Vue de Monde

Since Mario missed out on coming here for his b'day due to me being away for work and Bear has decided to pack his bags and head back to his hood, thought it was the perfect excuse to hit up Vue De Monde for a belated birthday and farewell. So the burger crew were all for a degustation at VDM with no hesitation.

As a bit of a background, VDM is one of the premier fine dining experiences in Melbourne and getting a booking can be a challenge at times. They only offer a degustation menu but they do have an option of a 5 or 10 course. Being the nature that we are, we opted for the 10 course.

First up was what they called snacks. It was an assortment of nibbles that started with a salt and vinegar crisp with macadamia puree. Quite interesting, I've never thought to eat my crisp this way, I can see why it was paired up with the sour and creaminess.

 Smoked eel, white chocolate with caviar. It looks like a toffee but as you bite into it, the smoke eel flavour comes through to offset the sweetness in the white chocolate shell.

BBQ lamb heart with pineapple and duck tongue with pepper. This was not something that I had expected in fine dining. Both were cooked in a way that when you taste it, it is not what you expect it to be. It tasted like refined BBQ meat and unless told, you won't think that it was a non traditional part of the animal.

Oysters were served with smoked salmon caviar. They oyster was fresh and creamy.

Salt cured wallaby was next. It was presented on a bed of Himalayan pink salt rock and rolled up with a drop of herb puree. This wild game was distinctive with it's strong flavours.

Last of the snacks was the garden greens with pine smoked salmon pearls. The micro vegetables with the intense burst of flavour from the salmon pearls was an interesting combination to highlight the complementing aspects of one from the other.

Next was the barramundi with potato, caviar and chicken puree. The fish was succulent and fresh, the light crumb crust was enough for a crunch but not enough to over power it. The quince sauce tied together beautifully.

Kangaroo smoked over Japanese oak. The game flavours were balanced out with the smoky scent and pepper. The pickled onions gave the tang to cut through the meatiness.

Blackmore waygu, bone marrow and salt bush.  Mmmmm succulent, tender wagyu, my only complaint was, I wanted more on the plate.

Next came the pallet cleanser. Wood  sorrel came out in a small bowl, then liquid nitrogen was poured over it and the table to snap freeze and dry it. We were then ask to pound it so it became a fine crumb. Once it was nice and fine, the waiter dished a scoop of cucumber sorbet. This was theatrical and very refreshing.

Butter and bread was served after the cleanser, you might be wondering why am I talking about bread here. Well, I'm more talking about the butter. The hand churned butter was amazingly soft and silky. It took the sourdough, to the fine dining level for bread.

Eggs and toast was next, it was duck egg yolk, truffle and pear. The yolk was oozing out from under the pear and the truffle provided that salty hit.

Marron, brown butter and lemon jelly. This was my favorite dish out of the 10 course. The delicate flavour of the marron was accentuated by the brown butter. Then finished with the lemon jelly it was a good way to round up the flavors with a strong citrus hit.

Ox tongue, beetroot bone marrow. This was served with a powdered creme fraiche, the texture came out looking dry but the moment it hit your mouth, it melted and it taste like creme fraiche that just came out of the fridge. The beetroot and ox tongue were combined and when eaten together with the creme fraiche it was a combination of meaty, creaminess and laced with beetroot.

Kingfish with deep fried kale and buttermilk, this was so pretty I didn't want to ruin the plate up. The crisp kale and kingfish taste great together. Kingfish is one of my favorite fish when it comes to seafood, this one was paired with the rocket oil, mild bitterness. I loved it.

Next was the start of the desserts and it was started with a pallet cleanser of butternut, sunflowers and passionfruit. The combination does not sound like a typical pallet cleanser, but it did the job with the sweetness in the passionfruit.

The goat's milk with fennel and blueberries was next. This came with a sugar crystal that you break. The texure was like a panna cotta cross a creme brulee but served cold with shards of sugar crystal.

Tonka bean souffle with smoked chocolate ice cream. I saw quite a few of these come out of the kitchen during the meal and I was really looking forward to it. Souffle is one of those things I really enjoy but too lazy to make myself. The souffle came served with the ice cream served on table and a spoonful shoved into the centre of the souffle. Personally, I preferred it on the side as the ice cream melted too quickly inside the souffle and it didn't give me a lot of time to finish it.

Next part was my favourite part of the dessert, we got an assortment of cheeses. Since there was 4 of us, we got a large selection to try. The waiter gave us a generous range of goat, cheddar, blue, soft, white wash. Then it was pair with a cracker or fruit crisp bread. We had so much fun tasting the range and moving from the mild side to the real stinky blue. My favorite was the truffle brie, highly recommend it.

Finally it was the last course and this was a petite 4, This included penny jellies made with whiskey, menthol ice cream, sea shell chocolate with pork crackling and lamington.

Since it was an event for both Mario and Bear, the staff at VDM helped us celebrate with a beautiful message.

The service was impeccable. They did everything within their power to make the experience unforgettable. We got a goodie bag to take home afterwards and also they offered to take photos for us to keep the memory after we went home. 

Overall 19/20 it was a fantastic experience. I can fully appreciate why it has the status of being Melbourne's finest. Some of the things that sounded ordinary on the menu but tasted superb or sounded oddly paired but turned out to be a brilliant idea.

Aqua S

After months of seeing this pop up on my Instagram, I finally got myself there to see what all the fuss is about. Prior visiting I had heard a range of opinions from "it's amazing" to "just a gimmick". I was keen to see myself and I was in the area so WTH, I gave it a go.

I got there at 12 and saw 3 girls playing around behind the counter. Besides the girls I also saw a fairy floss maker, popcorn maker and a huge tray of toasted marshmallows. The flavors of the moment were their famous sea salt, chocolate and pomegranate. I was really disappointed as I wanted to try their melon flavour but sadly that was weeks before I made my visit.

They offered a range of topping such as popcorn, fairy floss, popping candy and toasted marshmallow I settled for sea salt and pomegranate with fairy floss and popcorn. I didn't really know what to expect with sea salt soft-serve, it reminded me of dipping my fries in a soft serve at Macca's. It wasn't bad at all. The pomegranate was tangy and sweet. However to me the highlight was the fairy floss and how pretty it was.

I'm not sure it's a place I'll frequent but the fairy floss was fun and it's one of those dessert that make very pretty photos.

Overall 15/20 I would happy to  go back to try it again if a flavour of my interest pops up.

Combi

Combi has been a place I have wanted to visit for a long time. I have been working hard at staying active and eating well (except the times I'm eating burgers and ice cream) so when I saw they offered a range of vegan breakfast options and colourful smoothies, I was very keen to try. They are located in Elwood so it's not close or far for me, so it made a nice Sunday drive. I went there on 2 occasions as I couldn't fit in all the smoothies and bowls I wanted to try in one visit.

When I told D that we were going to a vegan, raw food brunch place he instantly scrunched up his nose but he was a good sport and gave into my nagging. To start off I got the green mylk (green tea latte) for us to share. This was made with almond milk, sweetened with honey and finished with a dash of cinnamon. Normally I am a big fan of green latte with soy, so I was slightly hesitant to try almond milk. The flavour was slightly nutty and surprisingly still had the same amount of creaminess. The matcha flavour was more on the light side but still strong enough for the aromas to come through.

I also got a smoothie, there was no way I could turn down that opportunity. I've seen many photos on instagram and they always look delicious and colourful. I didn't feel too adventurous so I just got the mango shack which was a mango, banana, mint, coconut flesh, camu camu, nut mylk with added protein. The smoothie was rich and filling. It had a full body mango and banana taste with the texture of coconut flesh blended in. I can now understand why people in Elwood go nuts over the smoothies here.

For our second visit I got the liquid passion. Normally I'm not a passionfruit fan but I was a sucker for the pretty colours and I love berries and mango. This was not as sweet as I had hoped it to be, more on the tangy side but it was very refreshing. Again it had protein powder, nut milk and coconut flesh so it was a heavy smoothie.

D for blue moon, which as the name suggest is a blueberry based smoothie. It had chia seed, banana, coconut flesh and protein powder. This was just as heavy but less tangy compared to the liquid passion. I quite liked this one and it Combi was closer, it is something I'll happily have for breakfast every morning.

Despite all the heavy smoothies, I still managed to get a bite in on both occasions. The acai bowl caught my eye. Acai bowls have been a new favorite breakfast of mine. I was sucked in by the super food promise but stayed because I liked the taste and found it a good alternative to bircher muesli on all my Sat brunch catch ups. Combi's acai bowl came with blueberries, banana, coconut flakes, apples strawberries, dates, buckinis and nut milk. It was like eating a smoothie in a bowl with lots of crunchy bits. Unlike other brunches, I walked out feeling full but not in the need for a nap.

D was overwhelmed by all the "healthy stuff" so he got the toasted sandwich with ham, cheese and tomato. It was served on seeded bread but it wasn't anything exciting.

Second visit we just got the granola to share, as we were in the area for Lune croissants so we didn't want to completely stuff ourselves. The granola was made of almond, walnut bits with honey and cinnamon. It was served with apple, banana, vanilla yogurt and coconut milk. I found it just right in terms of crunchiness balanced  with yoghurt and coconut milk. I would like more fruit but that's just more me, liking lots of fruit in my breakfast.

Overall 15.5/20 I was very impressed with their smoothie collection and found the acai bowl very enjoyable. I love the variety they offered for healthy alternatives. I don't think this place is for everybody but I certainly liked it and will come back.

Lucy Liu

When it's O's birthday it's my duty as good friend/bad influence/study buddy/MOH/car pool leecher to take her out for a nice dinner with cocktails and wine. So when I gave her the option of where she wanted to go, she picked Lucy Liu. This is new in town and comes from the the people behind Taxi, The Smith and Circa. It is a modern Asian fusion restaurants that mixes up flavours from Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, China (just to name a few). With the entrance located on Oliver Lane, this is typical Melbourne styled eatery. It is off an alleyway with loud music, cool hipster waiters and a perfect atmosphere to catch up with friends.

To celebrate O getting older we got some cocktails to start with. Lucy Lui had a wide selection to pick from. I picked one with a ginger beer base and O got something sweet too.

We actually had difficulty choosing, there was a lot on the menu and it all looked interesting, it was only after a full 10 minutes were we able to narrow down and finally put our order in.

To start we got the kingfish sashimi. This has fresh pieces of Kingfish served with green chilli, toasted coconut and mint. I loved the creamed coconut milk and the citris base it came in. Along with the chilli, it has a beautiful way of enhancing the taste of the Kingfish while have a play with the combination of sweet, fresh, spicy and sour. I loved this dish, it is something I would definitely order again.

Next was the rare breed sticky pork belly. This came with 2 squares of fatty pork belly that was caramelised. The meat was tender and the skin still had the sticky bite to it. It was balanced out with a salad of coconut meat, coriander, chilli and mint leaves.

Then came the barramundi and scampi dumplings. This is a play on the classic chilli won tons that you see in most Shanghainese dumplings stores. The barramundi and scampi was wrapped in won ton skins and served in a chilli, ginger sauce. I loved the sauce but I think it overpowered the barramundi and scampi.

For the plates we picked the sake cured ocean trout. When we ordered this, we imagined it to be similar to the kingfish sashimi but to our surprise it was more a soba salad. It came tossed and piled with apple, raddish, pickled ginger, mint/basil leaves and black sesame. I found the taste to be refreshing and yet tantalizing. I would happily eat a large serving of this for lunch if they Lucy Lui was closer to my office!

Then it finally came time for the larger plate, we opted for the waygu and 2 sides. The waygu was medium cooked with a nice pink centre. It was was served with a light yakiniku (Japanese bbq) sauce and horseradish. I found the beef perfect with the yakiniku alone and didn't really need the horseradish but O liked it with, so it really came down to how much you like horseradish. The meat was tender and the waygu flavour was just perfect.

We didn't really need the sides but we got it anyway (and finished everything). O picked the green beans and musuna salad because she was intrigued by the idea of tofu dressing. This was a light sweet soy like dressing laced through the beans and ginger. I would reccomend this for anyone looking for a very light side.

I love my Asian greens so that was the go to for me. I found this a good pairing with the beef and jasmin rice. Guess you can't really go wrong with oyster sauce, chilli and ginger on Chinese broccoli.

I don't why we got dessert because we were on the verge of a food coma already. We got the Lucy's Knickerbocker Glory to share. This had lychee, lychee sorbet, honeycomb, cream and berry compote in it. The taste was good but it was missing something solid like a cake or biscuit base. It reads to be interesting on the menu but it failed to hit the mark for me.

Overall 16/20 I found Lucy Lui to be a nice surprise, I semi expected it to be yet another Asian Fusion restaurants with the typical menu offering. I walked out loving the place, our waitress was very attentive and put up with all the questions we had about the menu. I think it's a place worth trying and the best thing is, they take reservations, so you don't need to worry about lining up for over an hour to get a table.