Monte’s Lounge owners Kitty Kat and Matt Mulga to open Lola’s Pergola in Darwin

EMBRACING the fun and colour of life is what Territory couple Kitty Kat and Matt Mulga - along with their six children - have always thrived on.

Lola's

EMBRACING the fun and colour of life is what Territory couple Kitty Kat and Matt Mulga – along with their six children – have always thrived on.

So opening a carnival-themed restaurant named after their 20-month-old daughter Lola was always going to be a natural extension for this long-time Territory family.

Lola’s Pergola opens at Cullen Bay tonight, but has already attracted a stream of inquisitive locals with its carousels and show ride displays, mostly purchased from Melbourne carnival rides.

Matt Mulga at Monte's Lounge in Alice Springs. Picture: Justin Brierty

The family, who also run the popular Monte’s Lounge in Alice Springs, recently relocated to Darwin after seeing a gap in the market for a restaurant that catered for everyone from children to grandparents.

Embracing the theme of quirky fun – complete with life sized mannequins dressed in costumes – has set the tone for the restaurant, which takes up the former digs of Cullen Bay’s Buzz Cafe.

“Life’s meant to be fun and colourful – and it is for us,” said Ms Mulga. “We’ve had so many people walk past just asking ‘what is this ... is it a bar, is it a restaurant?

“But Lola’s Pergola is a place where you’d not only like to be, but where your mum and your kids will also like – plus we will have the best burgers in town.”