Vue de Monde (Melbourne CBD) 05/2016

Vue has been our favourite restaurant in Melbourne since it's earliest days in Drummond St. Carlton where chef Shannon Bennett was occasionally helped out by his mother. Despite several changes of venue and a huge staff the elements that appealed so much, imagination, adventure, theatre and taste have been continued and enhanced by the venue and the professional service. 

This was our menu:

“Chiko Roll”, fermented buckwheat, charred cabbage

Moonlight flat rusty wire oysters, green grapes

David Blackmore Wagyu, celeriac, prawn


King George whiting, last season preserved tomatoes, quandongs

Marron tail, squid, and roasted chicken emulsion

& Marron snag

Crushed Yukon Gold potatoes, Yarra Valley salmon roe and black shellfish sauce

Lemon myrtle with sheep sorrel and flowers

Flinders Island lamb, Asian greens, macadamia




Veal loin with cabbage and milk

Aged Milla’s farm duck breast, leek, fermented truffle

Gumnuts
Eucalyptus flavoured ice cream presented like a cherry 
Jerusalem artichoke with pear and white chocolate

Chocolate soufflé

Assortment of cheeses, bread, jams

on request this rather tiny serve was increased to about three times as much!


A selection of petit-fours
We enjoyed a very excellent 2013 Bass Phillip Pinot Noir, Gippsland, Victoria 
Comment Justin James has taken over as head chef since Cory Campbell left about a year ago. The style is largely unchanged but the menu is perhaps a bit less kitschy than previously. It is, if anything, better than ever. There is no such thing as a go to dish the whole meal was fantastic
Score:19 /20

Sailo's (The Aquatic Club Taree, NSW) 05/2016

This is a restaurant attached to a gaming venue. 

$5 buys a years membership and give good discounts on the food.
A major attraction is the view over the river 

which happens to be almost invisible at night.

Neat clothed tables are well spaced

 The servers were very helpful and efficient.The extensive menu is supplemented by specials that flash up on a board.

 After one main course, an extremely good slow cooked pair of large lamb shanks, I had eaten to a standstill!

You can enlarge the menu if you click on the pic. 

Score: 13.5/20

East Court (Taree, New South Wales) 05/2016

For the passing traveller Taree looks like a nice town and, for the passing traveller it is.
I tried East Court because it was the first place I came to for a meal.
It was a step back into the past. 

Something one would have seen 50 years ago. Even then the décor would not have been modern.

They have an impressive smorgasbord of Chinese dishes

 including deep fried, 

steamed and fresh. 

If I was hungry, for $22 I would have had that. It did not look too tired but I decided on a la carte.
A short soup was standard fare. 
If I close my eyes for a moment and the opened them to see this dish of stir fry beef with vegetables

I could have been anywhere in a thousand undistinguished Chinese restaurants. A plate of mixed vegetables was equally undistinguished.
Their special fried rice was special for it's absence of taste. It was dry filled with all the things you get in fried rice, but too dry and almost tasteless.
The buffet is undoubtedly the best value.
Score:12.5 /20

Mandarin Palace (Burnie, Tasmania) 05/2016

Recommended as the best Chinese restaurant in Burnie I was concerned as I walked up the very dirty carpeted staircase as to the possibilities of good food being possible here. 
The décor is typical Chinese themed 

with a substantial bar beside the entrance.


Tables are set with a fork and spoon. My first course was served by a pleasant attractive waitress who was clearly keen to please.
I was eating alone and thought steamed dim sims would be good while I considered the menu. I was wrong. The were three large meatballs, two without pastry and all more Italian than Chinese.

Beef in black bean sauce was a better choice. Quite tasty but the meat was very tough. 
Vegetable chow mien presented the most coarsely chopped vegetables I have ever seen. 

The dish tasted OK, not particularly good or bad, but so inelegant.
Fried rice was dry and a taste free zone. 
Score:12.25 /20

Quaff (Toorak) 05/2016

We last visited Quaff in late 2013. The décor,

 the table settings

and the ambiance are 'in status quo' that is unchanged. 
This time we had the opportunity to try a bit more of the menu and it looked like it was going to be hard to decide what to eat.
Entrées looked interesting but whilst all we tried were well cooked and well presented they had a domestic feel about them. 
Prawns were the best of them

and pork belly also very good.

there were also vegetarian options 

Crispy skin Barramundi was over cooked, despite my request, for my taste.

but a flounder was better.

Especially with a handsome serve of chips

They did make a delicious soufflé. 

A good place for a good meal.
Comments Score:14 /20