Chi of Coogee (Modern Asian) - Coogee

A rugby club is not the usual place one would think of when it comes to great food, but when a new restaurant opens at the Randwick Rugby Club under chef Darren Ho - whose Asian fusion food has been exciting palates in the Hunter Valley and Melbourne - one has to be a little excited.

Randwick Rugby Club is located opposite Coogee Oval in beachside Coogee, and the restaurant in question is Chi of Coogee (formerly Brook Street Kitchen).

Having only opened for about a month, the restaurant does not appear to be fully appointed and probably retains some of Brook Street Kitchen's decor, but as time goes on, it will develop its own identity. At present, the small dining space has an eclectic feel about it, with three booths as well as normal tables. There are not a lot of decorations to catch the eye, except the faux shrine-like table holding candles and various Asian-styled homeware near the entrance; otherwise it is a fairly dark affair, although thankfully there is a naked light bulb suspended over each table to cut through the darkness.

The menu retains the chef's signature Asian fusion styled food, and there is a variety of interesting fare on offer, with most dishes available in three sizes (small, medium, and large).

Everything sounds so tempting, so we decide to enjoy three courses.

Complimentary appetiser - Peking duck broth

After we placed our order, we were each given a complimentary appetiser, a delightful little bowl of Peking duck broth. It was still steaming hot and that rendered it difficult to drink (and photograph!), so we sipped it slowly. It was a little oleaginous on top, but the flavour was strong and undeniably duck. It would make a great starter as the cooler temperatures of autumn and winter approaches, especially now it seems to have a dumpling in it as well (as reported in Terry Durack's Good Living review on Tuesday).

A short time of chatting, photo-snapping, and admiring the feature wall of wines was all it took before our two entrees made their appearance.

Vialone nano risotto with slow cooked wallarobba farm rabbit, moon choy & straw mushrooms - $10 (small)

My entree of rabbit risotto looked and smelled great, and the unusual bowl was interesting. I was very happy with the generous amount of tender and tasty bunny meat littered throughout the nicely cooked and flavoursome rice. There was not a great deal of Asian-ness about this dish, other than the presence of overcooked and limp bok choy, but I really enjoyed this hearty dish and would order it again.

Seared scallops stuffed with salsa verde on poached iceberg lettuce with chinese black vinegar caramel - $15 (small)

K's stuffed scallops looked appetising, with four plump seared scallops bursting with the stuffed salsa verde. It was very well cooked and the salsa verde was an interesting addition, although I wondered whether having it smeared on the top or the bottom would've had an equivalent effect. It certainly looks good as a stuffing but I assume the taste would be the same. I did not get to taste the poached iceberg lettuce, and it looked limp and lifeless sat underneath the scallops, but thankfully the chinese black vinegar caramel (!) brought it to life a touch. Not quite Snow White but the prince gave it his best shot.

Ballotine of chicken stuffed with chinese lup chong sausage & coriander, on sautéed bean shoots & pesto oil - $18 (medium)

My chicken ballotine main was not what I had expected when it arrived. It was very much a meatloaf in texture and in taste, but thankfully was not too dry. The lone Asian inspiration was Chinese sausage (lup chong) but despite various forays into the meat, there was no success in finding its presence. Perhaps it was minced into oblivion and incorporated with the chicken, but I missed it. There was a lot of bean shoots and these added a welcome crunchy texture to the dish, but the UFO (unidentified foam object) on top was a touch unnecessary, so overall I was a tad disappointed.

Loin of lamb marinated in kecap manis & xiao xing rice wine char grilled, served with coriander, basil & macadamia pesto - $24 (medium)

K's lamb loin, on the other hand, was more well received. The chargrilled and thickly sliced lamb was perfectly cooked, and the taste was much more Asian than my main. The only unusual part was the pesto, which seemed redundant and incongruous.

Rice noodles with soy, bean shoots & spring onions - $8

Usually, in an Asian eatery, we order a side of rice to balance the strong flavours of the main dishes. On this occasion however, having spied a side of rice noodles, we could not pass that up. It sounded interesting, being stir-fried with soy, bean shoots, and spring onions, but it was unbalanced for me, as it was very sweet. It also filled us up a lot, leaving the option of desserts on tenterhooks.

Luckily, those tenterhooks were removed from our collective thoughts as we perused the dessert menu, and we ended up ordering a dessert each. :-)

Yin & yang of chocolate filled with pina colada espuma, toasted coconut marshmallow, pineapple sago, coconut meringue and pineapple saffron compote - $15

K's chocolate yin and yang was beautifully presented, being vibrant and full of life. The dollops of marshmallows were crunchy, the pineapple saffron compote and sago were refreshing, and the chocolate shell in the shape of half a yin and yang symbol was crispily good. The pina colada espuma was a bit of an oddity though, but overall I liked the dessert a lot.

Caramelised banana panne cotte with peanut butter mousse, chocolate velvet & vanilla bean ice cream - $13

My panna cotta was equally delicious. The chocolate velvet ganache was silky smooth and just sweet enough, the panna cotta was lusciously soft and wobbled nicely, and the vanilla bean ice cream completed the trio with aplomb. The only reservation I had was with the peanut butter mousse, which I could not discern distinctively.

Afterwards, K and I were absolutely engorged with food. Despite ordering small-sized portions of the entrees and medium-sized portions of the mains, we just managed to eat everything. We were quite hungry before the meal but were thankful we ordered only the smallest portions of each of our dishes.

Overall, the meal was very good. Despite a few hiccups with soggy bok choy and unusual pairing of ingredients, we enjoyed experiementing with this Asian fusion food. Some of it didn't quite work as well as we'd like, but it is a place we would return to if we wanted something more fanciful than the standard Asian flavours so ubiquitous around Sydney.

What we liked: interesting menu and flavours, good decor, friendly service

Favourite dish: Rabbit risotto

View Larger Map

Vue de Monde (Contemporary) - Melbourne

Melbourne is known as the food capital of Australia, rightly or wrongly, and the gastronomic battle between Sydney and Melbourne has been ongoing for decades. Perhaps it is the allure of the many alfresco dining options in the CBD which sways it Melbourne's direction, as Sydney lacks a viable alternative. However, despite many previous visits to the southern city, I have not been particularly impressed, although I had only sampled the food of the famous Flower Drum (twice), Gingerboy, and Cookie.

On this flying visit, we had barely more than thirty short hours in the city of Melbourne, so what to do? Dive in the deep end, that's what! So first stop was lunch at the much praised Vue de Monde in the CBD.

Located in Little Collins Street away from the main part of the city, Vue de Monde is hidden away in the Normandy Chambers. We were slightly early (ten minutes) for our lunch booking at midday, and so we were ushered by a friendly (and tall!) waitress to an adjacent waiting room. This room was grand, all black and opulently appointed with a plush armchair, clear Louis Ghost chairs, mirrored sidetables, an expensive looking piece of art, and flowy curtains; it was like being transported back in time. We were given glasses of water while we waited inside the cool air-conditioned air, away from the heat and humidity of the Melbourne morning. After a short sit, we were taken to our tables inside.

The dining room is not particularly large, but the high ceilings give the space some depth. The decor is quirky, with light bulbs dangling at different heights from the ceiling in a swirl of red spaghetti cords, accompanied by mutant wine glasses filled with flowers. The dining tables and chairs are large and comfortable, and the multi-hued water glasses added a nice touch. The kitchen is open at one end of the dining room, and for the first time we've encountered, there is a mirror positioned in the kitchen to allow observation of the plating up procedures performed by the kitchen staff. This added drama and theatrics to the normally mundane kitchen, and for the lucky ones (like me), a chance to see the machinations of a top-flight restaurant kitchen.

After a brief moment, our waiter approached and informed us of the choices for lunch, which consisted of two types of degustation (one five-course and one ten-course) and a two-course or three-course a la carte called Menu Du Jour. The waiter was naturally trying to convince us to go for a degustation, as we were not given menus, but knowing what we were having at dinner just six-and-a-half hours later, we wanted a light(er) lunch. After perusing the menu, which consists of four choices per course, we opted for the three courses for $70.

Complimentary bread

Art Moderne - Vue de monde of modern art

I ordered the intriguingly titled Art Moderne for entree, so I expected something quite pretty, and that's what I got. Although I did not realise it was a vegetarian dish, I still enjoyed it. Vegetables imaginitively presented on a black fan-shaped plate was certainly eye-catching, and everything tasted great. The cucumber rings and slices were fresh, and the eggplant component was unusual, being pureed as well as a being a funky-looking pressed slice. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the tempura, but I'm sure it was good like the rest of the dish.

Tofu Au Chou-Fleur - Cauliflower tofu and slipper lobster with kombu crackers

K's entree of Tofu Au-Chou Fleur was also interesting-sounding, and although the presentation was a little underwhelming (compared to mine), with the whole thing enveloped in foam, the flavours were really good. The cauliflower tofu was silky soft, and the lobster was very fresh and delicious. Combined with the crackers, the flavours and textures worked well for both of us.

Palate cleanser - natural yogurt sorbet, elderflower granita, and frozen white grape

So far, so good, and much to our surprise, before the mains came, we were treated to a palate cleanser before the mains. Having only had palate cleansers as pre-desserts, we were unsure what to expect, but it turned out to be a good surprise. We were given a natural yogurt sorbet, elderflower granita, and a frozen white grape in a small glass, and as the combination suggests, it was a refreshing way to reignite the palate, even though we had only one previous course! It was a great balance of sweet, sour, and cold, and obviously would have worked great as a pre-dessert also.

Not long after, the much anticipated mains arrived, and we were drooling.

Porc - slow cooked pork with 65 degree yolk and celeriac

My main of Porc had me salivating as soon as I spied the large slab of slow-cooked pressed pork sitting on the plate. When I pinked into it with my fork, it duly fell apart effortlessly. Interestingly, the top layer was not like crackling at all despite the appearance; instead it tasted like fried bread crumbs, but I could be totally wrong. The accompanying celeriac was in puree form as well as in chip form, and they tasted great, especially the puree which had a smooth-as-a-baby's-bottom texture. The piece de resistance for me was the egg yolk though, which is cooked at 65 degrees Celsius, and it tasted so eggy yet was not runny. I wish I could have an egg yolk of this calibre every morning for breakfast. My doctor may not agree, but my tastebuds certainly wouldn't.

Pates De Giovanni Fabbri - Giovanni Fabbri pasta, king brown mushroom, and crispy chicken

K's main of Pates De Giovanni Fabbri was - initially at least - disappointingly small. There was a small mound of spaghetti sitting on three overlapped thin slices of king brown mushroom, so at least it was presented well. After tasting his first mouthful of the pasta however, K realised the reason for the smallish portion; it was super rich and uber tasty! He instantly proclaimed it the best pasta he had ever eaten, alongside the legendary Fettuccine al tartufovo at Buon Ricordo. I was given a little mouthful and I agree it was excellent, but not quite as good as Buon Ricordo's mouthwatering creation. I was not aware at the time the pasta was Giovanni Fabbri, so I assume that it is packet pasta and not fresh? Still, it was simply delicious, although I did not really taste the crispy chicken pieces.

Complimentary salad

With the mains, we were also given a very fresh salad for accompaniment, presented like a magician's hat! I was half expecting to pull a rabbit out afterwards! The leaves were beautifully crispy and the attendant dressing (which was in a test tube and poured over the salad by the waiter) was just right. Special mention must be made of the sundried tomatoes, which were super sweet and delicous.

After such wonderful mains, we were very eager for dessert, as each of the four options sounded impressively inventive. We wondered also whether we would receive another palate cleanser, but doubted it, and we were right; two extra complimentary courses for a three-course lunch seemed a bit avaricious!

Souffle Golden Gaytime - Golden Gaytime souffle

K's Gaytime souffle looked simple enough, with the usual souffle and a dollop of chocolate sauce and chopped nuts floating on top. It tasted very much like a Godlen Gaytime (my favourite ice cream) and it was a revelation, since neither of us are enamoured with souffles. The spoonful of cream sitting to the side added a nice subtle sweetness to it all, and we were both happy to have tried this great dessert.

Chocolat Blanc Et Pistache - pistachio ice cream and pistachio cake with white chocolate curd

My dessert attracted me because of all the pistachio components, and I am a big lover of pistachios, having a handful for a daily snack. This one had pistachio cake, pistachio ice cream, as well as white chocolate curd. It came presented very similarly to the 'kebab' style of the Toast Custard with Lychee Puree and Chocolate Parfait at Bentley in Sydney, right down to the little clear sheets of glass-like toffee. The cake was moist, tasted of pistachio, and was scrumptious. All the minor components like the chopped pistachio pieces, ice cream, chocolate flakes, etc. worked well with the cake and it was a damned fine dessert. Definitely one of my favourites for a long time and I ate this very slowly to ensure it lasted.

Closer look

Petits fours

After dessert, we were treated to a platter of petits fours, with five little delights for each of us. Everything was great, especially the light and refreshing pineapple squares in the middle. A wonderful end to a fantastic meal.

During the course of the meal, besides being treated to the mirror reflection of the plating up, we were also privy to the occasional muted shouts in unison of "Hey!" (or something similar) from the kitchen, which reminded us of a football team's dressing room huddles! It was a fairly rowdy kitchen and something we haven't experienced here in Sydney restaurants. Good to see co-ordinated teamwork in the kitchen!

Another compliment I must add was their customer service post-meal. I noticed the menu online was current, so I neglected to write down the details of the dishes at the time of the meal. However, when it came time to write this post, their menu online had changed. I emailed them requesting a copy of the previous lunch menu, which they duly obliged in emailing to me the same day. Now that's great service.

Overall, Vue de Monde was a fantastic dining experience to savour. The courses are certainly impressively inventive, and the food tasted complex and scumptious. The service was efficient, friendly, and accommodating. Best of all, it wasn't overly expensive, and we left feeling satiated and our first great Melbourne meal etched firmly in our collective memories and palates.

What we liked: excellent food, ambience, quirky dining room, mirror in the kitchen to observe the plating up procedure

Favourite dish: Chocolat Blanc Et Pistache (for me), Pates De Giovanni Fabbri (for K)

View Larger Map