While I have both visited and written about Mount Hagen Club over the last three years, I had until now not tried its food. Well it turns out that things are not all that bad there.
Although to be fair there really is not all that much competition when it comes to the nightlife of Mount Hagen.
What Mount Hagen Club?
Well it is could situated in Mount Hagen, but by club we do not mean of the duff duff vitamin E variety, but rather the private members variety. The members element of this here is pretty much to protect from the local riff raff.
In PNG this also means that if you are foreign and or have money you will be signed in. Now while this might not seem “nice” much like at the Yacht Club in Port Moresby this means safety.
As a club they also do other cool things like vote on crap and run events and do community shit. They also quite old, with the plaques on the wall having old years on them, as well as them having a portrait of either The Queen, or A Queen of the UK/Australia.
Is it a bit colonial? Yeah kinda, but that is also part of its charm. Some say it is over 100 years old, I cannot comment on this.
The Bar at Mount Hagen Club
Theres a decent sized restaurant, as well as the main bar area here. Said area is laid out like a proper Aussie style bar with centre place being the TV mostly for Rugby League games.
Out back there is a nice enough garden as well as a pool table that has seen better days and when I least played on it did not have enough balls. Drinks wise they also have all the Australian and PNG classics that you expect, such as SP……
There are also regularly people that recognize me as the paiawaraman, which frankly I like.
The Food at Mount Hagen Club
The restaurant and bar are almost one, with the restaurant itself having space for maybe 50 people. You can though eat in the bar if you so desire.
The menu is simple featuring steak, fried chicken, and all manor of other things you would expect from an Aussie pub, including daily specials like beef stroganoff.
So, is the food any good? I have to measure my response here. I came in last minute with 22 people and they had few staff. They had also only just taken over running the restaurant. Food therefore came through fairly slowly.
Quality wise it was OK, with my steak coming on a massive plate with real chips, as well as a huge salad, not that I eat much salad. It was though also well done and not rare, as well having mushrooms on it.
I can though forgive this seeing to the circumstances, as well as honour the fact TripAdvisor.com rate it the best in Mount Hagen. Yet while it is probably the best pub in Mount Hagen, the best restaurant it is not, with that honour going to Signature Restaurant.
But for a laid back attitude, cheap drinks and real pub grub there really is no competition, both literally and figuratively.
And indeed I will be back, next month in fact for the Young Pioneer Tours Goroka festival tour.