June 13, 2008: Cafe Vue - Friday Cocktail Night

Update 27/1/2019: Cafe Vue has closed down.

I'm non the superstitious type at all, but my Fri the 13th was looking pretty unlucky. I was sent to Canberra for the twenty-four hr current past times my boss, to introduce a projection I knew naught virtually to a grouping of suits I'd never met. My flying dwelling identify should get got been just early on plenty for me to accept a taxi straightaway from the aerodrome to a much-anticipated reservation for Cafe Vue's Fri cocktail night.

I showtime read virtually Cafe Vue's cocktail nights on Melbourne Gastronome. Five cocktails too 5 modest plates for $75, too at i of Melbourne's most prestigious eating empires! It was mystifyingly practiced value for (admittedly a lot of) coin too equally I perused their website, I was a petty disappointed that "vegetarian selection available" wasn't discreetly printed anywhere. H5N1 twosome of days afterward mentioning it on Claire's blog, she sent me a individual message assuring me that they did indeed offering a vegetarian selection - hooray! We eagerly laid a engagement amongst Jo-Lyn too Mike for cocktail craziness, long earlier my boss fifty-fifty mentioned our nation's capital.

And hence on Fri afternoon I arrived at Canberra airport, ready for my homeward journey, to a greater extent than than an hr early. My notes were written upward chop-chop plenty too I had plenty of fourth dimension to picket the calorie-free alter exterior equally planes to too from Sydney were delayed too cancelled. Eventually these delays flowed on to other flights, amongst mine shifting dorsum 20 minutes. By the fourth dimension it boarded, 20 minutes had stretched to twoscore minutes. The unhappy inner monologue began: I'd gotten upward at 5am, taken on a task no-one wanted, fifty-fifty spell nether unusually high describe per unit of measurement area to consummate my ain work, too my vantage was missing out on this particular dinner I'd been hence looking forwards to. By the fourth dimension my bird navigated its agency through Melbourne's fog I was lxxx minutes belatedly too resolving to become dwelling identify instead. I would certainly get got missed 2 or 3 dishes past times the fourth dimension I made it to the metropolis too what was the point? I was tired too cranky. I called Michael too he insisted that I should come upward for whatever dishes were left - nosotros would get got to human foot the neb regardless of whether or non I showed.

Thank goodness I did. The staff had shifted our service to the halt of their rounds to conform me. My 3 dining companions had ordered closed to extra early on drinks too were lingering over their showtime cocktail when I arrived. Before I'd finished my 2nd potty-mouthed judgement virtually my day, a DIY martini was laid earlier me. In the drinking glass - chilled rye vodka. On the side - pipettes of mutual frigidity H2O too French dry out vermouth for the experimental evolution of one's ain ideal ratio. H5N1 dark-green olive or lemon rind to finish. "You get got no sentiment how much I demand this," I said gratefully to the waiter. He looked me upward too downwardly too replied, "I intend I do".

And vegos, yous wanna know something actually cool? At Fri cocktail night, nosotros larn our nutrient direct from the Vue de Monde kitchen. Omnivores don't.

The showtime such plate was this King Brown risotto, amongst cep air too tarragon emulsion. This double-barrelled mushroom hitting - hence intense too earthy, amongst the forcefulness to fit the strong martini. Tasted separately, the tarragon emulsion had a complementary flavour but I otherwise lost it inwards the mix.

Boy, that martini hitting the spot! By the fourth dimension my 2nd plate arrived, my tension had melted too my grudges vanished. Vue de Monde was clearly making the most of mushroom season, serving us cep mushroom broth amongst horseradish air too a cep tuille. The broth was incredibly viscid too rich, certainly containing closed to variety of thickening agent. In comparing the tuille was crisp too newspaper thin, similar a sliver of golden filo pastry, though it was composed primarily of mushroom! The perfect counterbalance of textures. The horseradish didn't construct much of an impression.

Providing an acidity to cutting through the rich broth was the "About Thyme" cocktail. Terrible name, incredible cocktail! Cytrus vodka, honey, thyme saccharide syrup, orangish too lemon juice, soda too ice. The thyme wasn't apparent to start, but bruising the sprigs a petty added a whole novel dimension to this drink.

my guiltiest pleasance of finally week.

The accompanying cocktail was the Rye Flip, or "Sultana Bran inwards a glass", equally the bartender joked. Rye vodka, whiskey, sherry, muscat too a whole egg whipped to a froth, amongst an ornamental java edible bean floating inwards the centre. It was a sweetness too creamy concoction that I enjoyed to a greater extent than on its ain rather than inwards combination amongst the tomato-and-cheese plate.

Interlude too Attica, Vue de Monde had something novel to offer, amongst the charcoal beingness completely edible.

With our smoky veges nosotros slurped Belebu-Rharb Sours. I could sense of savour the bitter orangish too orangish flower H2O separately too distinctly, too in that location was equally good lemon too lime juice too a frothed egg white inwards the mix. Though they're non scrawled inwards my notes, I'm certain that rhubarb too pomegranate were equally good somehow involved.

Dessert arrived without a beverage, too nor did it demand one. This warm dear macaroon amongst white chocolate parfait, exclaimed Jo-Lyn, volition "change your life". The textures were but dreamy - the macaroon was soft too tender too chewy too but a petty crisp inwards all the correct places, spell the parfait was silky smooth. It was shockingly sweet.

Like a 2nd dessert, the finally cocktail was a Caraway Shrub - port steeped inwards berries too and then refortified amongst vodka. It was to live on sipped inwards turns amongst a meringue-like caraway foam. Lovely.

It became fairly clear equally the nighttime went on that a detail construct of vodka was sponsoring proceedings inwards closed to way. The bargain was sealed amongst a take-home miniature bottle of said vodka too glossy flip-book of vodka-based cocktail recipes for each of us. This scheme mightiness become closed to agency to explaining why we're requested to pay hence petty for hence much.

Though my twenty-four hr current could get got finished amongst bad luck too a mighty bad mood on my part, Cafe Vue compensated several times over - I've non felt quite hence jubilant too grateful (and yes, quite hence nether the influence) inwards closed to time. I made a indicate to give cheers the staff for accommodating my shameful lateness too left a sizable tip. Maybe they've a practiced motivation for offering all that vodka afterward all!

Address: 430 Little Collins St, Melbourne CBD
Ph: 9691 3899
Fully licensed
Price: Fri nighttime cocktails $75 per person
Website: http://www.vuedemonde.com.au/cafe-vue.aspx