RACV Smorgasbord 11/2010

The Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, with its headquarters in the Melbourne CBD is the most successful club in this state, probably in Australia. Apart from a couple of excellent country clubs their city facilities are a source of pride. They have a fine dining room and offer an extremely popular Sunday smorgasbord for members and their families and friends. The dining area is very pleasant with well spaced tables and comfortable seating. There is a clean attractive feel to the space with white linen clothed good sized tables set with solid cutlery and crockery. The smorgasbord is set out in a U shaped arrangement with cold dishes along each side and hot dishes at the end The U is partly closed by a table with tureens of soup, potato and leek and lobster bisque on this occasion, and a chef cooks to one side. The food, which is abundant, looks super tempting set out in trays which are constantly refilled. Salads, seared tuna and seaweed salad,
smoked salmon,
sushi, cold cuts,
Vietnamese rolls, oysters,
prawn cocktail, king prawns, spanner crabs and more surround the hot roast potatoes, vegies, BBQed duck breast, lamb, barramundi, in bain maries

as well as turkey and beef carved as required. The food is fresh and the products excellent but there is a serious deficiency in seasoning. The salads have never seen salt or pepper and are not as good as they should have been.
Dozens of desserts, some labeled gluten free,
mostly very tasty occupy several tables in the foyer.
There was only one small cheese plate but, with this as a start
I felt no need to complain. Self serve tea and coffee are available. The modest but adequate wine list is exceptional value with the some RACV selections only $3.50 a glass. Spirits are also available from a separate bar area. Waiters are efficient clearing used plates and serving drinks and water promptly. A trio of musicians move about playing requests and birthday songs where celebrating guests enjoy a birthday cake, courtesy of the management.
A place for people of all ages it must be the best value in town at $51/head. You will need a member to make a reservation for you.
Score 14/20