Sydney bowls clubs reinventing themselves as foodie destinations
Some of Sydney’s bowls clubs are becoming immensely popular food destinations. If you think world-class dining and lawn bowls are poles apart then think again, as Grant Jones reports for the Daily Telegraph.
Some of our best-loved green-turfed clubs sit in prime positions and while many venues in the past have succumbed to developers, other club boards are now taking a proactive approach and reinventing themselves as food and beverage destinations — with a little barefoot bowls on the side.
“Bowling clubs seems to be in such awesome places, and I’m actually quite surprised that no one has thought about doing it before this,” says Lilly Fasan (formerly of The Grounds of Alexandria) who has just taken over North Sydney Bowling Club, which has been renamed The Greens.
Fun times at The Greens. Picture: Supplied.
Last week when Harbord Diggers announced that the development application for its grand $160m redevelopment plans had been approved. Part of the plan is to resume two existing greens for development but surround the remaining half green with restaurants to take in views of the northern beaches.
“The design is integrating the headland into the development rather than plonking it on top and the second thing that is really important is that the club hospitality and other club community offers are at the heart of this development and are offered the very best views,” says development manager Lee Tinder.
“It will be facing north so food and beverage captures the view, so it’s really doing what anyone else would do in food and beverage if you had such a great site. Many clubs are repositioning themselves on food. It’s essential to the clientele and essential to keeping your membership relevant.”
An artist impression of the Harbord Diggers redevelopment. Picture: Supplied.
Tinder says the approach the club will take in food and beverage offerings will differ from other clubs in that they will seek a mix of third-party and in-house options, across a range of styles, to encourage new members while maintaining existing ones.
“Our intention is to have a range of club-operated food and beverage together with a range of restaurateurs,” he says. “The whole idea is that you have to cater for the breadth in the community, and the community now has much higher aspirations, in part, for quality food and the range of quality food, plus you need to look after the core of your membership together with your new membership.”
While bowlo club revenue from membership and pokies has been in decline, food may be the saviour for many suburban bowling clubs.
“Clubs can’t just be focused on one sector, they have to be ranging their food and beverage offering much more broadly,” Tinder says.
Whole baby snapper for two from The Greens at North Sydney. Picture: John Fotiadis.
The Greens has been reinvented as a neighbourhood eatery, bar, cafe and courtyard with kitchen garden, plus bowling green, all with spectacular views of Sydney Harbour.
Lilly and husband Nathan Fasan have created an uncomplicated menu, alongside her own home-made chutneys, jams and pickled vegetables.
“I think we are trying to recreate a new presence in bowling clubs. Nobody seemed to be taking advantage of the locations,” she says.
“I think we are trying to get a bit of a younger crowd, trying to be a little bit creative but still be quite simple and attractive to most people.”
Since the launch late last month, they have been inundated for their lunch, dinner and snacks menu, which is split into small share plates, mains and larger share dishes
“I do firmly believe in not playing around with ingredients too much and have respect for fine ingredients and treat it well and people will appreciate it on the plate,” she says. “It’s a mix of something new in the north side and also the amazing location and also the skills that my husband and I bring from The Grounds, the reputation that we’ve got from there has carried on into making people quite interested in what we are doing.”
Heritage Tomatoes from The Greens at North Sydney. Picture: John Fotiadis.
While the $1.6 million renovations at Gymea Bowling Club are a tenth of the Harbord cost, the upgrade has been met with a big seal of approval, the club’s CEO Keith Langelaar says, even by those who were hesitant.
“People now walk past my office every day and say how great the renovation is,” he says.
Big improvements were made to the alfresco dining area, which has views to the city. On average 200 people now turn up for dinner each night at the club’s restaurant.
“We have a good serve as well and we don’t put in the B-grades or the C-grades, it’s all high quality here,” Langelaar says.
Membership has also doubled to 4000 since the renovations were completed.
“A lot more families are coming in. We are getting a lot of people from competitors in the area as we are providing value for money and the quality as well.
“We’ve only got a small amount of poker machines so we can’t compete with the bigger clubs, so we have to look at other avenues to get people in.”
Kaycee Conboy and her husband Eamon recently took up the challenge at Gladesville Sporties.
“It’s a hard thing to do – turn the club mentality around from one item that everyone is used to, to something completely different,” she says. “That’s what Sporties had to do. They went from some very average Chinese caterers to a caterer who offered fresh, quality food at a reasonable price.”
BEST BOWLOS FOR FOODIES
NORTH
HARBORD DIGGERS
Harbord Diggers — part of the Mounties group of clubs which also includes Manly Bowling Club in Raglan St — sits on 9170sqm of prime land between Freshwater and Curl Curl beaches, with sweeping views of the Tasman Sea. From June next year the not-for-profit club will embark on a multi-million dollar renovation which will add three world-class restaurants and two coffee shops. During construction, there will be a pop-up restaurant, with 270-degree ocean views, featuring fresh local seafood and retro surfing themes, plus a 1950s aluminium caravan as coffee shop. There will also be surf memorabilia from Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku, the first person to ride a surfboard in Australia.
80 Evans St, Freshwater, 9938 1444, harborddiggers.com.au
An artist impression of how Harbord Diggers will look after the redevelopment. Picture: Supplied.
THE GREENS BOWLS, NORTH SYDNEY
The Greens has transformed the clubhouse, both inside and out, to create a 130-seater indoor kitchen diner and bar space, plus a rustic courtyard on half of one of its three bowling greens. Taking full advantage of its Middle Harbour views, the club now serves lunch, dinner and snacks, with the menu split into smaller share plates, mains, sharing dishes, something sweet and bites with coffee. Menu highlights include oxtail croquettes with sweet pimento dipping sauce ($11), and whole baked baby snapper for two with a salad of zucchini, mint, coriander and sauce vierge ($42).
54 Ridge St, North Sydney, 9245 3099, thegreensnorthsydney.com.au
The Greens at North Sydney. Picture: Supplied.
WAVERTON BOWLING CLUB
Soak up the Harbour views and tuck into weekend breakfast specials starting from $10,
it includes tomato, eggs poached or fried, bacon, hash brown and mini sausage. For those of you that would like a little extra a bigger version is just $15. A children’s breakfast is also available.
There is also a chef’s $12 lunch special or pan-fried open chicken sandwich for only $15. After a touch of bowls in the twilight, enjoy a dinner of braised veal osso bucco ($22) or their smoked barbecued pork ribs served with salad and beer-battered fries ($20). A shared seafood platter of fish bites, tempura prawns, crispy squid and Thai fish cakes served with sweet chilli sauce and lemon is just $34.
Woolcott St, Waverton, 9955-2729, wnsc.com.au
Waverton Bowling Club. Picture: Yie Sandison
NEUTRAL BAY CLUB
The club bistro here offers pizza, seafood, fish and chips, tapas and traditional cafe and pub-style food at reasonable prices. Check out the Saturday evening sports and dining deals or Tuesday’s chicken schnitzel or bangers and mash night which includes chips and salad or mash and peas, with gravy on the side and a house drink for $15.
Neutral Bay, 3 Westleigh St, 9953 2066, neutralbayclub.com
Neutral Bay Club. Picture: Supplied.
SOUTH
GYMEA BOWLING CLUB
The club recently spent $1.6 million on upgrading facilities, which focused on improvements to the alfresco dining area which has views to the city. Since the renovations, membership has doubled to 4000 people. On average about 200 people turn up for dinner at the club’s Signature Ritz restaurant which offers views over Botany Bay and the city skyline. Feature dishes including quality grain-fed Angus steak (in both adult and children’s serves), a “bowls steak sandwich” and Vietnamese food.
691-699 Kingsway, Gymea, 9524 4688, gymeabowls.com.au
CLUB MOUNT LEWIS
Friday $10 steak specials are still the go here at Greenacre. For that you get a 300g T-bone with mash. The club also offers Chinese meals for just $5.50 on Saturdays, as well as $5 schnitty Sundays for both lunch and dinner. There is also a full birstro and woodfired pizza menu available.
14a Waterloo Rd, Greenacre, 9759 7126, clubmountlewis.com.au
WEST
MARRICKVILLE BOWLING CLUB
Being a bowling club in an area with a diverse demographic that has changed dramatically in recent years has been a challenge for Marrickville Bowling Club. But it has met the challenge recently introducing a new bistro and new menu to the club, specialising in grain-fed yearling steaks and seafood. As a result of improving the food, the club has decided to further refurbish the club.
91 Sydenham Road, Marrickville, 9557 1185, marrickvillebowlingclub.com.au
Marrickville Bowling Club. Picture: Supplied.
GLADESVILLE SPORTIES
Husband and wife team Kaycee and Eamon Conboy are helping to turn around this club with their Blues Bistro and cafe with a menu that starts with $10 lunches to deboned roast duck with potatoes and a snow pea sprout salad. The club has undergone a recent renovation of the bar and kitchen area. There is a kids area both in and outside, a barbecue area and deck by the greens.
181A Ryde Rd, Gladesville, 9817 3720, gladesvillesporties.com.au
Dishes on offer at Sporties in Gladesville include deboned duck. Picture: Supplied.
BALMAIN BOWLING CLUB
Finola Healy established her restaurant at the BBC in 2005 after the club sacrificed a green to finance rebuilding of the premises in 2004, one of the first clubs to do so. Healy is famous for her braised beef and Irish stout pie with a crispy pastry lid ($23). There is also a barbecue and cocktail menu option which are offered to groups and served on a tray while they are bowling.
156 Darling St, Balmain,
9810 5100, balmainbowls.com.au
CONCORD BOWLING CLUB
This hidden jewel of a club sits nestled in leafy parkland surrounds in the centre of Sydney’s garden suburb. Besides lawn bowls and bocce, there’s pool, darts, regular entertainment and some top-notch food and barbecue packs.
Clermont Ave, Concord, 9743 2309, concordbowlingclub.com.au
Concord Bowling Club. Picture: Justin Sanson.
EAST
PADDO BOWLS
Paddington Bowling Club was one of the first clubs to introduce the barefoot bowling trend and now adds food as part of the attraction. Many corporate barefoot bowlers choose their own personal butler who delivers drinks and food to the teams while they play. Other food options inside include everything from $8 kids meals of beef burgers, house-crumbed chicken tenderloins and meatball skewers with napoletana sauce to their club signature barbecue options for adults, ranging from $27 to $44 per head.
2 Quarry St, Paddington, 9363 1150, paddobowls.com.au
Paddington Bowling Club. Picture: John Appleyard
RANDWICK BOWLING CLUB
This club recently had an overhaul which introduced a restaurant for the first time since the club opened in 1895. The new food offerings at The Shiny Shovel Chinese restaurant have paid off with revenue increasing by 300 per cent. Since the renovations, there has also been a large increase in membership, as well as a shift in those the club attracts, with more young people visiting and staying for a meal after a fun barefoot bowls session with friends.
Cnr The Avenue and Cowper St, Randwick, 9399 3036, randwickbowlingclub.com.au
The recently revamped Randwick Bowling Club. Picture: Supplied.
BONDI BOWLING CLUB
The reinvented Bondi Bowling Club recently hosted an opening night for more than 400 fans keen to enjoy this top new summer spot. The 1930s clubhouse recently received a contemporary makeover, with some Caribbean touches such as cane furniture, cushions and palms. The board used locals Anthony Kaplan (The Corner House, Panama House), Troy Barrott (Hub Artist Services), Oscar Done (The Done Group) and project manager Andrew Jones — from The Block 2012 — to create a stylish new venue while maintaining its traditional bowling roots. The menu focuses on local produce with a modern take on classics, along with more than 20 craft beers, ciders and cocktail list.
1 Warners Ave, Bondi, 9130 2383, bondibowls.com.au
Bondi Bowling Club. Picture: Supplied.
