Twice a year, or as close to that as we can manage, my brother and I have what I truly believe is the ultimate dinner party.  The idea was born many years ago when, as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, I went to a Riedel Master Class.  Already a keen wine drinker and appreciator, I was transported to another level by this guided tasting which revealed the true impact the correct stemware can have on enjoying your favourite tipple.  Bursting with enthusiasm from my newfound knowledge (and newly acquired Riedel glasses) I had a dinner party where I tried to deliver the same experience.  Carefully chosen and created recipes were paired with the best of the wine varietals that the Riedels represented.  It was a resounding success.  Not long after, when said brother married his sweetheart, the choice of wedding gift from the third sibling and me was easy – a set of Riedel glasses. And so the tradition began.

Invitations to the now infamous Riedel nights are hard fought and rarely bestowed.  This is how they work; my brother, sister-in-law and I decide who is to be invited.  A date is set.  About a fortnight prior to the event we go out for breakfast laden with an armoury of cookbooks, magazines and ideas.  After much debate and several strong coffees, each course is allocated.  Each attendee must provide the wine and accompanying dish for their nominated course.  Typically the courses are: Champagne, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a dessert wine.  Cellars are scoured and cookbooks combed.  The hardest part is to decide what comes first – the wine or the food.  This is usually dependant upon what is in the cellar crying out to be opened, or what amazing recipes have been discovered and need to be recreated. 

The first time we attempted all courses, it was an exhibition of endurance and extravagance.  We got the food and wine right.  What we had failed to take into consideration was portion size.  The age of degustation and the tasting menu had not yet come into full flight so we shall claim ignorance.  Instead of coming to the logical conclusion that, if you are consuming 4-5 more courses than normal (if three courses is indeed normal), the courses need to be just a wee bit smaller than conventional servings we revelled in our generosity as gluttonous gourmands and the plates were heavily laden.  The result?  A merrily tipsy mob, still devouring the delectable dinner at 2am.  Not bad for a 6.30pm start! 

Slowly we are learning. And getting more particular and adventurous as we go.  Our recent attempts suggest we almost have it.

One attempt of note was a French themed dinner.  All wine, and food, and music for the evening hailed from France.  French cuisine has to be considered one of the most refined and elegant styles of cooking, and is equally renowned for its wines.  We had raised the bar this time.  Escoffier or Bocuse we are not, but we certainly produced a divine repast.  Oysters and vintage Veuve to start, Gruyere Soufflé with an Alsatian Riesling Sauce, Whiting with fennel remoulade, a typically French, minerally Chablis with tarragon chicken and ratatouille, duck and wild mushroom tarte tatin paired with a smooth Bordeaux, steak au poivre (flambéed for maximum effect and served with a nicely complex assemblage from the Rhone.  And, of course, profiteroles.  Oozing with crème patissiere and smothered in luscious chocolate.

Whiting with fennel remoulade

Even more challenging was the most recent dinner, which was driven by Asian flavours.  Makes for a more challenging time when it comes to the food and wine pairing, but I was determined to try a recipe that I had come across in Matt Moran’s (of Aria in Sydney) cookbook, and everything sort of grew from there.  The dish was a Peking Duck Consommé with duck wontons.  It took nearly a day to make, but was worth every moment.  It is not surprising that it is one of the signature dishes on the menu at Aria. 

Peking duck consomme

Some of the other courses that night included sea scallops on pork skin with caviar, tuna sashimi with dipping sauce and wakame salad, a rich and sticky melt in your mouth braised ox tail and a crispy salt and pepper calamari.

We criss-crossed our way through Asia with these dishes and loved every mouthful of the journey.  There has been a brief hiatus from our Riedel nights – to let my brother and sister-in-law look after the latest foodie to join the family, my gorgeous niece Beth.  When she is much older I am sure she would love to join us, but for now she just needs to be a little bit older so that her mum can again partake in the decadence.

We’re thinking Spanish for the next one.

Jo x

On a site dedicated to food it seems appropriate that I tell you about the best dining experience that I ever had.  I should qualify this statement further by defining it as a restaurant dining experience.  The dinner was at Vue de Monde; a modern French restaurant in Melbourne, which has been showered with the highest of accolades, amassed awards aplenty and takes months to get into.  It is run by Shannon Bennett.  Shannon has been the “it” chef for quite a while.  A fair effort in a town that prides itself on its food and restaurants and is as quick to condemn as is it to praise.

So how was the dinner and what made it so memorable? Well, dinner at Vue de Monde is degustation only.  You can have between five and fifteen courses.  Now this appeals to me on a number of fronts, not the least of which is that I get to taste more than the standard three dishes in an entrée main desert situation.  However, degustation menus have come under a fair bit of scrutiny in the food press here lately, eliciting such comments as;

“Is the degustation menu really about eating? Or could it be more about worshipping today’s chef – almost as rock star – as he showcases his creativity and theatrical presentation to a captive audience”, 

“…some less-satisfied diners have been known to resort to a Big Mac on the way home after the eight, 10, 12 or so tiny courses”, and

“Is degustation a pretentious waste of time, or the perfect way to sample the work of top chefs?” 

No prizes for guessing my position on this debate, so on to the food.

One of the standout reasons for this being the best is that as I write this in May 2007 I can still remember every mouthful I had of the meal eaten in late December 2006.  Now although I am sure that they exist, I never saw a menu at Vue de Monde.  After being seated and offered an aperitif, the principle food waiter explained that the kitchen had over 80 dishes and that the aim was to uncover our food preferences and create a degustation menu to suit.  We chose to have 5 savoury and 2 sweet dishes.  In the end this was probably one too many!  After you include the amuse gueles, the palate cleansers and the tempters, not to mention the petit fours you end up with a lot of food.  Our sommelier convinced us to get the matched wines.  A decision well made.  We had some very unusual pairings, but each brought out the best in both food and wine.  There was nothing that failed to impress and this extended beyond the food itself.  From the Laguiole cutlery and beautiful flatware, to the Alessi toothpick holder and the test-tube vase (that looked more like a sculpture than something that would merely hold a flower) everything contributed to a look that balanced individuality and style.

I won’t bore you with the blow-by-blow description of each course (many a friend has already endured this painstaking recollection, if you wish to hear me wax lyrical about each bite, drop me a line and I will be MORE than happy to!).  Instead, I will pick out a couple of highlights.

The last savoury dish was a piece of slow cooked pork belly resting atop a jellied French onion consommé, accompanied by batons of apple and blood pudding flambéed in Calvados brandy with a finishing touch of a citrus foam.  The dish was paired with an Australian Nebbiolo. What an impact!  The combination of flavours and textures was sublime.  So taken with this dish was I, that, after the necessary research, I went shopping and got all of the ingredients and tools necessary to re-create the dish at home.  Whilst my culinary foam may not be to Ferran Adria’s standards, I think I have done okay!  To ensure nothing was missed, after much hunting and investigating, the very hard to come by Pizzini Nebbiolo was also acquired.  It will be drunk when I get the foam 100%.

The other dish (if you can call it that) that I rave the most about was the “pre-desert” tempter.  It was a small icy pole on a little stick.  Not a difficult concoction, but what grabbed me was the flavour pairing: raspberry and tarragon.  Sensational.  I have since served a granita version of this with very finely sliced and oven baked pineapple to drooling dinner guests.

The final thing that stands out in my mind about this experience was the very last interaction with the staff.  To set the scene properly; it is a Friday night in Melbourne two days before Christmas. It is raining.  Every man and his dog are in the CBD.  And they all want cabs.  We are amongst the last to leave the restaurant and the maitre d’ has called us a cab.  Standing in the doorway trying to avoid the rain, we are most pleased to see our cab arrive.  The Vue de Monde doorman goes to the cab to open the door for us.  However, just as he does, a group of rude and drunken diners emerge and go straight to our waiting taxi.  After a stream of abusive from the leader of this merry pack they take what they clearly see as their rightful seats and disappear into the night.  Great!  Just how we wanted the night to end.  After trying valiantly but unsuccessfully to get through to the taxi company to order another cab, our lovely doorman walks to the main road and stands in the rain until he hails us a cab.  Now that is service.