Vue de monde

We had real trouble writing this entry for Vue de monde. How does one write about an experience that could possibly be rated the best restaurant dining experience we’ve ever had? The answer is, with great difficulty. We wanted the review to perfectly convey the orgiastic night of feasting we experienced at Vue’s Chefs’ Table. We wanted the words and pictures to describe precisely the hedonistic pleasure that Shannon Bennett wrought on our grateful palates. However, this meant that we continually put off completing it, attempting to make sure the flavour was perfect, just like the flavours of the food we indulged in. The entry was in danger of never being published and read. Therefore, we just decided to get it out there, so here it is! Nothing is perfect, and we took solace in the fact that even Vue is fallible (more on this later), although such fallibilities did not detract one bit from our experience.

Vue de monde has enough wow factor to impress even the most discerning of diners. It is located in the historic and grand Normandy Chambers; the entrance is opulent and reminiscent of a 5-star hotel, the elegant table settings and ambience befitting the Age’s reigning Restaurant of the Year, and the marble pass is magnificent. However, Vue de monde’s beauty lies in the details. Fabulous Laguoile cutlery sitting on nifty Tom Samek designed ceramic rests (see picture above), the Chef’s Table made from timber that was formerly seating at the now demolished Ponsford stand at the MCG, gorgeous bathrooms with L’Occitane handwash and complimentary Vetiver cologne. These small details completed the experience for us.

To make it even more special, we decided to give ourselves wholly to the experience; Gastronomes menu at $250 a pop, which is the top level menu incorporating several premium ingredients, matched wine degustation at approx $120 per person, and dining at the Chef’s table, a special little alcove to the side of the kitchen seating only six people. All of this contributed towards an unadulterated and unobstructed experience of the restaurant and kitchen – the tastes, the sights, the smells, the sounds and the heat (and yes, it did get hot in there!). One also gets to interact directly with the Chefs, which I think gives one an even greater appreciation of the artistry, skill and passion that goes into each and every dish. For the gourmand, this is like being at the altar of a church.

The man responsible for all that is VDM is Shannon Bennett, the wild haired culinary-wunderkind pictured above. You can sense he is absolutely passionate and driven, probably to the point of being obsessed, by food and his restaurant. But he was absolutely lovely, even somewhat modest, when we arrived, welcoming us with a genuine smile and the hope that we enjoy our experience (and yes, thank-you very much, we certainly did!). From our secluded and exclusive vantage point, we watched as he impressively orchestrated the management of the kitchen. He was the calm in the storm – directing, organising, advising, overseeing, and even jumping in and cooking where required.

Further to his excellence in the kitchen (which you will see the product of shortly) was the excellence in service. This is a fine dining establishment, so whilst some may think it a little pretentious or pompous, I just love it. The formality, the tradition and the etiquette is something rare indeed in this town – so I applaud Shannon for upholding the virtue. If you want a casual dining experience with disgustingly chirpy staff, go to TGIF’s. That being said, I found the front of house and the Sommelier to be absolutely charming. They were professional and refined, yet easily engaged in some wickedly intelligent banter.

Now to the food…

To whet the appetite a choice of breads was offered. Most of us couldn’t resist the gruyere raisin, a thick baton of sweet crusty brioche-like bread studded with plump raisins with a whiff of nutty gruyere.

The amuse bouche arrived amidst oohs and aahs and “Oh no’s”. It was escargot.

We had some gastropod mollusc virgins on the table, though they needn’t have worried as the snail meat had been extracted earlier (…and from an uglier specimen no doubt), blitzed up with parmesan, breadcrumbs and seasoning, stuffed back into the shell with a parmesan parsley crust and grilled. A bright green pea and aloe vera jus puddled languidly beneath. They were extraordinarily flavoursome and not at all like the slippery little suckers we had presumed them to be. They provided the proper tastebud awakening for the coming degustation.

Our first course was SAUMON AUX EPICES, a sweet smoky chewy salmon jerky that dipped seductively into a pool of salted fish emulsion. On top of that balanced a mother-of-pearl spoon heaped with Sterling caviar, a farmed sturgeon caviar which is considered more humane than regular harvested caviar. A little sprinkle of spice (memory doesn’t serve) sat to the left of what the maitre’d referred to as the “belly button” of the plate. Seriously, this was gooood. The individual elements – the salmon, the emulsion and the caviar – were divine. But together, they just sang. We all tackled it differently. Some chose to create perfect mouthfuls by layering the three tastes together, using shards of salmon to scoop up the emulsion and dip into the caviar. Others choose to eat the elements separately, leaving the caviar right to the very end to consume along with a sip of Pol Roger. It was absolutely wonderful either way.

Second course was SALADE DE PIGEON – a tender crescent of rare poached pigeon breast drizzled with beetroot foam and dark brown chocolate oil. Long fettuccini-like strips of apple and parsnip had been dressed in a tart remoulade of mustard, capers, gherkins, anchovies and herbs, and this stood tall and cylindrical topped by a sunny-side-up quail egg. Under the egg was a hidden surprise – a small farce of gamey pigeon meat.

To accompany was a 2005 Domaine Mas des Bressades, Roussane Costieres de Nimes Rhone Valley, France, a rounded and fruity blend of Grenache and Syrah.

The five minute BOUILLABAISSE was the show-stopper of the night. If food were theatre, then this was it.

The waiter arrived at our table with a very bizarre looking contraption, describing it as a vintage vacuum coffee brewer. Now of course he wasn’t going to brew coffee (we were only two courses in), but he was going to infuse some stock with bouillabaissey goodness. The idea was to heat the liquid stock in the lower chamber until expansion forced the contents through the tube and into the upper chamber. Once the lower chamber was empty and sufficient time had elapsed for the stock to infuse with the bouillabaisse bits (celery leaves, shallots, carrot, other herbage, fishy and shellfishy bits), the heat was removed and the resulting vacuum would draw the infused brew back through a strainer and into the lower chamber. But that was not all…

The other component of the dish was a tartare of crayfish draped with a sheet of buffalo milk skin (in other words, mozzarella). A delicate selection of aromatic herbs added a necessary visual contrast. Then…

The now decanted bouillabaisse was poured into the bowl, submerging the pillow of crayfish and buffalo milk skin in a delicate flavoursome stock. The milk skin instantly melted over the tartare, becoming a silky covering for the tender cray meat. We were not only delighted by the theatre of the preparation, but with the fragrant delicacy of the dish.

But this is where the fallibility, mentioned in the first part of this review, comes in. Unfortunately a member of our party found a small piece of plastic in their soup. We bought it to the attention of our waiter, “Yes, there really is something in my soup.” Apologies were received.

To partner this was a 2004 Domaine Marc Bredif, Vouvray Loire Valley, France, a rather fantastic honey-ish, fragrant drop.

Here comes the dish that pretty much is the culinary equivalent of having a hard-on. I won’t mince words or hold back my thoughts – the PAIN PERDU ACCOMPAGNE DE SON FOIE GRAS was fucking awesome. I will dream of this dish for many years to come.

Firstly, squares of exquisitely eggy French toast had been individually fried in butter and skewered four deep. They were lusciously sweet and creamy on the inside, and crunchy and slightly charred on the outside. A thick pencil-long squeeze of foie gras mousse lay to the front, insanely buttery and rich, and a sprinkle of eight spice allowed one to add a few of granules of heady flavour to each mouthful. On the other side a rolled mound of Jamon iberico, the wonderful fatty melt in the mouth kind, tempted with salty goodness. And next to that a vibrant daub of sweet green apple puree. Mmmmm. In all parts the dish was sweet, salty, buttery, fatty, fruity, luscious, decadent and absolutely orgasmic.

2005 Robert Weil Kiedrich Grafenberg Spatlese Riesling Rheingau, Germany was a perfect concentrated wine match.

The MORUE DE MURRAY was an architectural stunner – Murray cod gentled cooked en sous-vide, or under vacuum at very low temperature. Mr.Bennett presented this dish himself, describing the unusual cooking technique which allowed the fish to literally poach in its own juices, maintaining a silky almost sashimi like quality. And he was not wrong – the fish was tender yet to the tooth, and entirely of its own flavour. It arrived with a ginger and spring onion sauce, and was flavoured by spring onion and crispy chicken skin. A cylindrical potato chip garnish added the sculptural element.

2005 Bindi Composition Chardonnay Macedon, Australia

A little amuse bouche to clear the palate – a shot glass of sweet tart red peach puree. Nuggets of dry ice had been dropped in the liquid to create a lovely smoke-machine effect.

This LIEVRE POCHE reminded me somewhat of Alice in Wonderland, which I guess was influenced by the hare (rabbit) and the checkerboard.

A poached loin of hare, cooked to utter perfection, stood tall and proud above a scattering of Brussels sprouts (more on this in a tick). Next to this, a checkerboard of dark minced leg meat and a light polenta opposed one another. A bay leaf foam dressed the plate, along with a reduced bread sauce.

But back to those Brussels. The particular chef who presented the dish confessed that one of his daily tasks was to ever so carefully peel two hundred baby brassicas and pipe them full of chicken mousse. The Brussels were then reformed to their original state and steamed to doneness. They were absolutely charming and delicious, and I just want to let that particular chef know, not done in vain.

2002 Chateau de Chambert La Causse Malbec Cahors, France

The FONDUE DE BOEUF WAGYU was a saucy little dish – a deconstruction (I guess) of the ultimate steak with sides. The waiter deposited a wooden board sporting an oh so cute bronze pot filled with a heady dark beef consommé topped with a beer air. The next waiter appeared with a plate and a set of tongs, and deftly deposited thin slices of rare grade 12 wagyu, which instantly sank unde
r the foam to cook in the ambient heat. We delved in with our spoons to rescue the slices from overcooking, and were surprised to bring up puy lentils that added further meat to our…er…meat. Then to the spectacular sides – from the top a beignet of bone marrow (OMfG), buttery pomme (potato) mille feuille, creamy spinach mousse and “onion” shallot rings in a roasted half shallot.

2004 Domaine Pierre Amadieu La Paillousse, Grenache Blend, Châteauneuf du Pape Burgundy, France

Our FROMAGE course was a matchbox-sized block of Comte, a cheese made in the Franche-Comte region in France from unpasturised cow’s milk. The cheese is similar in style to a Gruyere – hardish, slightly sweet and nutty. It was served with slices of fresh fig, baby cress and walnut crumbs. The slight bitterness of the walnuts worked really well with the nutty cheese and the sweetness of the fruit. A lovely combination.

2005 Vue de monde by T’Gallant Pinot Gris Mornington Peninsula, VIC

A sucette (lollipop) of frozen kiwifruit dipped in a gorgeous mint jelly was a real mouth freshener.

I’ve had some rather disappointing desserts of late, but the “CHEESECAKE” AUX FRUITS DE LA PASSION just knocked my socks off. Team Pastry presented the dish looking a little different to what you see above. The “cheesecake” was held captive in a tall cylindrical glass tube – the creamy bit at the bottom, a layer of fresh passionfruit pulp on top, and the crunchy biscuit on top of that. With a grin and an inaudible “voila”, Team Pastry lifted the glass tubing off and it elegantly splodged into the lovely little cloud of sweet passionfruit cream with the frangipan sand you see above. To the side a half shell of passionfruit filled with it’s namesake in souffle form was both kitschy and yum. An awesomely good dessert.

2001 Chateau La Tour Blanche Premier Cru Classe, Sauternes, France

Now this was a tres sophisticated way of ending a meal – the CIGARE AU CHOCOLAT was, as the name implied, a chocolate cigar. The Valrohona chocolate roll was filled with smoked chocolate and rolled in puff pastry “cigar” leaves. A touch of gold leaf was the “cigar” label.

It arrived at the table literally smoking, with edible ash and charcoal made from coconut. The bitterness of the dark chocolate was an awesome match with the smoke, making the dish very masculine and very adult indeed. It paired perfectly with a Henriques & Henriques 10 year old Malmsey Madeira from Portugal. I can still taste the richness of both.

This is Carlos from South America, a member of Team Pastry at VDM. He was responsible for telling us about the impressive plate of petits fours. The lilt of his latino inflected accent was almost as good as the petit fours. Almost.

From the front, deep red beetroot macaroons that would impress even Pierre Herme, followed by a mini pavola with a pipette of lemon curd, then a banana ice-cream dipped in chocolate and a dark chocolate cocoa pot. I can’t remember what the last one was – by this stage both the food and the wine was making me dizzy

Unfortunately this was the end of our experience at the able hands of Mr.Bennett and his team. We had been eating and chatting and drinking for a little over four glorious hours. There is so much more that I could write, but I fear this entry is already getting too verbose. Though there was one more surprise…

We were absolutely delighted with the CHOCOLATS POUR SAVOURER A LA MAISON – chocolates to take home to enjoy. Four lovely samples of chocolate work – a mini block of dark chocolate squares, a coconut cherry truffle, a chocolate truffle and a dark mint chocolate. They were exquisitely made; snapping at the tooth with a lovely sheen on the exterior.

I just loved that I could carry over our VDM experience to the next day.