Cafe Vue

While my depression that LMFF is over starts to set in, I thought I better post something foodie to keep my mind fresh for fashion and so that my readers don’t think I plan to live on cheese and vegemite sandwiches forever. You may not have realised, but while LMFF clogged up your Twitter, Google Reader and email, the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival was also running – all part of marvellous March in Melbourne. I took a time out on Friday to visit one of the restaurants participating in MFWF and enjoyed a wonderful lunch with friends.

We ate at Café Vue, part of the Vue de Monde establishment on Little Collins Street. For the bargain price of $35, you could choose between entrée and main, or main and dessert and a glass of wine. The menu is set but the choices are no less than what you would find on the original menu and the service is the same standard that you would usually find at a restaurant of this calibre.

Short of stealing their menu, I can’t tell you exactly what it was that we ate – my mind was on fashion and it’s now a few days later – but I can give you the general idea. Starting with sparking water, our waitress was super helpful given that we had one celiac and one vegetarian. The staff were more than accommodating to our needs and happily made minor adjustments to the set menu to suit our requirements. We chose entrée and main with a sauvignon blanc and bread was quickly bought to the table. Special mention of the fact that they had gluten free bread, which was lightly toasted and just perfect!!

Our entrée was a duck salad (mine without croutons) and we each cleaned our plates. Our vegetarian had a capsicum or cucumber salad of some sort and all three of us said our dish was perfect. The waitress filled our glasses the moment they appeared less than full and cleared the plates quickly and efficiently. The ‘express’ component of the lunch was clearly something they valued.

Main was fish (I don’t remember what kind but perhaps you know from the pic?) and fennel on a bed of spinach. Also wonderful and with flavours that worked very well together. Amazing how two perfectly proportioned meals can leave you feeling content rather than overfull as most over proportioned meals do.

The wine was spectacular (wish I could remember where it was from) and the overall impression of the restaurant was one of class and sophistication. We ordered coffee as we neared the 50 minute mark of our visit and this was the one and only place in which I could find fault. Café Vue does not stock skinny milk. I never drink full cream milk which often means that when I do, I find it makes me ill simply because my stomach isn’t used to it. I ordered coffee but found after two or three sips the taste wasn’t that great either and left it.

Still, Café Vue was a brilliant place to visit and a great opportunity to experience Melbourne’s top restaurants and chefs at a bargain price.