Vine Restaurant, tucked into a small lane just off Short Street in Double Bay, offers creative dishes with excellent execution. Sometimes, your visit coincides with a party, and things can get a bit crazy.
Vine Double Bay was the venue for a product release a long time ago. The food was amazing, and I was determined to return just for the Croque Monsieur. Vine is only open for dinners unless there’s an event, so I suggested that we go for Miss America’s birthday. He wanted a place for his friends who don’t like to travel outside the Eastern Suburbs. They weren’t even there. Never mind. We were just four misfits: Miss America, Queen Viv, and Mr NQN, plus me.
Vine has been described as a French restaurant, but it is actually more Australian, and the menu is influenced by people all over the globe. At 8 pm, it wasn’t quiet, and we noticed that there were two large tables for groups in the middle of the restaurant. One is still empty. We have to ask for a move because the noise is giving us headaches, and we’re tired of trying to lip-read each other.
The service is good, but the menu lacks knowledge. When we ask about something, the common response is, “I’ll look it up for you.” Some people are asked to wear coats, but not others. I’ve also never seen staff stand around and stare off into the distance. It’s hard to sell cocktails and alcohol. The team at the breakfast function was excellent, so my initial impression was not accurate. Chef Drew Bolton, formerly from Quay and Aria, is in the kitchen.
Pommes souflée, fromage blanc et oscietra caviar 6$
There are only three servings of each snack because, for whatever reason, Queen Viv decided not to share. She wanted to do things her way. The pommes souffle is a thin potato shell filled with creamy fromage blanc and topped off with osetra caviar. These are incredibly light and tasty, and I would love to have a plate full of them.
Eclair, Manchego smoked ham $5ea
The Eclair is my favorite snack. The Eclair is served hot with creamy Manchego cream cheese inside. Smoked ham also makes an appearance.
School prawns, chipotle, burnt corn, Parmesan $12
The school prawns make a delicious snack to enjoy while drinking. The prawns are small and eaten whole. They have a great texture thanks to the crunchy Parmesan and burnt corn.
Beef tartare with bagna cauda and cured yolks $19
The beef tartare is made of cured soy and mirin yolk, served on top of chopped raw beef and bagna cauda with onion. It comes with a small dish with crispbreads. The beef tartare is not bad, but I prefer the other words as this one lacks enough onion and spice.
Blackened Kingfish with celeriac and yuzu-kosho. Squid congee, $35
The menu creatively uses familiar ingredients. The blackened Kingfish, for example, is perfectly cooked and served with celeriac and yuzu-kosho. It is also served with an intense squid soup that is similar to a risotto. This dish is delicious, and I love the presentation of this fish.
Confit pork with witlof and cippolini onion, plus salted summer plums $26
The Queen is in a pre-detox state, so tonight she ate only meat (this and beef tartare were her choices). She gave me a sample of the pork confit, and it was delicious. The heart is soft and melts in your mouth. Crisp crackling. I almost wish we’d ordered it.
Quail-a-naise, muntries, soubise, Parmesan $28
We were curious to know what quail-a-noise was. It’s not mayonnaise as I first thought, but a play on bolognese. Instead of minced meat, it’s small pieces of tender chicken, muntries (native fruits), soubise as an onion foam with Parmesan, and a thick tomato-based sauce.
Chook cooked at Webber for $28
This is a chicken that’s been cooked in a Webber, but we love it for the spicy rub on the exterior. The chicken is served with leeks halved and roasted pumpkin wedges.
Pommes dauphin, spiced ketchup, fennel aioli $10
These soft mashed potatoes that have been deep-fried are crispy on the outside but soft inside. When Queen Viv eats one, her eyes are wide with delight. She then says, “Oh, they’re very naughty.” Also, a shout-out for the two sauces. Sometimes you want aioli, and sometimes you need spiced ketchup.
The noise was unbearable at this point. We can see that it’s not only us. The smaller tables are also squinting and craning their necks in an attempt to look at the larger table. It’s possible we had bad luck with the large tables that night, and I hope it’s not always so noisy, but this was one of the loudest dinners I have ever experienced. We asked to be moved to the bar to escape the noise.
Assiette Mignardise $38
The dessert is an amalgamation of all their desserts but a shortened version. There are also some petit fours included. Two small creme brûlées, a mango cheesecake and passionfruit with coconut, a Valrhona with liquid smoked chocolate center, chocolate puffs, and nitro vanilla ice cream are included. Salted caramel ice-cream balls are covered in chocolate, then marshmallows, as well as macaron, Eclair, and root beer sorbet with biscuit crumbs. The menu is comprehensive, and my favorite dish is the chocolate souffle. It may not be as refined as other dishes, but it’s still delicious.
Maybe we didn’t tip enough (Queen Viv wasn’t impressed with the service at all and refused to listen), but in the end, our waitress became sarcastic. Her change from friendly to rude can be attributed to the rounding up of tips (just below $10).
Would I return? The food was excellent, but the atmosphere and service were just too loud.
Tell me, Dear Reader: Are you sensitive to sound? You’ve probably had to move your table because of the noise. Has the attitude of the waitstaff changed (for better or worse) after you left a tip? Do you like aioli or tomato sauce on your potatoes?