Meet the new local in Broadbeach Waters – Society of Florida
Every community wants a ‘local’; a coffee shop or restaurant where they can meet friends for a coffee or light meal without too much hassle. Now the Florida Gardens enclave, a sub-set of Broadbeach Waters, has gained just that!
Society of Florida is the latest venture from Burleigh Social’s Jarrod Barnett and Kane Gibson, bringing newcomer Ray Lich into the mix. Taking over a former café and grocery store, the crew have knocked out the middle wall of the two leaseholds to form an open, inviting space.
While Burleigh Social is a niche café, Society of Florida has a sophisticated restaurant layout with a broader range of both food and dining times. However, there are a few obvious similarities: great Allpress coffee, drinks balanced between wicked Caramel-oreo Society Shakes, cold-pressed juice ‘Cleanses’ and Ginger turmeric Buchi, and many of the same modern Aussie classic breakfast dishes available all day, (from Açai bowls and Smashed Avo to Eggs Bene), but here they’re plated up pretty!
Look beyond a superficial glance at the simple rustic fare and you’ll find that core ingredients are quality; produce is sourced locally with a modern twist to most dishes. The Society Benny is served on fresh brioche with poached eggs, hollandaise and kale. Baked eggs comes in a bed of mushroom-laced ragout, and the salmon on my breakfast is hot-smoked in Palm Beach, delivered fresh daily to the restaurant.
Lunch has gourmet burgers and salads on offer. A share menu of upmarket bar snacks including beef carpaccio, pork belly and jerk wings. The share menu is available from 2pm leading into dinner from 5pm. With a choice of four mains including rib eye with blue cheese butter (oh my!) and barra, plus gourmet pizzas, cheese and charcuterie boards including some vegetarian choices. There’s a choice of tap Balter Brewing or Stone & Wood, cocktails and some very smart Australasian wines to accompany your meal.
image by @starzee_
Hot smoked salmon and eggs
Potted Ham
Brekkie Burger
The owners haven’t said goodbye to the outdoors in this new venue either. Huge windows open up to a gorgeous alfresco area in front of the restaurant. Though this communal seating for thirty is edged by trees, it’s a great place to soak up the sun. The area even boasts its own art installation: a Tardis telephone box, matching the retro theme perfectly!
Society’s layout and furnishings are as slick and city smart as its gentrified surroundings: gorgeous reclaimed wood tables made by Jarrod and Wooden Collective (120-year-old timber from an old Mt Tamborine sawmill, Jarrod tells us), their warmth shown off against a concrete-fronted bar, chic white railway station tiles and a fairly neutral palette of cream, grey, black and white. The most prominent decorating feature, providing a nod to the other Florida, is a 60s sepia mural of Miami’s waving palms.
There are already plans on the drawing board to extend the dining space out onto a back courtyard, replete with its own 4-metre tall palm and communal dining tables on the back lawn, in time for summer.
“We’ve started simple, keeping it local and starting from there,” Jarrod says.
And that’s the core of it. What ties the guys’ two establishments together most of all is their recognition of community: ‘Social’ in Burleigh and ‘Society’ in Florida Gardens, a statement even in the names.
“When we did a little research about Florida Gardens, we realised what a tight-knit community it was,” Jarrod told us.
“They have their own Facebook page and they like to have their say. When the parents come out to dine and socialise with their friends, the kids come too. It’s quite ‘old school’, with neighbours keeping an eye out for each other.”
Beloved as Burleigh Social is, it’s as though Florida Gardens has been lying in wait for Society of Florida to arrive. Whether they pop in at 6am for coffee while walking the dog, take time out for a weekend lunch with their partner or Sunday afternoon session with neighbours leading into gourmet pizza with the family, it’s just around the corner to walk home. Little wonder that the people of Broadbeach Waters have already claimed Society of Florida as their own. Locals have been coming back to this casual suburban oasis, and the word is spreading from there.
Why should we be surprised? It’s indicative of the community feeling of suburbs and streets that makes the Gold Coast, as lineally spread out as it is, such a special place to live.
Society of Florida
Where: 1 Naranga Avenue, Broadbeach Waters, Queensland 4218
Contact: Ph: 07 55701645
Open: Mon – Wed 6am – 2pm; Thurs – Sat 6am – 10pm; Sun 7am – 10pm. (Thurs – Sun bar snack menu 2pm – 5pm & Dinner 5pm ‘til late.)
Cost: Breakfast $11 – $19; Lunch $14 – $17; Dinner $18 – $28.
Read more of Marj’s reviews on Good Food Gold Coast.
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