Vue de monde

Level 55
525 Rialto Towers,
Collins Street,
Melbourne
Victoria 3000

This entry will be a bit different in a few ways, I rarely eat at anywhere as famous or high end as Vue de monde, it was a freebie (not to do with the blog but due to an invite from my day job and I visited for breakfast at 8am, well before the normal opening time.

On arrival I was offered a coffee and a selection of juices, I went for the orange and passion fruit which was fresh and brought back memories of one of my favourite smoothies I regularly indulged in when working for innocent drinks in the UK. The yoghurt was creamy and was well complimented by the muesli and compote. The pineapple from the fruit board was so flavoursome and sweet. I had a small apple pastry which was pleasant but didn't blow me away.

Later I tried the beetroot, apple and ginger juice which plenty of zing and was very refreshing.

I prefer to stay veggie focused at breakfast these days and my first impression of the main plate was positive. It was my first go at asparagus this early in the day and the seasonal white and green spears went down well. The toasted sour dough was the usual challenge to cut with a knife, the mushroom perfectly cooked, the spinach a bit too salty for me the scrambled eggs nice and light.

The decor and ambiance inside were dark and fairly understated, perhaps best appreciated later in the day, the views across Melbourne are stunning however. It was certainly an enjoyable breakfast, and I would like to head back for the full experience, I'm just waiting for another generous host with to extend an invite...

Greek Street Food - Food Truck

Food Truck, visited at:
Yarraville Gardens
Somerville Road
Yarraville
Vic 3013

While I grabbed a burger from the Little Mushroom Co on our trip to the food trucks in Yarraville Gardens, the better half headed to the Greek Street Food truck by Kara's Kalamaki.

Her wait was slightly longer than mine, but the crowds were out in force! The oregano chips were winners, perfectly cooked good sized fries with a bit of extra Mediterranean flavour.

The bahh souva had the expected pita bread wrapped around some fantastic lamb fillet, tomato and onion with tzatziki. The only less popular filling were the chips, some salad leaves would have been preferred. 

The meal came in around $14 which was fair and I'd certainly think about trying their other items if I spot the truck again...

The Little Mushroom Co Food Truck

Food Truck, visited at:
Yarraville Gardens
Somerville Road
Yarraville
Vic 3013

The sun was shining for the first evening of daylight savings and we decided to head down to Yarraville Gardens to see what the food trucks had to offer... there was plenty of choice on offer with around 15 lined up!

I decided on trying out the The Little Mushroom Co which lives up (down?) to its name, being housed in a pretty tiny converted caravan.

The menu is on the small side too, with just four bun based options and a couple of extras.

I went for the vegan burger option which in this case featured one and a half portobello mushrooms in a Cajun spice rub and a good handful of rocket in a ciabatta roll. On first opening the box I was disappointed by the size of the burger, however it was certainly well executed, flavoursome and healthy.

At $10 for a fairly light bight, I think I'd try one of the many other trucks we're lucky to have regularly in walking distance on my next visit, but it must be one of the most healthy options available on the Somerville Road strip.

Shanghai Dragon Dumpling House

163 Russell Street
Melbourne
Vic 3000

I'd been meaning to visit Shanghai Dragon Dumpling House for a while, as the reviews I'd seen were good and it was convenient... When Merry and I arrived for lunch on a Wednesday it was pretty busy, but there was a table for us at the back.

We ended up sharing the table for 4 with another diner, but that wasn't a problem. The fit our is modern, with white walls and plenty of light from the big windows on to Russell Street and Bullens Lane. Behind us there was a window into the small kitchen area. We were soon handed the menus but had to ask for some tea.

Merry went for the pan fried chicken and prawn dumplings, and the plate was filled by the ten that arrived. The generously sized and plumply filled thin dough skins were lightly browned and glistened from the frying oil.

I went for the vegetarian dumplings, also pan fried, the serve of fifteen certainly assuaged any concerns about still being hungry! The guōtiē were stuffed with a tasty spinach heavy veggie mix and had crunchy browned bases from the pan. The only possible down side was the slight excess of oil left on from the frying...

The takeaway menu is below, as I couldn't find it online, both dishes we had were satisfying and great value at only $9. Although it was busy we weren't rushed but did have a new friend on our table. The service was swift and courteous. Shanghai Dragon Dumpling House stacks up well against the other bargain dumpling options in the city and I'll be tempted to head back to check out the veggie xiao long bao, amongst other tempting options.