Whenever someone tells me that a restaurant has million-dollar views, I immediately get a different view – of a million dollars sitting in the restaurateur's bank account.
Offering diners something beautiful to look at while they're having a meal is more than a guaranteed money-spinner, however. A great view can give a unique experience of the time and place, in the same way wine can capture the spirit of its own soil and stage of ripeness in the bottle. The grey mist on the Venetian lagoon, the waves crashing on Bondi Beach or the kinetic energy of Hong Kong sketched in neon across the sky can create vivid memories.
I'll never forget lunching at Alain Ducasse's Restaurant Jules Verne, halfway up the Eiffel Tower – not so much for having all of Paris at my feet, but for being immersed close-up in the nuts-and-bolts glory of Gustave Eiffel's engineering genius.
But there are a few issues with views. If the beauty is too much to compete with, conversation dies and you end up staring out the window as if you were home watching the telly. Sometimes it's the quieter views that resonate more, like the Penfolds vines in front of you at Magill Estate in Adelaide, or the rolling hills and dales from Bistro Molines in the Hunter Valley.
Other views are just way too high up off the ground, inducing vertigo. Sure, it's a view, but one I can get from a window seat on a plane.
If it's beach or country out there, then there's no view at all after the sun goes down. And there you are, the two of you, with your backs to the restaurant, and a sheet of black glass in front of you. (My tip – the tables one row back from the window get a better view, and make you a part of the restaurant).
Mention views, and people will rave about Catalina at Rose Bay, Icebergs in Bondi, Bennelong at the Sydney Opera House, Stokehouse in St Kilda and Vue de Monde in Melbourne's Rialto.
Me, I like the people's legs I see from a basement restaurant like Coda in Melbourne, the rows of hanging ducks at Mr Wong in Sydney, and the fabulous people-watching to be had at Bar Di Stasio in St Kilda. I guess it just depends on your point of view.