ordered another plate!



Did we just step into a black & white movie? No, that's just my wonky colour problems again though I have finally figured out the reason. Coloured candles! Poor silly camera cannot cope with the varying light and since I'm not going to use flash you'll just have to put up with it.



Beautiful baby leeks, grilled until just tender, served in their own envelope. It was interesting to note how the garlic allioli mellowed in flavour when eaten with the leek, a brilliant match.

To drink: Delgado Zuleta La Goya Manzanilla


~Entrante~



To drink: 2006 Palacio de Fefiñanes Albariño

They may look like olives in the photo but they are Volcanic Butter beans, a rather remarkable ingredient that I am going to have to get my hands on.


~Plato Principal~



To drink: 2004 Marqués de Riscal Reserva Tempranillo

The next photo shows the tenderness of the lamb.



A push of the fork and it slipped off the bone.

~Side Dishes~





~Postre~



To drink: 2007 Gandia Moscatel Fustanova

Just when you thought things couldn't get better, we were served this. This is a dessert where it is greater than the sum of its parts - eat the components separately they are okay but put them together and you end up with something special.

To top of a wonderful evening we finish with glasses of NV Bodegas Alvear 1927 Dulce Viejo Pedro Ximenez.


The details:

Matteo's
533 Brunswick Street, Nth Fitzroy
Phone: 9481 1177

Open:
Lunch: Sunday-Friday from noon
Dinner: 7 days from 6pm

web:
www.matteos.com.au

Lunch @ Les Boucheries Parisiennes

A much too early start in the morning to get hold of some jumbo green eggs has left us rather lethargic - the solution to our condition is a comforting lunch at Les Boucheries Parisiennes. Once again we've placed our trust in the very capable hands of Matt and Paul.

~Soup~



The sweetness of the scallops are accentuated by the robust flavours of this bisque - it's earthy and rich.

~Entree~



This is a smaller serving of their main and I would order this just for that unbelievably excellent ox tail ravioli.

~Main~



Delightfully smoked, subtle enough so that you can still appreciate the fish.

~Dessert~

The meal certainly got our brains functioning again so we did manage to order desserts ourselves.



Raspberry and apple has that wonderful sweet-tart combination, coupled with a good level of crumble topping makes this a winter favourite.



The type of dessert I really enjoy, little tastes of different things and all equally delicious.




The details:

Les Boucheries Parisiennes
268 Toorak Road, South Yarra

Phone: (03) 8256 1636

Open:
Lunch - Tuesday to Sunday: 12pm to 2.30pm
Dinner - Tuesday to Saturday: 6pm to late

Web:
www.lesboucheries.com.au

European Vacation - France

The fearless four have returned for the second European Vacation with Raymond Capaldi. It's Bastille day and our destination is France!

Once again there is a 3 course set menu - options include a Soup and Side dishes as well as wine matches. We've once again opted for the whole experience.

~Soupe~



Ignore the horrid colour shift in the photo, the soup was more brown in colour. Quite a different texture from what we'd expected due to the inclusion of lentils - as velvety as you'd expect but with more body. Seared rounds of langoustine adorned the center of the bowl.

~Hors d'oeuvre~



To drink: 2007 Reverdy La Reine Blache Sancerre

What a clever dish - all the ingredients of cassoulet presented as a terrine. Even the cassoulet crust was represented by those garlic croutons and scattering of loose beans. You can't see it in the photo but I especially loved that beans were also in the terrine, located at the very top in the corner.

~Plat Principal~



To drink: 2003 Parker Terra Rossa Cabernet Sauvignon

According to the menu the braise took 14 hours, 19 minutes and 12 seconds, I also have a bridge in Sydney I'd like to sell.

However long it took, the end product is divine, fork tender, meltingly beautiful. Sweet carrots and a cloud-like mousseline.

~Side Dishes~











~Dessert~



To drink: 2005 Le Tertre du Lys d'Or

Chausson aux pommes translates to Apple Slipper, it's a type of apple turnover. Sorrel crème had a refreshing green apple taste.

The details:

Matteo's
533 Brunswick Street, Nth Fitzroy
Phone: 9481 1177

Open:
Lunch: Sunday-Friday from noon
Dinner: 7 days from 6pm

web:
www.matteos.com.au

Breakfast @ Home Dining Room

It's Sunday and there's no better way to start the day than with a low stress breakfast.

Lunch @ Montalto Restaurant

After a bit of back and forth we eventually decided to try our luck at Montalto Restaurant, located at the Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove in Red Hill South.

It may be cold and rainy but that certainly didn't stop the punters turning up and without a booking, we are indeed lucky to get a seat.



On weekends, lunch is offered at a set price of $65 for 2 courses and $75 for 3 courses.

~To begin~



Pure flavours served in a smooth creamy soup.

~Starters~



A good combination - only negative was that the scallops had been cooked a fraction too long for my liking.






A very generous portion, in some places this would be classed as a main but we are in the country so different rules apply.


~Mains~



Tender lamb, sweet fennel, well cooked veg



Loved the skin with its toffee like character. Very tender belly.

~Sides~



~Dessert~



Although it looked very rich and heavy, it's actually quite light, mostly due to the dacquoise.







I've never seen a brulee "naked" so to speak. Thick toffee crust, vanilla seed speckled custard.




The details:

Montalto Restaurant
@ Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove

33 Shoreham Road
Red Hill South
Melways Ref 256 B2

Phone: +61 3 5989 8412

Restaurant Open:
Lunch - Daily 12 to 3pm
Dinner - Friday and Saturday 6.30pm to 11pm

web

Red Hill Cheese

Having enjoyed quite a bit of their cheese in the past and since we're in the area, we decided to drop in.



If you're one of these types that expect free food, you're in the wrong place. Sample plates are available at $5 or $10 and this is what you can expect for $10



Going clockwise from the arrow, we tasted

Portsea Picnic (goat) & Sorrento Picnic (cow) - both are semi-hard cheese, the Sorrento Picnic is more mature
Misty Valley (goat) & Merricks Mist (cow) - both are Normandy styled soft white mould cheese
Flinders Fetish (goat), Somers Soft (goat) & Coolart Soft (cow) - these are feta styles, sold in jars filled with oils and various spice/herbs
Arthurs Peak (goat) - farmhouse style, pyramid shape, rolled in dried winter savory
Mountain Goat Blue (goat) & Granny's Blue (cow) - the mountain goat had a really unusual tang and spice that seemed to just keep developing, both are creamy styles.

What you'll get on your sample plate will depend on the season and availability.


The details:

Red Hill Cheese
81 William Road (Off Arthurs Seat Road)
Red Hill

Melways Ref 190 C4

Phone: 03 5989 2427

Cellar Door Open:
Weekends & Public Holidays - 12 to 5pm

web

Lunch @ Church Street Enoteca

If you follow Ron's tweets you'd know that he'd just got a delivery of Blackmores 9+ Wagyu T-bones and with only 20 18 available we headed off to snag a couple!

With all good things, there's no point in rushing, plenty of time to try a couple of the new dishes from the Market Menu.



I know it's strange especially with my love of game birds but it was Paalo that ordered this dish and his verdict was that "this was a Wellington a Frenchman would love"



Crisp flaky pastry, still pink and moist pieces of Pigeon, mingled with the earthy taste of mushrooms and liver.



I was intrigued by this combination and it proved to be a winning one. Oxtail is quite lush but somehow the parsley risotto takes the edge off that richness and rounds out the flavours.



To drink: 2006 Portsea Estate Pinot Noir

~A little extra~



As I mentioned we had come here for the T-bones but on reading the menu, Paalo was sorely tempted by a new dish of Sous Vide Venison. Over-hearing our plight, the kitchen kindly sent out the dish for us to share.

The combination of venison, cabbage, apple and chocolate sauce is classic but this has all those great elements presented in a new way. If the T-bones are gone, order this instead!

~The Main Event~



From the first bite you'll notice that this is considerably more moist than it's counterparts. An excellent cut of meat that you just don't see too often, served simple with a red wine jus and sautéed mushrooms.



To drink: 2003 Yarra Yarra Cabernets




The details:

Church St Enoteca
527 Church Street, Richmond

Phone: 9428 7898

Restaurant Open:
Lunch: Monday-Friday 12-3pm
Dinner: Monday-Saturday 6pm to late

Web:
www.churchstenoteca.com.au