Mondo Cafe Bar & Grill Review

The food is good, but look over here

Ask anyone who works in Cairns city where the best place to have lunch is, and they are likely to tell you that Mondo at the Cairns Hilton is the ultimate. Apparently Mondo Café has the best location in the far north, the most relaxed atmosphere, highly original and delicious food, and friendly service. Not having been there before, your reviewer was intent on looking beyond the obvious to find another feature of Mondo worth a mention. What could I add to the glorifying praise Mondo Café has received by other reviewers like Terence Trencherman from The Cairns Post?

Your reviewer is pleased to inform the reader that he has found the golden morsel of originality in the most unlikely place. The toilet.

This is one of the best restaurant bathrooms I have ever been privileged to use. I even considered bringing my meal into the bathroom with me and hanging out in a cubical for the rest of lunch. The standout feature of this bathroom was not the expensive plumbing or the shiny taps - it was the bottle of sunscreen mounted on the wall for patrons to use. The gifted thinker that decided to offer diners sunscreen at an outdoor restaurant gains the reviewer's full admiration and respect. Mondo is obviously a restaurant that has its patrons in mind.

So what about the food? Well, I had trouble getting my mind off the toilet to give much thought to the food. But knowing I was there to critique the rations I had to force myself to think about the other end of my body. There is no doubt, and it is almost needless for me to say that Mondo has one of the best settings of any restaurant in Far North Queensland. Nowhere else in Cairns can diners soak up the tropical atmosphere in such a relaxed location.

Oh wait, the food. As an entrée I couldn't resist trying the Mondo's Barbecue. As my friendly waiter placed it in front of me I pondered whether the restaurant was too lazy to remove the animal carcass from the hanging stakes in the abattoir whence it came. The barbecued prawns, chicken and pork dangled from a medieval looking iron contraption that distracted me from the arthritic old man rowing his boat against the running tide in front of the restaurant. Beneath the meat were bowls of yoghurt, dips and pickles with tortilla wraps. It turns out the meat must have been removed from the abattoir because it was seasoned beautifully and melted in my mouth. It was the kind of meat-eating experience you can only find in a great restaurant.

Your reviewer had the Cajun calamari as a main, accompanied by pickles and tortillas. An odd combination I thought - calamari and pickles - but refreshingly different and surprisingly appetising. I wrapped the calamari and pickles in the tortillas to create a juicy squid log, and believe it or not, it was great. The calamari, a test for any chef, was cooked delicately and could have used just a few more seconds on the hotplate to firm. But down my trap it went without any hesitation at all. I highly recommend it.

Mondo Café lives up to the praise that has been used to describe it over the past few years. It is fast becoming a Cairns dining institution, similar to the late Tawny's Restaurant, but hopefully for all of us Mondo can survive into the future. Mondo Café is able to combine the ingredients of setting, food and service to create a high-class dining experience that is everything you could ask for, and within a reasonable budget too. But you already know that.

The toilets are the clincher for me. Check them out.

- Diner Diller

Mondo Cafe Bar & Grill	Cairns Esplanade
Mondo Cafe has one of, if not the best, locations in Cairns city. Overlooking the harbour, the food served at this restaurant matches the superb views. Ideal for business lunches.
cuisines: Asian, Australian, Contemporary, Continental, Mediterranean, Seafood features: A la carte, Al fresco, Bankcard, Cafe, Diners Club, Disabled Access, EFTPOS, JCB, Licensed, Mastercard, Smoking, Visa open: Daily from 18:00 to 22:00 review: The food is good, but look over here (21/3/2003) contact: (07) 40526780 | Hilton Hotel
Mini Reviews
Dwi Ulfa Nuryana	11th May 2006
i love ..love .....mondo at the hilton. The food was great and tasty and the most of all...varieties.....I always enjoy dine in there, the view made even better. The food was quick. the location is perfect I can't ask better place to have lunch or dinner or just enjoy a cup of coffee under the palm tree and see breese......it just magnificent. The best of all the price is great.
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