Vue de Monde

Lesson in fabulous fine-dining, delivered from an inky eyrie.

November 18, 2024

1 / 9Jersey cream infused with Geraldton wax.Supplied

2 / 9Dark and brooding, even with twinkling light installations.Wayne Taylor

3 / 9Shepherd avocado and lime.Luis Enrique Ascui

5 / 9Macadamia and smoked eel tofu with kelp jelly.Supplied

6 / 9Lamb sweetbreads with asparagus slivers in koji sauce.Wayne Taylor

7 / 9Views across the city.Luis Enrique Ascui

9 / 9Blackmore wagyu with pureed and pickled pumpkin.Supplied

18.5/20

Contemporary$$$$

A recap for those who came in late: one of Melbourne’s most vaunted restaurants went unscored in last year’s Guide, having shut for renovations.

Cut to this year and we can report that critics’ often-cited quibbles have been swept away. The achingly starchy service, the assault by 1000 luxury ingredients, the two-hour reservations requiring guests to speed-eat their degustations – all gone.

Instead, it’s a leisurely romp through top-drawer Australian ingredients, matched by a stellar drinks list and joyful service that’s every bit as polished as the Christofle cutlery.

Caramelised macadamia with kelp oil and caviar is equal parts umami, ocean and magic. Another dish distills 70 kilograms of alliums into several mouthfuls of smoked onion foam and intense consomme.

Spoiler alert: the chocolate souffle with eucalyptus-scented billy tea icecream, a menu stalwart for 24 years, is lighter and lovelier than ever.