One odd thing about Australia, or at least this part, is the number of places that purport to be "clubs" but require no fee to join. Nor do they have any membership criteria, other than to make you show your ID and get a temporary membership for 30 days. If you happen to lose this membership paper, it's no problem - just show your ID again. It makes me wonder why they bother; and the word "club" also sort of loses its meaning.
These clubs tend to have restaurants and bars, but they also allow gambling and gaming, so I can only assume this whole charade is a way to get around gaming laws (?)
The RSL club is the largest of these establishments in Merimbula (the other main one being the Sapphire club). It's also the one we've found to have the better food. To be more specific: compared to all restaurants, the food is just average; but the service is fast, the servings are large and the prices are better.
The advantage of coming here in a group with varying tastes is the menu - It has a tremendous variety. They seem to offer almost anything you can think of; they even have decent selection of Chinese and Thai offerings. No ordering at the table though; all orders must be placed at the counter. All drink orders must be placed separately at the bar. Weird.
My meals so far:
-- Nasi goreng: large; nicely prepared meats with the rice mix; Spicing was a little too mild. Not the best I've had, but not bad either.
-- Lamb shank: a bit disappointing. The lamb was tender but flavor was very dull. The veggie ratatouille underneath also tasted bland, other than being dominated by tomato flavor. The dish featured a over-large pile of peas on top. (and I can only eat so many peas). Not a repeat order
-- Pad See Ew: Pretty good and a large serving. And the price ($14 Aus) was hard to beat
The RSL club isn't much too look at. The architecture is utilitarian and the inside looks like a large cafeteria. I may be back before my trip is over, but if not I won't be too upset. read more