On a balmy Melbourne evening, who could say no to sitting down, overlooking the banks of the Yarra river and the stunning Melbourne City skyline? And if there’s a sparkling bevvy or two involved, and the promise of a DJ spinning sexy tunes, then that has to seal the deal.

Sunset drinks are always so beautiful and relaxing, as the mid-summer sun lies low and spreads a sea of gold over the familiar Melbourne skyline.

Tonight my sparkling companion is a friend who is experimenting with art and craft techniques so I looked forward to tasting some ice cold bubbles and hearing about their artistic endeavours. But before I speak about the Champagne, I’ll tell you about the not-so-great experience that the Veuve Clicquot Airstream Pop Up Bar delivered.

We arrived at the space, a splash of golden yellow umbrellas, tables, chairs and barstools with the caravan on site showcasing a menu of light snacks and nibbles. Having not had dinner, I ordered what looked to be the best (and hopefully most satisfying) item on the menu....lobster rolls. 

I was advised that there were only two left, so I ordered them along with my glass of Veuve Clicquot and looked forward in anticipation to the food/sparkling wine combo joining in a delectable unison on my taste buds.

My companion ordered the truffle oil fries with aioli, which was a good starting point. I had hoped to hold out for my lobster rolls to enjoy them with the champagne. But time went by, and alas, my much-anticipated lobster rolls were a no-show. So I went back to the caravan to enquire as to their whereabouts. Both staff members looked at me as though they did not have any recollection of my order. One said they would go to follow up. She returned saying they were no longer available. Whaaaat? But I had already ordered and paid for them....

So I ordered something else, and when that plate was brought to me by a very friendly and polite waiter, I see two lobster rolls being served to a gentleman dining alone, facing out to the river, who had arrived there well after us! Not. Happy. At. All.

To add insult to injury, the plate of food I ordered when the lobster rolls were not available was slightly cheaper than the lobster rolls and I was not brought a refund for the difference, nor even offered it. I chose not to follow up as it was clear given the nonchalance of the staff member in charge, it probably wouldn’t have achieved anything. Very poor, (actually disrespectful is a better word) customer service is what I call that. And such a taint on the Veuve Clicquot brand.

How this happened, I do not know. And how it was allowed to happen, I do not know. And to top it all off, only a few minutes later, we ordered our second drink and were told that the kitchen and bar were closing up as the hosting venue (Fatto) was closing it’s kitchen. Surely if a customer has ordered and paid for something, and you have made a mistake with the order, you would follow up with the customer first, and apologise, and offer a suitable solution. Still can’t understand how this happened when it wasn’t even busy (note the photos with lots of empty chairs)!!

I’d also like to note that there was not a DJ in sight, nor were we served in the lovely yellow Veuve Clicquot branded glasses I'd seen in photos.....so all the promises of what I had read online and was looking forward to, were sadly, empty ones.

The only good thing was the beautiful taste of Veuve Clicquot, which never fails to impress. So easy to drink, so smooth, goes down so easily and is almost dry, but sits just below that, which I think is what makes it so pleasing to so many. Even being obliged to drink it out of a plastic champagne flute didn’t detract from it’s deliciousness!

#veuveclicquot #veuveclicquotairstreampopup #ilovechampagne #frenchchampagne #champagne #bubbly #sparklingobsession