On the grounds of Mona Vale Golf Club is a cool bar and bistro with a country club feel and views which sweep across the green and out to the ocean. It’s an impressive start to our experience at The Mona Social, an expansive venue opened by The Boathouse Group last year which sits above the golf club’s headquarters.
On Friday night the bar area is bustling, and is separated from the bistro dining section by acoustic curtains in earthy tones. We start with a refreshing Dom’s delight cocktail, a combination of Havana spiced rum, pineapple, mango and coconut – a perfect antidote to the heat outside; and a non-alcoholic Mediterranean spritzer, which sets the tone for the meal ahead.
The room has warm timber tones and is a contemporary take on classic furnishings. Everything is a surprise here – for entrée we order the meatballs in sugo and are instantly impressed by the tenderness of the meat and the delicious flavours of the rich tomato, percorino and the smoky-flavoured sourdough which is used to mop up every last drop of sauce. They are the best meatballs we’ve ever tasted!
George McLean, head of operations, sums up the dish when he says: “We just want it to be unnecessarily delicious and surprisingly good! Our head chef is Cameron Johnston. He’s an amazing chef, technically very gifted with what he does with food.”
And it shows. The kingfish crudo is a fresh delight on the palate, served simply with lemon, capers and extra-virgin olive oil. For mains we enjoy the skirt steak, served with salsa rossa and grilled shallots; and dip back into the Mediterranean flavours with the perfectly steamed mussels in white wine and tomato sugo, served with the delicious and generous wedge of grilled sourdough.
“We’re starting to lean into Italian Mediterranean flavours and comfort food, providing an elevated bistro offering,” George says, mentioning that the crab linguine is a particular favourite with diners.
Rounding out our Mona Social experience is dessert – lemon curd tart; and the vanilla sundae, ice cream topped with Cornflakes and a warm salted caramel sauce – yum!
The Mona Social has a great bar menu too, serving classics like cheeseburgers and fish and chips – plus there are $2 oysters available all day on Fridays.
There’s something for everyone, whether you’re catching up with friends over drinks and a game of pool, or enjoying a sit-down meal in the bistro, the views and food are hard to beat.
The Mona Social Mona Vale Golf Club 3 Golf Avenue, Mona Vale themonasocial.com.au | 8429 4558