Maurice Chevalier famously said, “I never eat when I can dine”, words taken to heart by chef Shannon Bennett. Shannon’s restaurant Vue de monde in Melbourne, Australia is testament to the belief that restaurant food can be a wondrous, unforgettable experience. Without compromise, in his principles or ingredients, Shannon has fashioned his own innovative way of cooking, matching the efforts of acknowledged masters worldwide.
Reviews and word of mouth have resulted in notoriety achieved largely through Shannon's obsession for classical cuisine which has seen him reinterpret the cuisine of creators such as Carême, Dugléré and Escoffier and develop an exciting, cutting edge cuisine of his own. Shannon’s dedication and pride have established him as one of Australia’s most exciting chefs. Vue de monde was awarded Restaurant of the Year, three hats and an unprecedented 19/20 in the Age Good Food Guide 2007. Vue de monde was awarded Restaurant of the Year by Australian Gourmet Traveller for 2006 and again in 2007 - the first time in the award’s history that it has been won two years in a row by the same restaurant. Vue de monde also won the national awards for Restaurant of the Year and Fine Dining Restaurant of the year in the 2005 Restaurant and Catering Awards for Excellence and again in the 2007 awards. Recently, Vue de monde has maintained its position securing three hats in the Age Good Food Guide, three stars for the Australian Gourmet Traveller awards and Restaurant of the Year and Best Fine dining for Restaurant and Catering Victoria.
Shannon's philosophy at Vue de monde is to provide a dining experience which is theatrical and cannot be replicated in the home environment. Shannon achieves this through his dedication to the dining experience as a whole; from the sourcing of rare ingredients, to his uncompromising approach to classical technique and his commitment to the very best of restaurant service including crockery, cutlery and glassware.
Having firmly established Vue de monde, Café Vue and Bistro Vue followed in 2006 offering additional dining options at the same city location. In 2008, whilst still firmly at the helm of his three venues in Melbourne, Shannon’s sights were drawn to international markets with an exciting project in Oman coming to fruition. Vue by Shannon Bennett opened at Al Bustan Palace Intercontinental Hotel in Muscat, Oman in November 2008. 2009 has seen the opening of two further Café Vue venues - Café Vue at 401 St Kilda Rd and Café Vue at Heide at the iconic Heide Museum of Modern Art.
In developing international exposure for Vue de monde, Shannon was invited to be the first Australian member of the exclusive Jeunes Restaurateurs D’Europe. Shannon was also invited to be part of the Star Chefs Congress , September 2007 in New York, securing his position of a leading chef on the global stage. In May 2009 Shannon was the first chef invited to speak at the prestigious AGideas design conference to an audience of 2,500 people.
Also an accomplished author, Shannon’s first two books My Vue and My French Vue are both in their second editions and Shannon Bennett’s Paris (Shannon’s personal guide to his favourite city) was released in December 2009.
