As the Gold Coast emerges as a popular dining destination in Australia, more and more restaurateurs are recognising the Coastal strip as a destination to make their culinary dreams a reality.
During the past year, the city has welcomed an array of new culinary options to the city, each adding something new to the Gold Coast’s diverse and evolving dining scene.
Whether owned by seasoned restaurateurs or first timers, these new venues raise the bar and bring new colour and flavour to the city’s food choices.
More Gold Coast has recognised some of the hottest openings in 2016, and while many are in the middle of the coast, this has been balanced later in the year as The Kitchens opened in Robina and Palm Beach opens a flurry of new venues.
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Rick Shores
43 Goodwin Terrace, Burleigh Heads | Ph: 07 5630 6611
Part of a wave of modern Asian eateries, Rick Shores sits on the very edge of the ocean in one of the Gold Coast’s most illustrious spots at the iconic Burleigh Pavilions.
With floor to ceiling glass that stretches around the restaurant, few places in the world can compete with the restaurant’s view, or with Rick Shores’ fresh and bold take on Thai cuisine.
The culinary skills of the chefs are unparalleled, serving up food that boasts a range of flavours that tie Gold Coast foodies to its Asian neighbours.
Interesting combinations, all with an element of surprise, give the flavours of Asia new life.
The menu is matched with an interesting wine list and a collection of craft beers and cocktails.
Rick Shores is an iconic spot to spend time with a group of friends sharing extraordinary flavours.
Rick Shores, Gold Coast, Australia
BiN 89
89 Surf Parade, Broadbeach | Ph: 07 5538 0055
Like the wines of the world, every new restaurant opened by Daniel and Ruggie Ridgeway has its own number, decided by its address.
BiN 89, the couple’s latest restaurant at 89 Surf Parade, is the fourth in the ‘BiN’ series and is part of a growing trend of expansion, with respected owners opening multiple eateries across suburbs.
BiN 89 exudes understated class with the earthiness of stone and wood and the brilliance and flair of copper.
The venue itself is a classically-inspired restaurant for a modern dining age, an impression reinforced by the menu and faultless service.
Part of a series, the menu is streamlined across the venues with 10 common core dishes partially prepared offsite, as well as many more items that exhibit the chef’s creative flair. The ample bar holds a great selection of boutique wines, cocktails and beer.
BiN 89 is a worthy flagship for the BiN venues; a sophisticated international ‘casual fine’ restaurant that raises the bar in Broadbeach dining.
BiN 89 sake cured ocean trout with yuzu gel and watercress salad
Bin 89
BiN 89 prawn stuffed zucchini flowers with jalapeno dipping sauce
Hideaway Kitchen & Bar
2657 Gold Coast Highway, Broadbeach | Ph: 07 5679 0369
“I think it’s not all about the food now, it’s about the dining experience, the journey and the atmosphere,” says Hideaway’s co-owner Scott Imlach.
Though the restaurant is laden with cosy booths, it’s the dark backstreets of Asia that Imlach takes us to in his latest restaurant.
The huge 60-item menu encompasses as many Asian countries as there are nationalities in the kitchen. The restaurant displays a scattering of Asian favourites with enough scope and flavour to keep the punters coming back to share a plate or five, especially the bowl food.
A peek out back reveals an expansive astro-turfed deck full with vibrant coloured upside-down umbrellas and café lights promising excellent Sunday sessions.
With Asian-inspired cocktails, a choice of Asian and local beer, whisky or sake and a fair range of smart wine, there are plenty of reasons to spend a few hours with friends at Hideaway Kitchen and Bar.
A complete dining journey in one of the funkiest venues in town, Hideaway holds great appeal to the Coast’s dining public.
Cardamom Pod Brickworks
3/3 Brolga Ave, Southport | Ph: 0424 251 008
Cardamom Pod Brickworks is the haven of the super healthy, and good food never looked this good.
Cardamom Pod’s cuisine is based on a holistic philosophy which emphasises the whole spiritual and physical being.
“It’s the science of life,” Chef Prema says. “We are what we eat, so we should put the correct fuel into our bodies. It will improve our quality of life as well as that of animals and the planet.”
Meals arrive to the table in a rainbow of colours, painstakingly presented, gorgeously feminine and markedly Instagrammable.
“Besides our philosophy, our unique selling point is that we use herbs and spices not just to enhance the flavour of food but also as preventative medicine incorporated in everything here: meals, juices, mocktails and super smoothies,” says Prema.
The new restaurant’s décor is also as beautiful as its food, with a fresh, airy and plant-driven concept.
Cardomom Pod, Gold Coast, Australia
Cardamom Pod Matcha Latte
Sweet Waffles, Cardomom Pod, Gold Coast, Australia
Swannie’s Restaurant & Lounge Bar
34 Nerang Street, Southport | Ph: 07 5503 1180
Swannie’s Restaurant & Lounge Bar is the first in a wave of openings in Southport.
Nestled on Nerang Street in the Southport Mall, Swannie’s takes us back to grander times. Complete with a bar ladder, Chesterfield lounges, and zebra stripes on the floor, there’s something ‘olde worlde’ about the venue.
By day Swannie’s carries a smart menu from Chef Acme Godog (ex-Versace and Moo Moo) offering healthy breakfasts and quick lunches, while the bar swings into action with tapas and live music in the evenings.
Co-owner Felicity Lombard says the menu boasts a blend of classic café and restaurant cuisine, peppered with takeaway options for those wanting lunch on the go and delicious twists on favourite dishes.
Given its vintage heritage by its location in the renovated Swan House, Swannie’s is thoroughly modern offering a stunning wave-like ceiling and stylish décor.
Local & Co.
Shop 6, 20 – 22 Tedder Avenue, Main Beach | Ph: 0428 019 977
Tedder Avenue at Main Beach has been hanging out for a café such as Local & Co.
Experienced restaurateurs Marco De Vincentiis (co-owner of Cicchetti Gold Coast) and Sam Mustafa (previous partner of MLK Broadbeach) are as excited about its opening as are locals.
“I’m very excited to be back in Main Beach,” says Mustafa, who ran Blu Grotto during its heyday. “This is such a cool street, and I’ve wanted to come back here for a while. It’s awesome.”
Already Mustafa’s smile is drawing in Main Beach’s young diners who are reveling in Local’s vibrant fresh food from Fernanda Otelinger (previously from MLK) and Matthew Cashmere (ex-Head Chef of Raw Kitchen & Espresso, Sanctuary Cove).
The menu is a breath of fresh air for those wanting healthy choices. Patrons will find familiar favourites, but with a modern, fresh twist, while there are plenty of paleo, vegetarian, gluten and dairy free options.
Local & Co. brings an injection of healthy food and positive attitude to Tedder Avenue.
Local & Co, Gold Coast, Australia
The Loose Moose Tap & Grill House
75 Surf Parade, Broadbeach | Ph: 07 5613 2356
The Loose Moose Tap & Grill House is a heady mix of Romania’s steampunk Enigma Bar and a Canadian taphouse that belongs in both the Old and New World.
Opened by the clever team from Koi, the venue offers great food, top shelf drinks, efficient service and great live music. Action-packed, the venue has been a hit since the doors opened.
Heritage plays a part in a return to the golden age of cocktails and saloons, a time sporting great skills in mixology, with an extensive classic drinks menu covering whiskies of the world, numerous beers on tap, and a range of other spirits.
Matching the top-notch drinks, the ‘free-ranging’ street-savvy menu is carefully balanced between healthy and sweet, a nod to both camps of the dining public. In a case of ‘give them what they want but make it better for them’, ingredients include local, organic, house made, grass fed and hormone-free, with provenance included.
The Loose Moose, Brekkie Waffle
Loose Moose - Lamb ribs
The Loose Moose, Gold Coast, Australia
Gemellini
2247 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach | Ph: 07 5575 1418
Gemelli’s ‘Little Twin’ is a relaxed and intimate venue – it’s where the Carney brothers look back in tribute to their Italian heritage.
All eyes drawn to the kitchen rather than the bar; the huge pizza oven vying for focal point with an overhead charcuterie cabinet replete with legs of prosciutto that hang languidly from its roof.
It’s a visual reminder that food is the priority here. The menu comprises pizza, pimped up with the Italian regional favourites Australians love, cooked from Nonna’s recipes.
“They’re the reason we decided to open a restaurant here,” co-owner Paul Carney says. “My nonni (grandparents) live here and we always came to the Gold Coast for our holidays.”
In Gemellini we see the place heritage holds in their heart: arrosticini from their extended family home in Abruzzo, polenta topped with eight-hour-cooked beef cheek ragu, or a traditional creamy-topped pizza packed with flavour, perfectly matched with a smooth glass of Montepulciano from the King Valley.
Gemellini, Gold Coast, Australia
Garden Kitchen & Bar
Jupiters Hotel & Casino, Broadbeach Island, Broadbeach | Ph: 07 5592 8787
Outdoors come inside at Garden Kitchen & Bar; a fresh take on all day dining at Jupiter’s Hotel and Casino.
With bar and pergola areas bathed in natural light and a large back deck opening onto a vast expanse of lawn, there’s the sense of a giant garden party for the whole extended family.
Garden Kitchen & Bar takes a bite at defining the region, showcasing the Gold Coast lifestyle and produce in one sweeping statement.
“We are determined to create a place where locals and visitors can experience everything the Coast is famous for – to taste the iconic flavours of the Gold Coast, celebrate the city’s vibrant atmosphere and draw inspiration from the surrounding natural elements,” says Geoff Hogg, Star Entertainment Group’s Managing Director Queensland.
Clean and fresh in décor and presentation, the venue seats more than 350 guests. Staff are well versed in the food’s narrative, filling in a picture of locally sourced, seasonally driven ingredients, treated with respect.
Facing outwards to its international clientele, Garden Kitchen & Bar offers a mix of comfort food and on-trend dishes, showcasing some of our best local ingredients. ‘Welcome,’ it says, ‘to our own Gold Coast garden kitchen and bar.’
Garden Kitchen & Bar, Gold Coast, Australia
Balthazar
Crowne Plaza Hotel, 2807 Gold Coast Highway, Surfers Paradise | Ph: 07 5592 9900
Balthazar is an intimate, sophisticated dining area on the ground floor of the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
A wine-lover’s paradise, the space seats 18 diners at a single marble-topped table while 500 wine bottles line the glass walls of the restaurant and two chandeliers made from glasses hang overhead.
Both denote the venue’s purpose: an exclusive tasting-room-come-restaurant where diners can experience exceptional wine matched to one of 15 degustation menus prepared by Executive Chef Jean-Marc Heussner and his staff.
Crowne Plaza also recently opened a modern Chinese restaurant, Sifu.
Harry’s Steak Bistro and Bar
1744 Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads | Ph: 07 5535 2699
Entrepreneur Adam Haralampou says the Gold Coast is emerging as a leading dining and cultural hub in Australia – just one of the reasons he has decided to open up another restaurant in what he believes is the heart of the city.
The restaurateur behind Justin Lane has opened a new steak bistro in Burleigh – a venue that is set to revolutionise the way punters indulge in beef.
Harry’s Steak Bistro and Bar, which has adopted the mantra beef, booze and banter, occupies the old TAB site in Burleigh.
Located a stone’s throw away from Haralampou’s thriving Justin Lane establishment, the new bistro heroes the famous European dish Steak Frites (meaning steak and fries in French), while serving up a delectable bar menu and comprehensive wine and beer list.
Harry’s, named after Haralampou’s late grandfather, showcases four cuts of beef including grass-fed organic, dry-age on the bone and grain-fed wagyu.
All of the beef is served with bread, house churned butter, salad and unlimited frites.
On top of that, the bistro offers a bar menu which includes charcuterie, cheeses and beef tartare.
Harry's Steak Bistro and Bar
Harry's Steak Bistro and Bar
Harry's Steak Bistro and Bar
Jasmine Room
Sundale Level 1, 2 Como Crescent, Southport | Ph: 07 5628 0470
Southport’s star continues to rise with the opening of the Jasmine Room Chinese restaurant. Owned by the Cheng family, who also own Dragon Cove, Jasmin Room is situated on the first level of the Meriton Sundale building overlooking the Broadwater.
Upmarket but still relaxed, the venue’s three function rooms cater well for family or business groups.
“We took a more western perspective on service and the environment in this restaurant,” owner May Cheng tells us. “But the food is authentic Cantonese.”
The two teams of chefs in the kitchen mostly originate from Hong Kong, one team specialising in dim sim (with yum cha available daily), the other in à la carte. It’s top draw yum cha includes excellent xiao long bao, bursting with flavour.
Barbeque is a specialty including specially bred roast pigeon (more succulent than duck), crispy pork belly and Peking duck. Like many of the best Chinese restaurants, there’s also a strong focus on live seafood, including abalone, king crab and lobster.
Jasmine Room - pepper beef with mushrooms
Fire Cue
2243 Gold Coast Highway, Nobby Beach
One of the year’s most anticipated openings in hospitality circles was Fire Cue, from Adam Dundas-Taylor, founder of Barbacoa, Seminyak.
It’s a return home for Dundas-Taylor, who grew up on the coast, trained at Main Beach’s A Tavola, before spending a decade overseas working at Nobu, London and as one of the opening chefs of Jamie Oliver’s Restaurant 15.
He has catered for Kate Moss, Andrew Lloyd Webber, the Parker Bowles family, De Beers, Ruinart champagne, and worked on Elton John’s wedding.
Based loosely on the Spanish Latin American barbequed meat concept of the award-winning Barbacoa, (awarded Best Restaurant in Bali 2014), the menu focusses on meat cooked over wood charcoal – its lingering smokiness infusing depth of flavour.
Designed to be shared, Fire Cue’s menu items include lamb empanadas, handmade pulled pork tacos, sliders of house made milk buns, Portuguese chicken, flamed prawns and char-grilled octopus. This newly renovated eatery and bar is sure to get us all fired up about barbequed meat and seafood.
Pacific Fair
Pacific Fair is well on the way to creating an ‘eat or shop’ dilemma.
As part of a $670 million redevelopment, high end fashion shops with huge investment fit outs have been opening along the boulevard attracting international shoppers and lots of onlookers.
The centre is also well on the way to establishing itself as a dining destination as the unfolding of its eating areas continues.
Following the opening of The Patio, this year has seen the unfolding of a more upmarket dining precinct on the northern edge of the centre fronting Hooker Boulevard. It’s a tasteful area marked by a massive bottle tree and a sparkling water feature.
Restaurants are opening one by one in this area, Aquitaine being one of the first, flagging the area’s predominantly fine dining. Featuring the gorgeous food of Rhys Roberts (formerly Chill on Tedder), Aquitaine provides a playful alfresco dining experience.
Flanking either side of the northern entrance of the centre are the auspicious looking Chinese restaurant Yum Cha Cuisine, and Japanese Torii, where you can order gyoza with foie gras and beef, or truffled sushi served with the Suntori Premium beer. Daniel and Ruggie Ridgeway’s Italian restaurant Rivea is the latest to open in this area.
The Kitchens Robina Town Centre
50 Robina Town Centre Drive, Robina
Fresh, local and fabulous, The Kitchens is Robina Town Centre’s new $160 million foodie playground.
A new multisensory culinary concept, the first of its kind in Australia, it’s a venue where artisans, chefs, providores, purveyors and food lovers can celebrate the seasonality of fresh, local produce in a mix of fresh food retailers, cafés, bars and restaurants, a cooking school and performance space.
Jimmy Grants, owned by Masterchef judge/celebrity chef George Calombaris is among the 55 new venues.
“From South American and Greek street food to New York-style bagels, Italian wood-fired pizzas, pastas, gelato and wines, traditional Asian dishes, Australian ales and local seafood, the finest flavours of the world will come together to create an unrivalled dining experience for every occasion,” says Daniel West, The Kitchens’ curator.
The Kitchens - Fish Lab by William Wu
The Kitchens - Honey Eater Kitchen
The Kitchens - Lucky Luciano
Palm Beach
While the dining precincts of Pacific Fair and Robina Town Centre have been attracting lots of attention, changes in the Palm Beach dining scene are no less exciting.
The once sleepy suburb has doubled its culinary talent within a few months, much of it from existing restaurateurs, providing a new suburban destination for discriminating diners.
Five venues in Palm Beach caught our attention:
Avvia Cafe & Restaurant owners Eddie and Cherie Uzan opened the rustic Balboa Italian, an impressive purpose-built 120 seat restaurant fronting the Gold Coast Highway. With a menu featuring handmade pasta and woodfired pizza, Balboa is a very classy addition to the Palmie dining scene.
Wildernis owners, newcomers Andy Canfield and Josh Bailey, have wisely surrounded themselves with seasoned staff including Chef Enrico Stella, and Nathan Corias at the bar. Mostly a breakfast and lunch venue serving fresh, well-made fare, from Thursday to Sunday the venue stretches out into lazy decadent days, with a tapas menu kicking in from the afternoon until late. It’s just the place to share plates of food and a few drinks.
8th Avenue Terrace is brought to us by the talented crew of Espresso Moto. Opening an open-air terrace on the second storey of a converted office building and a more formal dining function room on the floor above, 8th Avenue Terrace brings a fresh casual approach to Palm Beach dining.
Bstow from Feather and Docks duo Vaughn and Rihannon brings more than a touch of adventurous wildness to the culinary scene. Following the Kiwi mantra of fermenting, foraging, and farming, these guys push food philosophy further than most, sourcing only from artisan suppliers.
Last to open, The Collective at Palm Beach promises to be the perfect solution for dining groups with differing needs. The brainchild of Jeremy Davidson (ex-Brooklyn Depot, Pigs & Pints), Chloe and Wayne Hubbard, this venue is set to open in mid-December.
Gathering together a clutch of seasoned chefs, The Collective offers five pages of menu from five kitchens all under one roof:
Luckies Diner from Erin and Lucas Schranz will feature Easy Street Diner’s favourites;
The Italian Job from Jorge Mauleon of Bread and Butter will bring us woodfired pizza and tapas;
Umami from Vincent Seng (ex-Mamasan) will offer fresh Asian fusion;
Calavera Cantina promises an authentic fresh taste of Mexico with ceviche, raw and vegan dishes, slow dry-roasted meats and fresh seafood to share; and
The Kitchen @ The Collective will provide modern Australian share plates.
In total, these restaurants provide an exciting leap forward for Palm Beach dining. With something to please all palates, there’s now a southern pull in the dining compass. ‘Better together’, as The Collective’s slogan states.
Read more of Marj’s reviews on Good Food Gold Coast.
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