The question everyone seems to be asking

I've noticed in the last week or 2 an increasing amount of searches for a review of Melbourne Fifteen, has bought people to the blog. Some have googled about the prices, other the menu but everyone wants to know - is it any good? The lack of substantial reviews in the mainstream media is puzzling. Apart from the plush opening, which has been reported, are they too waiting in a queue for the friendly call centre person to take their booking and can't get in til January? Have some snuck in a decided that they'd give the restaurant another go before writing their review? Or are they too busy working their way through the hundreds of other eateries in the CBD?

I'm finding the silence rather ominous. So has anyone eaten there yet and wants to spill the beans? Readers far beyond Melbourne and even Australia are very keen to find out.

Update: By now every blogger and her dog has linked to the Stephen Downes incident and others like Ed have been asking some interesting questions (keep checking him out because he's getting some very interesting answers too)

Over a week later I'm still getting numerous hits a day on the topic of 15. Oh, and I've been quoted on a forum discussing the show that launched the restaurant. So much hype around one little restaurant? Well no, you, me and everyone else is just being manipulated by the media, but when the show ends we are still left a little hungry.

Updating the update Finally some answers to the questions! Great review by Ukulele over at We Do Chew Our Food, while Ed has promised a bit of kiss-and-tell in his article about the Fifteen and the charity behind it, in The Bulletin tomorrow.

But what about the food?

So, Fifteen Melbourne has just been launched. Young Jamie has been entertaining locals by playing his drums on stage, filling a sizable theatre while his mate Toby has dug in for the hard work of stopping some scrubby youths from poisoning the Melbourne glitterati. The Victorian foodblog world is abuzz.

But I don’t get it.

All reviews I have read of the flagship London Fifteen is that the food is both average and overpriced. Now all of a sudden we have 1,000s of people waiting on hold, attempting to make a precious reservation through one of the “friendly booking agents” on the recently released 1300 number. They are happy to wait weeks or in some cases months, for a seat at an unproven restaurant. Not just that, food cooked up by work experience kids putting their sticky fingers into the mash. This is just so not Melbourne.

This is a city where a frothy latte is the death of a cafe. Where the Golden Arches failed to make a go of a restaurant on Lygon Street. Where even preschoolers can critique a babychino.

Here’s a tip. Save some time and money and check out the student catering from William Angliss. Ok, so you won’t bump into the face that launched a thousand cookbooks (and faux Essex accents), but you are still supporting young people trying to find their way in a tough industry.