Vue de monde Melbourne reopens after $3.8m renovation project

One of the city’s favourite fine diners has reopened after three months of renovations — and not everything has stayed the same.

Vue de monde general manager Hugo Santos, senior sous chef Claire Feij, head chef Chris Marshall and executive chef Hugh Allen are excited to be back in the kitchen. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

A new-look Vue de monde is opening this week, after a multimillion renovations closed the sky-high restaurant for three months.

‘Instagram friendly’ lighting above each table, a bigger kitchen and schmick new bar and lounge space will take one of the city’s finest restaurants into its next era.
Expect a revamped food offering too, though executive chef Hugh Allen has sworn to keep one favourite on the menu.

“Everything’s new, except for the souffle,” he said.

Crab, but not as you know it. Picture: Jason Loucas

Everything on the menu has changed, except for the souffle. Picture: Jason Loucas

Now diners can expect an 18-course-feast, up from 12 or so courses, of grilled lamb sweetbreads with asparagus, eggplant stuffed padron peppers and both marron tail and roe custard.

The wretched 8.45pm dinner sitting has also been scrapped, with most tables seated from 6pm.

“We’ve made the kitchen bigger... based off the new menu structure and more courses, we needed more space,” Allen said.

“All the equipment is new too. We have a purpose-built pastry kitchen which has been designed for pastry service.”

The main dining room. Picture: Jason Loucas

Lui Bar looks a sleeker. Picture: Jason Loucas

A section of the open-plan kitchen has been carved out for diners to visit for a ‘special course’ during the experience.
Melbourne designer firm Elenberg Fraser is behind Lui Bar’s new look, which has perhaps seen the biggest change of all with a circular bar now located on one side of the room, and a moody lounge decked out with furniture made in Moorabbin.
Securing a table at the high-end fine diner is already in hot demand and almost all sittings booked out until late January.
Vue de monde is open for dinner Wednesday to Saturday, lunch Friday and Saturday.
Lui Bar will open on 8 November from 5.30pm Wednesday and Thursday, 11.30am Friday and Saturday.