Wedding @ The Red Scooter, Melbourne (Australia)

And I'm back from our trip to Melbourne! The main purpose of the trip was for my younger sister's wedding, of which I had the privilege of being the maid-of-honour (more accurately 'matron-of-honour', but this title makes me feel old). And what a wedding it was! Unfortunately I have very little photos on my camera due to being highly occupied with bridesmaid's duties, but I did make it a priority to take photos of the food to share on my blog. I don't usually blog about wedding food, but this was perhaps the best wedding food I've had. My sister said they chose The Red Scooter based on the reviews for the food, but everything else was also excellent. The staff ensured that the event flowed smoothly from before the start of the ceremony to after we bid farewell to the newlyweds at the end of the night. The venue itself was gorgeous, a great choice for a contemporary-style wedding. I loved the black and red colour scheme, which tied in very nicely with the wedding colours of storm grey and dark red. The ceremony was held in a small hall, and both the cocktail and reception dinner were held upstairs. The following two photos of the venue were taken on the day before the wedding when we were at The Red Scooter for the rehearsal.

The room where the canapes were served. On the big day itself, the curtain was drawn (just where the blackboard is in the background) to give the illusion of a much smaller room...

... then when it was time for the guests to move on to the dinner, the curtain was drawn to reveal a beautiful dining area:

The pre-dinner canapes served after the ceremony were delicious, and we enjoyed seven different types including crispy lemon chicken, Peking duck pancakes and ceviche of scallops with guacamole (my fave!). Unfortunately I have no photos of the canapes, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

The wedding cake:

The bridal party table partially set (this shot was taken about 10 minutes before the ceremony began):

The girls from the bridal party were ushered up to the bridal suite located above the reception dining room, hidden from view, to freshen up before making our entrance for the reception dinner. After the guests were seated, they enjoyed viewing a heartwarming video of the newlyweds containing photos from their childhood to the present time:

Mixed leaf garden salad:

Roasted garlic rosemary potatoes:

Asiette main course with Roast Chicken (leg crusted with bay, lemon and sea salt, charred artichokes, dutch carrots and garlic dressing), Eye Fillet (with cabernet sauvignon jus and red onion jam), and Crisp Skin Salmon (with baby bok choy and a red capsicum dressing). The other bridesmaids loved the chicken, and I liked the salmon. The eye fillet was done a bit too rare for my liking, but the seasoning and accompaniments were so good that I ate it all:

The assorted sorbet in espresso glasses was what The Red Scooter called 'Roving Dessert'. Waitstaff went around with these desserts, and those who wanted it got one (or two or three). The exception was the bridal party table which sat empty during this time because we were busy going from table to table doing "yam seng" (drink to success), a fun traditional Chinese toast where each table would compete to give the loudest and longest (it's a tradition for our side of the family anyway). These sorbet glasses were placed on our tables so we didn't have to miss out on it:

A table was set up in the canapes area with a range of yummy desserts for the guests to help themselves to, and the venue called this 'Bakers Market'. These were so good!

Mini Apple Pies, served cold and dusted with cinnamon sugar. Assorted Macarons in the background:

Fresh Fruit Tarts, topped with lemon curd and fruit:

Mini Choc Tops:

The wedding cake, cut into neat pieces. Gluten-free layered chocolate and orange & almond cake with butter cream frosting. Very good for a gluten-free cake:

The plate I took for hubby who was on baby duty. Clockwise from top: mini apple pie, 'Paris Brest' (profiteroles filled with almond custard, whipped cream and dipped in chocolate), choc-orange macaron, fresh fruit tart, wedding cake, lemon meringue tartlets, and a mini choc top:

The food was beautifully presented and tasted delicious. The Red Scooter may not be cheap, but my sister and her husband got what they paid for! (My relatives were still talking about the food the next day.)

Kids on the dance floor. Yes, that is my 5-year-old burning up the dance floor. Hubby reckons it looks like our boy is doing the windmill when I showed him this photo. In fact, our boy had so much fun on the dance floor that he remained there for the next couple of hours, burning up all that pent-up energy from having to sit still, breaking only to drink water:

The Red Scooter
25 William St
Balaclava VIC 3183
Australia
Tel. +61 3 9527 6846