This time it was Vietnamese with a French twist for our annual Francophone end of year celebration dinner. A sold out group of 26 members and guests gathered to enjoy each other's company, a delicious meal of a wide variety of dishes including vegan and vegetarian, and to cap it off, an informative and interesting talk on the French Connection delivered by our welcoming and helpful host Tran.
For this memorable experience, Members paid $40, non-members $80, the remainder subsidised by the AFTV ; guests purchased their own drinks at the bar.
A brief overview of the menu: entrées were served on platters with one each of the choices, mains were served separately to be shared so that everyone had the opportunity to sample 8 different mains and desserts came individually. Entrées included a barramundi rice paper roll, ginger and citrus cured ocean trout, beef fillet carpaccio and seared scallops with celeriac and coconut. Mains offered crispy duck, braised pork belly, grilled marinated beef fillet, seared lamb loin, roasted free range chicken, grilled whole fish, vegan coconut curry, twice cooked cauliflower, each served in their own delicious sauces, a unique blend and balance of flavours. All made from scratch by a very busy and professional staff. Vietnamese slaw and rice accompanied these mains.
Prior to dessert Thanh(Tran) gave a short talk on the French Connection mentioning the Chinese origin of the Vietnamese language, in script form and, with the arrival of the French, the romanisation of the language. He gave details of the heritage left by the French such as the language where once all children learned French at school and many elderly Vietnamese still able to converse in French. The heritage has also remained in architecture, the development of the railways and of course the ubiquitous baguette! Merci Tran and thanks to Marie Pépin for her words of appreciation.
The evening concluded with a choice of desserts- a sensational kaffir lime, lemongrass and coconut panna cotta with citrus or coffee infused crème caramel.
A very successful and happy event appreciated by all. My thanks to Kyla Vaz who sourced this relatively new restaurant and to those on the committee who supported this venture.
Gretchen Bennett, Convenor Cultural/PL committee
**Please help us source another Francophone restaurant for 2025. All suggestions welcome.
BOOKED OUT!
The AFTV Cultural / PL Event at the NGV for the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition 2025 is now booked out. We apologise to those of you who were hoping to attend the event. If you
would like to add your name on the waiting list we will let you know if a place becomes available.
Venue The National Gallery of Victoria
Date Sunday 15 June
We are pleased to invite your students from years 9 - 12 to attend this gem of a movie about the unexpected twists that shape our experiences. It is positive, funny and refreshing.
Venue Cinema Kino, 45 Collins Street
Melbourne
Date Wednesday 25 June
Time 10.15am
FRENCH Trivia is back AGAIN in 2025!
A night of learning and fun for your Years 9 & 10 French students
Date Friday 8 August 2025
Time 6.00pm - 8.00pm (approx
Venue Sacré Cœur – 172 Burke Road, Glen Iris 3146
Bookings close Friday 25 July
L'ATELIER ORAL (une matinée pour s'entrainer) offers your students the opportunity to practise for their oral exam.
Location Glen Eira College, 76 Booran Road Caulfield East
Date Sunday 31 August 2025
Time 8.30am - 12.30pm
Bookings close Friday 8 August (unless booked out before)
An opportunity for Year 12 French students from REGIONAL SCHOOLS to practise online for their oral exam.
Date Sunday 14 September 2025
Time 10.00am - 12.40pm
Location via ZOOM
Information Night & Expression of Interest
We
are very excited to invite AFTV members to visit France for an extended professional learning experience, to be fully immersed in French
language and culture for two weeks during the 2026 Easter school holidays.