Bentleigh RSL

Over the past few months you may have noticed some changes to the façade of Bentleigh’s long established RSL Club on Centre Road. The real changes however, are to be discovered inside the newly renovated building, and I’m not just talking about cosmetic items.

A friend and I were recently invited to have lunch there, to see how everything at the centre has changed. The first thing that strikes you is the modernised entry and dining area. Replacing the tired and the old are funky red chairs and a groovy lounge area with a tastefully kitsch brick dado wall. The simple yet delightful menu features some Bistro favourites and some items that push the more imaginative palate. Preparing ourselves for a big meal we started with an entrée. I had the Bruschetta, which was a large portion of crusty Italian bread topped with freshly chopped roma tomatoes and red onion, all drizzled with an easy going olive oil and heavy lashings of some very fine authentic parmesan cheese. My friend ended up having the more traditional soup of the day, which on this occasion was a hearty pumpkin soup.

Despite the extraordinarily large portions we were ready to have our main course...shortly after grabbing a couple of beers from the bar that is. When the mains arrived at our table I was amazed at the size of these dishes. I ordered the sausages. Thick non-greasy sausages, attractively cut into halves were nestled on top of a creamy mash potato bed with a side of relish topped with lightly fried onion rings. Once in front of me my lunch resembled a mouthwatering pyramid of indulgence. On the other side of the table was an equally ample serving of spinach and ricotta cannelloni. Occasionally this dish offends me with the blandness of its ingredients, but here it was a treat. The vibrant red sauce was something very similar to the one that my southern Italian mother-in-law produces on those special family occasions, whist the spinach with its bite and the ricotta with its subtlety made for an excellent, well-balanced meal.

Sadly we had allowed neither enough time nor enough room in our bellies to have desert so we settled for a coffee. Now a lot can be said about the coffee an establishment serves. Clubs are notorious for serving up mediocre cups of dirty water and calling it coffee. Well I am pleased to report that today’s culinary conclusion was no disappointment. A light, but very tasty "Crown Coffee" was served. Once completed my friend asked the waiter "Where is the gym in this recently renovated complex?" The waiter looked puzzled and said that there was no gym. "Well where can we go to work off all the food that we just ate?" I interjected, "Well you could start by going back to work."

The new look Bentleigh RSL is full of surprises and deserves repeat explorations. It is available for lunch and dinner seven days a week and offers discounts to senior citizens. Feel free to call the centre for any further information on 9557 4547.