Next stop on the Table 52 bandwagon was Vibe Bar and Lounge for lunch last week. I went to Vibe for dinner on a Tuesday night about a year ago when they had their 2-4-1 burger special. Back then their burgers were huge and I’d have to say one of the best in town. At present I can’t comment on the burgers because I haven’t had one since then. Unfortunately they don’t have their 2-4-1 burger specials anymore but according to the waiter that served us last week the ‘powers that be’ at Vibe decided to make their burgers cheaper everyday instead of just on Tuesday’s. Fair enough. So back to my post… When MS and I went to Vibe for lunch last week we were greeted at the counter by the friendly waiter who took our orders. MS went with the 350g Angus Rump Served With Grilled Vegies and Hollandaise for AU$25 while I figured if I was going to have steak I might as well have seafood too so I ordered the Reef and Beef – 250g Scotch Fillet, QLD BBQ King Prawns, Hollandaise Sauce, French Beans and Sweet and Kipfler Potatoes for AU$25. MS ordered his steak to be cooked Medium while I ordered mine Medium Rare. We opted to sit inside but then decided the atmosphere just wasn’t very pleasant (it is a nightclub) so we moved to an outside table where we could people watch and drool over a group of tourists eating bowls of noodles from next doors Pho ‘n Thai while we waited for our meals (just to clear things up we were drooling over the noodles not the tourists).

Our meals were ready pretty quickly and rightfully so since there was only 3 other occupied tables at this time of day. On bringing the meals out the Hollandaise that was so delicately placed on top of MS’ Rump slid off onto the side. The waiter apologised (no bigie, you can’t help sauce sliding off) and offered to bring out some extra Hollandaise to have on the side. Ever the sauce lover MS accepted the waiters apology and the extra sauce. The waiter also advised me that the chef had given me sirloin and not scotch fillet. He said that the sirloin was a leaner cut of meat than the scotch (what was he trying to say?) and he could have it changed if I so wished. I really couldn’t be bothered to wait for another steak to be cooked for me so I told him not to worry about it and stuck with the sirloin. Shame because I do much prefer scotch fillet.

MS’ enjoyed his steak although it was a little overcooked, probably closer to Well Done than Medium but he’s not one to care too much about that, unlike myself. It was a pretty big meal but then again the steak was 350g. The Grilled Vegies that it came with were exactly the same as what my meal came with (Beans, Sweet and Kipfler Potatoes) so pretty much the only difference was the steaks were a different cut and mine had the additional prawns. The Sweet and Kipfler Potatoes were really yummy and the beans were still crunchy (the way they should be).

350g Angus Rump served with Grilled Vegies and Hollandaise (AU$25)

My Reef and Beef came with three decent sized BBQ King Prawns, which I thought was pretty reasonable but I was horrified to find that they hadn’t been deveined. I’m sorry but you just cannot serve prawns that haven’t been deveined!!! Absolutely not! There is no excuse for it and I am sure that I can vouch for pretty much anyone and everyone that eats prawns when I say that I want my prawns to be cleaned when I eat them. I’m still horrified by the whole affair. You might think I’m being a little over the top but like I have said in a previous post my parents have owned a seafood business (not a Fish and Chip shop) for donkey’s years and I kinda know what I’m talking about. Moving on, the Hollandaise Sauce that was served with both of our meals was flavorless. It didn’t have the eggy/lemony taste that I so love about Hollandaise and instead it tasted like nothing. I was pretty disappointed and considered asking for a bottle of BBQ sauce to compensate.

Reef and Beef – 250g Scotch Fillet, QLD BBQ King Prawns, Hollandaise Sauce, French Beans and Sweet and Kipfler Potatoes for AU$25

I’m not trying to rain on Vibe’s parade because I know they have been putting a lot of money into their advertising particularly that of their cheaper meal deals they have throughout the week. Our meal wasn’t the best meal I have ever had nor was it the worst however I would be pretty pissed if I had paid full price for it. They just need to make a few minor changes to things, first and foremost the prawns need to be deveined and they need to change their Hollandaise Sauce recipe. I’ll be returning for a burger but right now I’m just not feeling the vibe at Vibe.

Vibe Bar and Lounge

39 Lake St, Cairns QLD 4870

Ph: (07) 4052 1494

Opening Hours: Mon – Fri from 10.30am, Sat from 12pm, Sun from 5pm

Website: www.vibebarcairns.com