The Surf Deck's burger is hard to beat on a summer afternoon

Have you seen the movie The Menu yet? It's very good. Part thriller, part eat-the-rich satire of super-luxe dining and all the silliness it can entail.

In one scene, Anya Taylor-Joy's character, Margot, fed up with a restaurant's foams and gimmicks, expresses that she'd just like to eat one simple, perfect cheeseburger. "Damn it, now I want a burger, too," I said to my wife as the credits rolled. She agreed and we took off to Collaroy.

The perfect burger doesn't exist, but The Surf Deck might be the perfect place to scoff one. You can wear thongs and ratty boardshorts and no one cares, and there are ice-cold margaritas ($21) to help soothe a day's sunburn. It looks like a 1950s tiki shack – all rattan, dried palm leaves and the odd stuffed puffer fish – while the ocean is less than a frisbee-throw away. Wait 30 minutes after eating. Swim. Repeat.

Merivale opened the classroom-sized joint in September. Food comes from the same kitchen as The Collaroy pub, which Justin Hemmes' hospitality group took over in 2017 and gussied up with lots of blond wood and beachy murals; on a Saturday night, it's packed with shouty blokes on their sixth schooner.

The Surf Deck next door is considerably quieter and a go-to for locals who like to catch up over a plate of tacos (two for $19). There's a grilled pork-belly taco, and a crisp-fried squash-flower version, but we gravitate to the battered whiting number. It's a hefty bit of fish and the sea-salty freshness shines through a tomato and coriander-heavy salsa.

Meanwhile, a yellowfin tuna tostada ($26) is a two-serviette job so you don't end up with neon-red salsa macha oil running down your arms. A clever little snack, with thick slices of cool, raw tuna and avocado to temper the salsa's heat.

The tostada and tacos are Surf Deck exclusives, but many items – such as fish and chips ($31), half a chook with salsa verde ($38) and calamari fritti ($28) – are listed on The Collaroy's larger pub menu, too.

Swordfish carpaccio ($26) is a highlight, simply dressed with lemon and olive oil and humming with a scattering of pink peppercorns.

Chubby tubes of calamari, however, land lukewarm and lifeless, as if they'd been sitting in a bain-marie for an hour rather than plated straight from the fryer. An accompanying chipotle mayonnaise needs more kick; far better to go with a liberal squeeze of lime and the Tapatio-brand hot sauce on every table.

Better yet, think about sharing the carpaccio and a tostada and hooking into the Diner Burger ($26). It's a spectacular, straight-up example of the craft.

There's American cheese because that processed, taxi cab-yellow stuff melts in a gooey way artisan cheddar never will. There's juicy meat licked with the flavour of the grill and lettuce, bright tomato and sweet bread-and-butter-pickles. The sauce is tangy and the onion raw (controversially, I prefer its untamed taste and crunch to the caramelised stuff). There's also bacon, which I've always considered overkill given that burgers are already fistfuls of fat. It's a hat on hat; butter on a croissant.

Regardless, if I lived closer to Collaroy I would be here for that burger once a week, bacon and all, and a cherry-topped Long Island Iced Tea ($21) on the side. This, after all, is a drink that says, "I have no other plans today."

The cocktails are better than expected for a pub offshoot, even if most are pre-batched, enabling staff to just pour, chill and garnish. A frozen banana daiquiri ($24.50) is made to order though and wants you to have a good time: icy, milky and delicious, it tastes a lot like a Paddle Pop. Full marks for the banana fashioned into a dolphin on the rim.

Ordering is done through your phone using a QR code-activated app, which means many of the young floor staff are mainly there to bring plates to the table, reset cutlery and smile. It might take more skill to work at Warriewood McDonald's. Is this a bad thing? No. I would hate for mobile ordering to become the norm at every restaurant, but it totally works in the pub space to get the right food to the right table at a pace.

Are there better burgers in Sydney? Yes. Mary's and Pub Life Kitchen come to mind. However, "best burger" is highly dependent on the right place and time. In that respect, The Surf Deck is hard to beat on a summer afternoon. Plus the only foam here is ocean froth on the tideline. Margot, I think, would be suitably satisfied.

Vibe: Beachside cocktail shack for lazy afternoons and group catch-ups

Go-to dish: Diner Burger

Drinks: A small list of inoffensive wine at pub prices, tiki-style drinks and cold beer

Cost: About $100 for two, excluding drinks

This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine