Comments on: Vue de Monde

By: Ali

Ali — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 07:24:08 +0000

Hi there Matt. First time visitor to your blog and was glad to see some vue photos. I live in Sydney and often contemplate flying to Melbourne to dine there. Your review further confirms that I need to visit this restaurant for an ‘occasion’ not just a meal. ta Ali

By: AlMac

AlMac — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:53:53 +0000

I think this is the key from the review: “nor something I would necessarily recommend to anyone unless they had more than a passing interest in high end cuisine”.

It’s food as an experience or even food as art that you eat, not just a meal (although a good meal is an experience you need to think a couple of levels above that and at least bordering on the art side).

To deliver food as an experience bordering on, or at, art I think a chef has to tread a fine line and that line is not one that everyone is going to connect with, just like art. It is also the experience around the food, which you’re also paying for.

When I was there the best thing I had was tomato in a shot glass in water with dry ice. It was sublime. The tomato had the freshest, purest tomato taste I’ve ever had. It probably stood out because it was so simply that I expected nothing of it.

If you can’t get to Melbourne then go to Jackson’s for the degustation. It changes regularly, some better than others, but is a fine meal and not so obsessed with the art form.

By: de

de — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:02:24 +0000

I love an honest AG review… Thanks Matt!

Sounds too swish to be true!

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 02:55:50 +0000

Cheers Nat, I believe you may have aptly summed up my experience there. Interesting but a little too much for me to appreciate fully.

By: Nat

Nat — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 03:44:54 +0000

I really enjoyed reading the review Matt. I find this style of food intriguing, but essentially not as appealing as earthier, simple cooking. I just had a look at the Bistro menu and that is far more alluring to my tastes too. Nevertheless it does sound like an amazing experience that you and Sharon enjoyed. As always – great photos – you captured the detail in the dining room beautifully.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 04:16:54 +0000

Thanh, interesting story… I think I pulled the du from a vague recollection of studying French in high school and thinking it sounded right… I did like this place, I guess what I’m getting at is that I don’t think it’s the kind of place I’d be frequenting on a regular basis unless I had a significant amount of cash that I needed to get rid of, and there was some way to launder money by eating…

Grendel: Vicarious living is about all I can afford to do since coming back from Melbourne, you need to make up for it in Sydney and Adelaide now :)

Jason, give me one good bottle of any of those listed above and I’d be a happy man… a taste is never enough…

Sharon, if the hype around Sex and the City being generated (from certain people living in the same house as me) is to be believed…there is nothing so important as a great pair of shoes. If nothing else I guess you can sell them to buy food if you need to :)

Jenny: If it was all free, I’d happily accept jealousy. But this is quite accessible to anyone with an airfare and a reckless intent to part with money :) Photographing in quite fine surrounds was awkward, especially with an SLR camera… though did get easy towards the end of the night when the 10th glass of wine kicked in, and the restaurant cleared out… hence the only real shots you get are dessert :)

Christie: I’ll spare you bad puns about only wanting to die when I got the bill… but yes, the lamb was lovely… :)

By: Christie @ fig&cherry

Christie @ fig&cherry — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:49:09 +0000

Wow, sounds amazing. I would love to have tried the lamb four ways – bet it was to die for!

By: Jennywren

Jennywren — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 14:12:07 +0000

Jealous. Deeply jealous. Those pics are gorgeous too, how’d you go taking them in such fine surrounds? I’d give anything to try some foam. Well, not anything. My time will come, I just know it.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Sat, 31 May 2008 03:39:56 +0000

Thanks for an honest review Matt, I guess as is normally the case the reality rarely lives up to the dream/expectation……thanks to your review i’ll keep on dreaming and spend the money on more shoes :):)

Sharon

By: jason

jason — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:19:34 +0000

Matt,
what a cool review, nice pics! man all those wines, ive always wanted to try-budget permitting!
looks like you had a ball.