Bondi Icebergs Restaurant and Bar may be known as much for its incredible views across the beach as it is for good times in the bar, and while the cocktails are killer, so is the bar food. Head chef Monty Koludrovic’s menu is a creative collaboration with restaurateur (and Bondi fixture) Maurice Terzini and features Italian-accented fare, freshened up and loosened at the collar to suit its prime position overlooking one of Australia’s most iconic coastal landmarks.

Squid Pro Quo is a strikingly dramatic pasta dish, one of Monty’s first creations as head chef here, and it has recently made a comeback onto the menu, just in time for spring. Butter-soft squid rings are tossed through a garlic and chilli-spiked linguini made of its own ink (hence the ‘pro quo’) and it’s finished off with a drizzle of dehydrated nettle and sorrel oil which adds a bright and savoury note to the dish. It’s comfort food, only fresher.

Where: Bondi Icebergs Restaurant & Bar (on the bar menu)
1 Notts Avenue, Bondi Beach
(02) 9365 9000
idrb.com

How much: $22

Other picks: The salt and vinegar chips are an Australian classic, but keep an eye out for specials like uni and foie gras bruschetta which show off Monty’s love of luxe, seasonal produce.