Apparently this is the brand that Vue de Monde uses – Caviar Sibirskaya – according to the supplier. And 15 grams costs $75, from the Richmond Hill Larder & Cafe at least. It’s not the cheapest in Australia but there again it’s not the most expensive. It is a luxury good though and you do expect some kind of quality control.
My motivations were romantic. Jak was arriving back from Singapore with champagne and I had penty of vodka on ice.
I reckon considering the amount I spent on restaurants it is a bargain to eat this at home.
We spread the caviar on toast but it was no treat. The eggs had no pop and the texture was slimy. In fact it left the most revolting mouth feel. Yuk (yes, I really do mean that in this case Ray).
Check out the collapsed eggs – a sign that something is wrong.
Despite chucking the offending fish eggs out and letting the injured dog lick out the jar I decided to let the RHLC know there may be a problem with the caviar.
They kindly replaced it but thought some of the remaining jars may look dodgy. One week later it was time again, with new petite champagne glasses. The replacement was mouldy.
Second time unlucky – check out the mould
As I mentioned earlier this is a luxury good and should be stored properly and subject to only the best quality control. How then can what turns out to be a whole batch be off?
I was lucky that I had $75 cash refunded. But it was annoying to have to make two trips to Richmond because of a supplier’s quality problem. There are bigger issues here too – public safety. And I just can’t be bothered with caviar or a trip to Richmond again for a while.
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh my! I couldn’t agree more. Totally unacceptable, especially at that price.
Last time I was at VDM they were serving Sterling caviar, which is harvested from sturgeon farmed in California. The pop factor was excellent
But that Caviar Sibirskaya looks just…well…eww!
Mellie, that’s what the RHLC said the supplier said. was the caviar served. I see the basic price for Sterling- in the US – is about half the price of this revolting stuff.
That’s very disappointing. At least Richmond Hill were professional enough to exchange it without a fuss. Maybe it’s an omen to try a different brand elsewhere – maybe try Simon Johnson?
There is an underground source for the real stuff Ed. I cant condone nor support the activity, but it does exist.
Oh my! Two trips to richmond? That hill must have been pnishing on your bike Ed!
Compared to the caviar you bought, the fish roe that I bought seems like a bargain. I got the salmon roe for about $7 for a 50g jar and even those had a nice pop to them and a burst of flavour. And they were really easy to buy too, just pop into my local deli.
I must try some real caviar one day and see what the fuss is about. Now where can I find $75 lying around somewhere?
Steve
Is that a real underground source or a hoax one like the so-called unerground restaurant that made it to page 3 of The Age?
Thanh
Caviar is very different but if you ask is it worth the price difference the answer is no and it was outrageous for me to buy it. Salmon eggs are pretty good for a cheap caviar and great to use in various dishes. Made a good blog post that only cost me a few litres of petrol (Hope you’re not reading this Steve. If you are, what’s happening with that Xtracycle?)
Just dial 1300caviar Ed
We too have had our share of caviar disasters.
None worse than the dinner party appetiser – cracked open the sealed tin & the contents spewed out under pressure from the fermented eggs… not pleasant. Yet another tin was perfect.
Hm, I think I’m still a few years off my first caviar experience. I just can’t bring myself to really consider it, at the moment.
Still, a shame not only that you spent the money on it and it was disappointing, but also that you’d bought it for a special occasion and it just didn’t stand up.
Mike,
I also got an email from someone who said the caviar at VDM was slimy like my first batch. As well as being disgusting it sounds like a real problem.
Anna, it’s a big investment $75 which makes it even more dissapointing and annoying but at least i got my money back although not the time it took to sort it out.
You were lucky you didn’t get sick from eating it. I am not a big fan of caviar but then again I have only ever bought the cheap variety. Maybe the $75 option might change my mind….at least one that isn’t mouldy anyway.
as an ex employee of vdm, i must point out that it was only used in the most unfortunate emergencies , the caviar at vue is on the money if your looking for a treat.