Lap it up

There’s a general acknowledgement that a good view and good food are mutually exclusive (the meaning being that diners will gravitate to seaside or cityscape panoramas regardless of the quality of the food, so indeed the food doesn’t need to try so hard). And yet Australian chef Shannon Bennett set out to challenge that notion. It also made sense given that Vue de Monde implies lofty views, however, previously his restaurant resided in an internal, inner-city location with no view whatsoever apart from that of the chefs preparing the small morsels of sublime food in the angled mirrors above the kitchen.

The recent move to the 55th storey of Melbourne’s Rialto building gives an impressive backdrop to the space, but exquisitely luxurious design has connected the restaurant back to its cosy former premises and any assumption of bland corporate highrise is immediately abandoned. A neon artwork by Joseph Kosuth glows against the black wall, disk mirrors tilted at various angles allow diners to see what the chefs are plating, blown-glass lights have been suspended throughout, with each of these details offering moments of light within the dark space.

A European touch in the parquet floor is tempered by the Australian, stained, rough-sawn ceiling. The furniture is also a witty nod to Australian design. Ross Didier (profiled on pg 110) upholstered the tables and chairs in kangaroo leather and fur – actually a very sustainable material in that it makes use of the yearly environmental culling of kangaroos around the country. Old World and New World combine here in dramatic and elegant fashion.

Vue de Monde.
Level 55, Rialto 525 Collins Street
Melbourne, Australia.
+61 3 9691 3888
vuedemonde.com.au