Lago reopens for Lonsdale

LONSDALE Links has finally reopened the centrepiece of its major course redevelopment, with its Lago restaurant welcoming back customers.

Point Lonsdale’s golf course clubhouse returned to full capacity last week, almost a year to the day after the club unveiled its architecturally designed home.

Lago opened for about a month from late April this year, before lockdowns from May limited the club’s capacity and forced the eatery to close its doors.

The Italian-themed restaurant hosted a famil event to celebrate its reopening ahead of Christmas and summer, and Lonsdale Links general manager Josh Hall said the club was thrilled to finally welcome back customers to its new clubhouse’s jewel.

“The restaurant is the centrepiece of the new clubhouse, which we opened December last year,” Mr Hall said.

“We opened the restaurant successfully around April, but then with COVID and lockdowns we’ve had to close it for a few months and then get it going again.

“With COVID it’s been a heavily disrupted year. We were able to retain our key staff including head chef Ivan (Roianov).

“We’re very much looking forward to opening this week and staying open for summer.”

The new restaurant aims to provide another modern dining experience for Point Lonsdale, while the club will still offer more casual options for golfers and families.

Chef Roianov is Ukrainian by birth and has extensive experience at kitchens throughout Europe and the Middle East, and plans to bring his acquired Mediterranean flare to Lonsdale locals and visitors.

“It’s not fine dining but it’s a nice two and three-course menu,” Mr Hall said.

“The restaurant and the outlook is just stunning, it’s a beautiful place to come and dine. The menu matches the setting as well – simple but elegant.

“There’ something in there for most people to enjoy.”

The new restaurant is part of a multi-million-dollar redesign of the Point Lonsdale facility, which included a course revamp and expansion and was funded by the subdivision of adjacent club-owned farmland into housing blocks.