Give yourself a treat and dine here - it is one of the great foodie experiences of the world. Right up there with Tickets in Barcelona. We dined here during our first trip to Melbourne. The presentation of entries alone is nothing short of spectacular. Be prepared, as this doesn't come cheap or even reasonable. All your senses will be entertained. Oh, and the views are breathtaking. read more

Some may remember Level 55 of the Rialto Tower in Melbourne to be a dodgy coffee shop and viewing platform that drew plenty of tourists into its bosom where the unsuspecting traveller was also enthralled as the City of Melbourne screened a cheesy tourist video in the Rialto cinema which for me when I saw it amused me to no end before taking the express lift to the top of the building. The one time that I visited the top of Rialto to enjoy the "view" and have a coffee as a tourist, I thought that so much more could be done with the space. Obviously Shannon Bennett and I shared that thought. The express lift to the top of the building remains intact and once you disembark, you are greeted by a phalanx of smiling faces ready to take you to either your table or up the ominous two steps to the Lui Bar. I shared a quick hug with Jess and some pleasantries before she showed us to our table, escorting us through the wine cellar, where you run the gauntlet of beautiful bottles of the demon drink until you transition from the darkness into the light of the main floor of the restaurant. Many have romanticised the view from the restaurant. A vue de Melbourne which for some is their world with aspects to the west (Docklands, Yarras Edge, Etihad Stadium, Patrick Wharves) and to the North (Carlton Gardens and beyond) however the best views are had from the Lui Bar, with its Port Melbourne to Southbank perspectives. Near the toilets, which virtually connect the restaurant and the bar, there is an outside observation deck suited for smokers, photographers, drinkers and base jumpers. In May 2012 there was some excitement as four fellows scaled the tall plexiglass that borders the edge of the observation deck with death and base-jumped from the platform. They lived to tell the tale however I did forget to inquire with Sebastian at the Lui Bar if they bothered to pay their tab. The tables are large and the seats are comfortable. Should you be a party of two you will have the pleasure of sitting at a table that could easily accommodate four. It makes it for a comfortable experience but not an intimate one. The clusters of seven light globes (with one exception of one cluster of six) dangle from the ceiling and between your eyes taking notice of the kangaroo-hide table tops, the massive open kitchen and the view outside you are nearly overwhelmed when service appears and consults with you about the various epicurean journeys, options, prices and drinking options available. For me it was easy, a ten course degustation menu with cheeses, matching wines, sparking water and a glass of 2002 Dom Pérignon Épernay Champagne to start, which ultimately cost $600 p/p without tip. Given that the way you are seated you lose yourself in the view at times, I find it fundamentally distracting as you forget that you should be focusing on the fine food, beverage and most importantly conversation with others. The late summer sunset will provide those that are budding photographers plenty of opportunity for shots especially from the observation deck, but it also means that you will be subjected to different degrees of glare until the sun actually sets. Some diners were wearing sunglasses, which I thought was unnecessary but I still understand their motivation. After attending (and writing about) both Attica and Jacques Reymond, the other three-hat restaurant winners in greater Melbourne in December 2012, I was anxious to identify the subtle differences. Like with Attica, after you announce your dining and drinking intentions, you are quickly brought four amuse bouches. I was excited to see that one of the appetizers was salt-cured wallaby from Flinders Island. I first had wallaby at Attica, and it quickly became one of my favourite foods. Jacques Reymond then had his hand in interpreting how it should be served in a main dish and although I was happy to see it on Shannon Bennett's menu, I was hoping it would come out as a main instead of an appetizer. Not to discount the taste afforded to you with the bite-sized goodness that you get at Vue de Monde however it did set my expectations much higher in anticipation of the red-matching courses if wallaby was being excluded. All of the amuse bouches were awesome: the smoked eel with white chocolate and caviar was a standout however I liked the peas, pistachio and strawberry morsel just as much as the oyster that sat in my periphery for a couple of minutes before ending up down my throat. One of my favourite foods made a surprise appearance as the first course. Spanner crab with kohlrabi (cabbage), avocado and beach herbs matched with 2011 Frankland Estate 'Isolation Ridge' Riesling from the Frankland River, Western Australia. A perfect way to start with a very appropriate wine match. I never had spanner crab with cabbage before and I really enjoyed it. Plenty more to post but word limits apply. Sad but true. read more

Best food I've eaten in Australia. We ordered the gastronomes tasting menu and each dish was simply superb, not to mention incredibly creative. Some were quite humorous too. The 'beer and nuts' palate cleanser (passionfruit and liquorice 'beer' in a tiny glass with frozen coconut balls on the side) was a highlight. We had some issues with the service but after a complaint to the manager they were more than adequately resolved. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. I think a degustation dinner here is reason enough to make a trip to Melbourne. Seriously, I would fly back to Melbourne just to eat at this restaurant again. The decor is fantastic too, although I must say I didn't rate the waterfall wash basin in the ladies' room nor the word 'Sheilas' scrawled in white paint on the door. Kind of lowered the tone of the place just a tad, IMO. read more

My temporary hiatus from restaurant visiting and reviewing in preparation for my wedding can now firmly be put behind me, much like the extra kilograms I've gained through working my way down the list of 'I'll eat that after the wedding' created. I did make most of that list eating a particularly tasty white chocolate and raspberry muffin about two weeks out, so perhaps I paint a more barren picture than really existed. Perhaps more to the point of why someone would read this synopsis of my November-December 2012 is to actually find out about the food at Vue de Monde so let us being.... So much food. It almost beat me and the primary cause of my down fall was the way I attacked the pocket of hot bread filled with warming stones like an American all you eat bottom less fried chip challenge. The more bread I ate, spread with lashings of butter from western France, the more they filled it; big mistake. The fact I hadn't been particularly generous with my eating habits for the past few weeks was another mistake, I should have been in stomach stretching training to deal with the food that came out over our 4 hour marathon meal. And yes, ordering the 10 course option (with another 7 small tastes) with the idea of 'this is once in a lifetime' - the warning sounds started to chime early. I loved: - The ambience and atmosphere. You truly feel special here. I love that different chefs bring out each meal to explain how it is cooked and how to eat it. Some may feel this is over the top but it was to my liking. I also appreciated the many nationalities and personalities from the servers, it felt and is bigger than just a Melbourne fine dining restaurant. - Chocolate soufflé, enough said - Smoked eel with white chocolate and caviar. One of the first bites, it was a complex and peculiar dish but very much enjoyable - My absolute favourite dish of the night, and possibly the best dish I have eaten since our American adventures in 2011 was the Marin finger food course. James the chef from Vancouver explained how to best eat this dish and I will pass it on as I saw many in the restaurant who were not served by James going about it all wrong. Open up the sweet, bandy snap style wafer and sandwich Marin inside. Scoop the avocado up with the wafer and then stab the wafer into the spiced crumbs. I.wanted.to.lick.the.plate. Boy partner (now husband partner) said no. - Cheese plate. Pick 5 cheeses and then they serve with bread (as at this point it was something I was really craving - I hope appropriate sarcasm is conveyed via text without tone), jams and apple. Spectacular cheese and once again all very well explained by the server, our choices were well guided. Not so much: - Too much food. Partly our fault, better choices were available. - Barramundi and prawn dish lacked flavour. Having selected Barramundi for our wedding dish three nights prior that was the dish I was most excited about. The wedding food was better (said no one ever....but yes it was - on a side note Sault in Daylesford, get there) - Wine choices. $25 per course for a half glass. Offensive and we're clearly happy to pay to dine there but seriously offer some better choices for bottles of wine - I stand to be corrected but the cheapest I could see was $175 a bottle, that's just being pretentious. Much more to love and I did love it. I do enjoy a goody bag and being handed a pack of brioche, granola, honey and biscuits on our way out was a lovely end to a grand and excessive evening. I probably won't be back, but I'm sure glad I went. read more

Amazing. We spent 5hrs there for lunch enjoying the full degustation menu. The food was wonderful and the service exemplary. Best restaurant experience ever. read more

While back in town I booked at Vue de Monde to treat my girlfriend for Valentine's Day dinner. I was skeptical at first due to the elevated price for the special day, however decided take the chance and hopefully spoil my girlfriend with a brilliant Valentine's Day treat on her first visit to Australia. This was not my first degustation experience so I had high expectations. It paid off! It was delightful! We arrived and were greeted downstairs and quickly escorted to the 55th floor! Upon my initial reservation I was on a waiting list for the special day, however quickly received a booking upon a cancellation of another guest. They suggested we arrive ~30mins early to enjoy the view and bar while our table was prepared, however we were seated immediately upon arrival. I was expecting the place to be packed for Valentine's Day, however it was very spacious and although all the tables were indeed booked the atmosphere was great, there was a pleasant murmur in the air, but not loud enough you couldn't hear your partner nor overhear anyone's conversation (and considering the price they are asking for I would have been disappointed otherwise!). Before our meal commenced they waiters came to check on any special requirements. After this our meal began with 4 appetisers, each more interesting than the last followed by the main dishes with a couple of palate cleansers inbetween. Overall we ended up having 10 different courses and 5 matching wines. Although I was under the impression this place was French it definitely had an Australian influence which was well executed, this could be seen in the food that came out (Wallaby, Barramundi, Prawns, Lamb etc, even Tasmanian pepper!). The waiters were very friendly and courteous and the atmosphere and decor was great. I would highly recommend this place for a special occasion! Although the price may seem daunting at first it is definitely worth it! Truly a unique Australian dining experience! read more

This restaurant is spoilt by the perfect location and view. It was ideal for that once in a lifetime dinner experience! Amazing staff and appealing decor. Well done! read more

one of the most expensive restaurants i've ever been to. having been to over 20 michelin starred restaurants all over the world, i wouldn't give this any stars at all. in fact, it was very poor value indeed. service was poor, cooking was mediocre and the ingredients were only OK. View was good. So, let's face it - if this restaurant was on the ground floor, no-one would have heard of it, and it would not get good reviews. Try the eureka 89 - food OK, much cheaper, better view - not a high quality restaurant, but much better value and more fun. read more

Amazing is all I have the say. From the view, the very unique menu to the decor...it was perfect. It really deserves a Michelin star.

Amazing food and service. Period. Our sommelier was very knowledgable and his passion for wine really shined as he was explaining the different wines to us. It was a first class experience that I will definitely look forward to the next time we visit Melbourne. read more

I took my wife here for her 40th. We weren't disappointed with the amazing food and service. 12 courses of delicious, mysterious, food that was like a trip around Australia. It comes with a huge reputation, but it is well deserved in my opinion. I don't really have anything to compare with, but really enjoy it! Oh yeah the view was amazballs read more

If you are craving for good food then try vue de monde. I visited here few days back with my girlfriend. Food here was amazing and liked the way it was presented. Will love to visit again!! read more

I can only agree with the other reviewers that this is one of the world's most unique and fabulous restaurant experiences, comparable only in my experience to Carme Ruscalleda's Restaurant San Pau outside Barcelona. The creativity of the food and the way it is served are beyond belief The service, by so many elegant, Australian and international young men, is sublime. Most memorable for me were the tiny piece of wallaby draped elegantly over a hot stone, the delightful (optional) mid-meal tea service, and the desert that featured "musk stick snow". The sense of humour in the food is remarkable. Like other reviewers here, I could go on and on. It's painfully expensive and utterly, incredibly wonderful. You will never have another experience like it. read more

Dining at Vue de monde is certainly an experience. If you are after a romantic dinner in an intimate environment with discrete service, this is not the place. It has a bistro/café feel about it with lots of wait staff and an open kitchen in the middle so the background noise level is high along with the piped music through ceiling speakers. It was difficult to hear the waiter introduce each course and made conversing with friends across the table very difficult. Had the degustation menu which is basically a surprise serving of a gourmet morsel in a bite size portion which, although tasty, was hardly filling. Some of the courses were not to our liking so were not eaten. Having ten courses also meant the staff were continually attending the table, clearing away plates and cutlery before arranging the next course. I found this overly fussy and intrusive and made ongoing conversation with dinner partners difficult. The staff appeared rushed to serve each course and clear it away after you had finished your two mouthfuls. There was no taking your time, relaxing and enjoying a prolonged meal. There was a great range of wines with many available by the glass and the views of Melbourne at sunset and at night were superb. It was my 50th birthday treat so I was not aware of the final total but I imagine it was considerable. I'm glad I experienced a meal in an award winning restaurant but it wasn't for me. I left feeling hungry and very disappointed. read more

We went expecting great things but were sadly disappointed. At the early sitting lots of tables look into the sun. These tables get hotter and hotter. We also found it necessary to shield our eyes from the sun at one stage during the meal. The staff could do little about it and went into denial. It ruined our experience. read more

Having booked this as a birthday present for my wife i was expecting something very special. We have eaten at a lot of michelin stared restaurants whilst in Europe and this seemed to get similar level reviews, we were looking forward to it a lot. The arrival is fantastic, fast direct lift to the top floor and then shown to your seat via the wine cellar, very dramatic. Then it went a little wrong, the question was how hungry are you what dont you want to eat. My wife has a thing against coconut and I like my red meats. This information was taken away and we waited our dinner. Some great food was presented but so were at least 3 dishes containing some coconut! Also my larger appetite was not quite filled with the small portion of admittedly excellent meat dishes. Service was great, especially the direct serving from kitchen staff. Perhaps pay a little more attention to how your customers answers your question and you can be 5/5 where the food itself deserves to be. read more