With a large, illuminated devil’s fork mounted on the wall behind the long bar, Vice, on Odgers Lane, Civic, is moody and mysterious, says dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON.

Vice restaurant has no windows, dark blue walls and low lighting. Hanging throughout the space are images of nuns, each engaging in (fun) vices such as eating decadent ice cream.

The restaurant has taken a bold move by building its fine-dining menu around two mains only – a cheeseburger and rib eye on the bone. If nothing else, this makes ordering a snap. 

We couldn’t resist the toasted bone marrow to start, with sweet-and-sour agrodolce sauce and thin slices of focaccia ($18). As with all dishes, the execution was superb. 

While Vice recommends 500 grams of Stone Axe Pastoral Company Wagyu rib eye per person, we decided on the minimum table order of 600 grams ($9 per 100 grams), so we had room to share some intriguing sides. 

It takes about 45 minutes for the kitchen to prepare the rib eye, reverse-searing it before char-grilling, and then resting. It’s served one way, and one way only, and that’s medium-rare. Stone Axe is multi (and I mean multi) award-winning and renowned for its perfectly marbled Wagyu that is high on taste and nothing short of amazing.

Want a sauce? Pay extra ($7) and choose brandy jus, peppercorn, Diane or mushroom. Keen on mustard? The $15 tasting tray includes a violet mustard and house-pickled horseradish.

We couldn’t bypass the decadent duck-fat roasted chats with rosemary and umami butter ($16). The pumpkin is roasted with Nduja and placed on stracciatella with crunchy, nutty pepita seeds sprinkled about ($16).

For a salad, we thoroughly enjoyed gem lettuce ($16) with candied walnuts, pecorino pepato and more of that tasty agrodolce. 

The cheeseburger was excellent with the dry-aged beef patty cooked to perfection. Pack-a-punch, anchovy-loaded Gentleman’s Relish elevated the burger to new heights ($26).

Vice offers one dessert and one cheese platter. The sinful vanilla bean flan is served at the table with flair ($16). Smoked sea salt was sprinkled on top of the thick slice before Irish whiskey spritzed all over the flan. It was luxury on a plate.

Champagnes top off at $3000 a bottle, reds at $1890, roses at $240 and whites at $156. Our Amila Park Cabernet Merlot, 2023-24, from Margaret River was $21 a glass or $114 a bottle. The Giant Steps Rose – a syrah/pinot blend from Yarra Valley – was $88 a bottle. 

Sadly, the service didn’t match the rest of our dining experience. It was super friendly, but we were regularly forgotten and had to flag staff down several times, including for the bill. We were baffled, given that Vice was far from busy on our visit.