Aussies have likened an exclusive, invitation-only Qantas lounge to a 'bad RSL' after a photo of its food and drink menu went viral this week.

Celebrated chef Neil Perry's menu, served in the Qantas Chairman's Lounge in Sydney Airport, showed a range of offerings including a club sandwich, salt and pepper squid, a pepperoni pizza and soup of the day. 

'Neil Perry AM is one of Australia's leading and most influential chefs, committed to using quality produce and the best of local ingredients, both in the air and on the ground,' a statement at the top of the menu read.

'Conceived in 1997, Neil's partnership with Qantas is the longest of its kind in aviation history; we invite you to enjoy Neil's dishes from the menus along your journey.'

A selection of basic wines, beers and cider were also on offer to guests. 

It wasn't long before the Qantas offerings were compared to those served in a pub or RSL club, rather than a lounge for Australia's political and corporate elite.

'Suddenly I don't care about ever getting invited there. Dirty, folded edges and a menu that makes your local RSL look sophisticated. What is Qantas on? They are running it in to the ground faster than US private equity,' one person wrote online. 

'It's like a bad RSL with an X-ray security check on entry,' a second wrote. 

'"Conceived in 1997, Neil's partnership with Qantas is the longest in aviation history"- I think Neil might still be living in 1997 if he thinks this is a classy menu,' another said. 

'They are uninspired for what's supposed to be high society!' a fourth agreed.

However others came to the airline's defence and said people in the lounge were there to be seen and to mingle, rather than wolf down a meal prior to boarding.

'It's definitely better than the other domestic options [in my opinion]. A lot less crowded and showers available in Sydney at least,' one person said.

'I've always assumed it exist so VIPs didn't have to mix (be seen mixing) with the rest of us. [The] offerings do seem pretty pedestrian but people are hardly going for a 10-course degustation,' a second agreed. 

Another commented: 'I've been in a couple of Chairman's Lounges as a guest. The food wasn't particularly special - the booze was a couple of grades up.

'The furniture was nicer and they were super quiet. The service level was something else though if you'd never had any experience of that.'

When asked by the Daily Mail how often the Qantas Chairman's Lounge updates its menu, a Qantas spokesperson said: 'We don't comment on Chairman's Lounge'. 

The existence of the exclusive hideaway for the country’s movers and shakers burst into the public eye in 2007. 

Back then, the fact that Qantas spent hundreds of thousands of dollars wining and dining the nation's political elite in ultra-exclusive VIP lounges was relatively unknown. 

The lounge's exclusive membership of around 6,000 is said to include prominent figures like Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, other federal politicians, corporate executives, media personalities, celebrities and sporting stars.