A dozen value-packed meal deals to start the week right – MASHAHER

Mondays – I think we can all agree – don’t get shown a lot of love.

The Bangles, The Boomtown Rats and The Mamas & The Papas are among the
artists that have recorded songs lamenting the first day of the week. Garfield, the
world’s most favourite orange cat, has despised Mondays since way back. Former
Sydney Morning Herald food critic Matthew Evans, meanwhile, probably didn’t do the day any favours when he titled his memoir-slash-industry exposé Never Order Chicken on a Monday.

It is, of course, also the first day of the traditional working week. Unless you happen to work in the hospitality industry, that is. Which means that, to you and your peers, Monday is the final day of your two-day “weekend” and a day ripe for catching up with friends, going to the pub, recovery lunches and all the other activities that white-collar types like to do on a Sunday.

The presence of a customer base looking for places to spend their money on a
Monday plus the rise of the seven-day economy – or at least businesses rethinking the typical Tuesday-to-Saturday trading model – means more and more places choosing to open at the start of the week.

Even better, many of these establishments are also putting on Monday specials to attract customers and soften the shock of moving from weekend to working week: specials such as the $30 Pasta of P-Town meal deal at Beaufort Street wine bar Bar Rogue. Featuring a plate of pasta and a glass of wine, this offer isn’t just about feeding guests without breaking the bank. It’s also about giving diners a low-key history lesson.

“My idea for Monday nights was writing an ode to the legends of our city,” says Liam Atkinson, co-owner of Bar Rogue as well as Le Rebelle with wife Sarah. “If you don’t honour the people that have come before you, you’re not really thinking about what you’ve learnt.”

Or in more tangible terms, Atkinson has been resurrecting beloved pasta specials
gleaned from the city’s restaurant history. Things like the angel hair and crab number served at landmarks such as E Cucina, King Street Cafe and Must Wine Bar. Or the lamb pappardelle synonymous with the Brad Burton era at the Subi Hotel. But in addition to paying respect to the architects, opening on Monday is – for the Atkinsons – also about looking after their peers.

“Chefs and hospitality people don’t need an excuse to eat or drink, but Monday
nights tend to be a night off,” he says. “It’s a nice night to have your friends come in and dine in your restaurant.”

Here are some of the other venues around town helping make Mondays a little more delicious.

Rethinking leftovers
While writing for the New York Times, The Age restaurant critic Besha Rodell hailed the $50 No Waste Monday lunch at Perth Hills cellar door restaurant Millbrook as “one of the best fine-dining deals in the world.” While the buy-in is now $60 – to be fair, this was the first price hike since No Waste Mondays began in 2017 – the deal remains the same with each table getting a three-course lunch made up of leftovers from the weekend made using estate-grown vegetables and fruit. Don’t even thinking about driving to Jarrahdale without a booking.

Mondays at pioneering William Street natural wine bar and shop Wines of While is now also fridge clean-out night for whichever chef is in residence. But rather than having to commit to a set menu, guests order dishes à la carte. They’re also
welcome to check out the special Monday night wine list starring selected bottles
which have the drink-in corkage fee waived: a tempting prospect for fans of lo-fi
winemaking.

Steaks is not-so-high
Steak and chips: the ultimate counter meal? Certainly on a Monday night when
eaters get more beef for their buck at pubs across the metro area. One such
establishment is West Leederville bar and bottle shop Besk that serves Stirling
Ranges skirt steak with frites, tarragon and mustard sauce plus a walnut salad for
$30. The offer of free corkage on bottles of wines bought from the bottle shop further tip things in eaters’ favour.

Another option is Northbridge Irish pub Johnny Fox’s where the ticket price for grass-fed Harvey Beef rump with a sauce and your choice of chips and salad or mash and veg starts from $22. (Add-ons and other upgrades are available). The Victoria Park Hotel, meanwhile, serves $25 rump steak with red wine jus and mixed vegetables, and a $30 porterhouse with chips, red wine jus and a mustard coleslaw from 11am on Mondays.

Further reasons to go to the pub
Not that steak is the only dish people head to the pub for. Buy any burger at The
Quarter Acre Hotel in Applecross on a Monday and the staff will shout you a beer or wine and upgrade your order to a meal. The Galway Hooker, meanwhile, does a $22 Monday roast which includes gravy and sides.

During happy hour at The Generous Squire (5-6pm, Monday to Friday) share
plates are all half-price while beverages also get discounted. Staying in the city
centre, beer stronghold Brewdog serves two-for-one vegan and vegetarian meals
every Monday. (For those not feeling quite as virtuous at the start of the week,
Brewdog also offers a similar two-for-one deal on pizzas as well.)

Thank you, pasta
Although Freo’s recently hatted Lola’s takes plenty of inspiration from classic
Australian pizza joints, the appointment of head chef Liam Monaghan has added
terrific pasta to the family-friendly restaurant’s CV. Although pasta is available every day, on Mondays, it’s offered as part of a $30 pasta night special that includes a choice of two pastas alongside a glass of selected wines. (I also have my fingers crossed that when Leighton Beach’s Al Lupo awakens from winter hibernation, the soigné neighbourhood bar also brings back its terrific $30 Monday pasta special, both for its locals and visitors from further afield.)

Mussel power
Yes, steamed mussels might feel and taste of a certain era, but there’s a good
reason that this dish has endured for so long: they’re delicious. At the longstanding Kailis Brothers Leederville, $25 gets you a kilo of Kangaroo Island black mussels prepared Belgian-style – that is, the molluscs are cooking in beer, celery, leeks and thyme, while chips rather than bread are on-hand for sopping up the sauce – every Monday night. Staying on the Belgian and late-’90s theme for a moment longer, guests can also order $8 bottles of Stella Artois to sip with their moules-frites.