Mondiall

Mondiall, wonderfully situated in the V&A Waterfont, has an extremely favourable reputation among foodies. The question my fellow bru’s and I were there to answer was whether it would have a favourable reputation with us. The answer was, most definitely, an emphatic yes!

We reserved a table well in advance as, with the restaurant running a number of specials currently (which vary depending on the day of the week), we wanted to be sure not to miss out. As it turned out, our reservation proved as essential as an oven in a sushi restaurant. We pretty much had a choice of any table to choose from on this very quiet night, patron-wise.

We sat at our allocated table which would have been far more suited to a couple on their anniversary night rather than us bru’s. Our table was in the front corner of the restaurant and looked out to a magnificent view of the harbour water, lit up only by the stars in the night sky. How romantic…but once we all realised that we only had each other for company the romance was well and truly dead! Our waiter, Quinton, soon introduced himself and took our initial drinks order. It almost seemed sacrilegious to order beer with the spotless wine glasses glinting at us, but that’s how we roll! The only craft beer option was the Noon Gun Lager, Pilsner, Weiss and IPA. Two of us went with the Lager and the other bru (the fourth bru wasn’t able to make it) ordered the Weiss. Yummy! They all hit their mark and we were well impressed. As Quinton didn’t seem too forthcoming in letting us know about the special, with a bit of prompting he let us know about the Burger-Beer-Bubbles Pairing.

The burgers on offer with this special includes a choice of pork, beef, chicken or a vegetarian option. Each of these options comes paired with either a 340ml serving of their Noon Gun beers on tap (a different variety with each choice of burger), or a glass of bubbly (also a different offering depending on the burger selected). As always with us, though, we needed to prime our bellies with a starter. The options were refined and were not all conducive to sharing the way we normally do. Ultimately, we settled on the Buffalo wings to nibble on before our mains, which were spectacular. The basting sauce which coated the wings was everything a barbeque sauce should be – sticky, tangy, and sweet with a slight kick at the back-end.

Although not the biggest wings individually, there were 7 of them served in our portion which, for one person, would be a very decently sized starter. For three ravenous bru’s, though, they merely served as a taste bud tickler. In hindsight, an additional order of their crumbed mushrooms definitely wouldn’t have gone amiss. The starter finished, we were now all ready to welcome their burgers with open arms (and eagerly awaiting tummies). Normally we like to order a variety of different burgers between us in order to give a varied review. In this case, however, we all felt that Mondiall’s signature burger, the Wagyu, was worthy of having our complete attention for this review. It is important to note that the Wagyu burgers on special are served differently to what is on their regular menu. These come served topped with caramelised onions, mustard seed, and star aniseed. Three of these, along with its chosen paired beer of the Noon Gun Pilsner, was ordered with Quinton for immediate consumption – post-haste!

They soon arrived and were presented wrapped in Mondiall-branded paper. It was my childhood Christmases revisited, as the wrapping was ripped off in no time to reveal a gift which sent my excitement levels into orbit. I took the top of my roll off and there it was, their famed Wagyu burger in all its splendour.

It was immediately evident to us that the difference between a Wagyu beef and a regular beef burger is not only in price. The flavour and texture profile is on a completely different level! Our burgers were perfectly cooked which allowed the crunch and slight bitterness of the patties’ exterior char to lead our taste buds into wrapping themselves around the juicy, tender middle of the patty. For a moment during eating we went completely quiet. Well, not entirely as we all managed a co-ordinated “WOW!” The crispy chips accompanying the burger were as good as we could have hoped for. After this incredible meal, we all agreed that while the incredible décor and setting of the restaurant is worth a visit in itself, the added bonus of a world class burger experience makes it a must-visit for anybody calling themselves burger lovers.

Ratings

Beginnings – Decent variety. The wings were well portioned and everything Buffalo wings should be!  4
Burgers – When a signature burger offering can consistently be nailed, that is the sign of a top class restaurant. The initial foray of the bite into the sweet flavour of the onions prior to hitting the char on the burger patty gives this combination a massive thumbs up! 5
Beers – One craft beer offered, however a great one at that. The paired choice of the Pilsner with the Wagyu burger was inspirational and went down an absolute treat.  4
Bringers – Quinton was very friendly but not the most forthcoming with providing us with menu information, whilst his descriptions of the dishes seemed a bit vague and confusing. Delivery-wise, his service was slick and we were well looked after. 3
Background – Not the busiest night, but with a setting such as this it really didn’t matter to us. Truly breath-taking! From the exquisite and tasteful interior décor to the incredible backdrop of the harbour – world class! 5

Ratings Key

• 1 Bad
• 2 Better than bad
• 3 Bleh (neither here nor there)
• 4 Bloody good
• 5 Brilliant