Some deaths are slow and painful; others bring a new beginning. For Vince and Michael Russo, our longest running licensed nightclub bar and restaurant owners, closing The Avenue in Surfers Paradise came as a huge shock, soon replaced by the excitement and challenge of re-establishing the venue across the road in new premises with a...

It’s winter, which means it’s the month for truffles, and we’re heading to Cucina Vivo in The Star Gold Coast to enjoy a ‘truffle feast’. It’s been a slow love affair for me. To be perfectly honest, you’d never pick a truffle for a first date! A large, darkish blob covered in wart-like nodules hiding...

Alfresco Italian Restaurant presents Surfers Paradise with a glimpse of Naples through its frescos of the Amalfi Coast, its authentic Southern Italian cuisine and its bustling friendly service. It’s the casual dining restaurant celebrities keep coming back to, a place where locals like us are made to feel like family. Little could Raffaele Velardo have...

UPDATE May 2015: The crowds have settled a little, but The Marketta Street Food Market is still a happening event. There’s been the welcome addition of a souvlaki stall and there’s a real family feel happening in this now twice-weekly event (Friday and Saturday nights). Our favourite dining time is still early enough to avoid...

Located on The Village Green at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Sanctuary Markets focuses on local and international food. Every Friday night the Village Green is filled with street food from Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Brazil, South Africa, Chile, India, Italy, Turkey and Greece. Fresh fruit and vegies are for sale in the spacious car park. Arts...

UPDATE, March 2016: Spaghetti & Jazz is now open for Breakfast and lunch Tuesday – Sunday. Lunch special includes two courses and a glass of wine for $29.00 Spaghetti & Jazz: the name may be quirky, but the restaurant is not. Situated on the ground level of a set of suburban shops in Robina, Spaghetti...

UPDATE January 2015: 26,000 pizzas and counting! The Star Gold Coast’s own Italian restaurant Cucina Vivo has ticked off two milestones this month with the famed wood fired pizza oven churning out its 25,000th pizza coinciding with the venue’s first birthday. While the Prosciutto e Arugula is the most popular pizza, the Nutella pizza has...

Looking for a ‘go to’ casual BYO/Licensed restaurant with reliably good food and service? For many who live on the north side of the Gold Coast, Lambar is a favourite. Cosy and warmly welcoming, there are intimate touches which draw us in: the beckoning glow of a fairy light heart in the window, a cosy...

Excitement! There’s no other way to describe my reaction to the news of Gemelli’s opening. Hand-kneaded, thrown dough, wood-fired, handmade pasta… the words bring little ripples of anticipation. I’m a traditionalist when it comes to food. Yes, I enjoy experimentation, but let’s not kid ourselves that incongruent ingredients improve a regional dish! And let’s not...

What’s life on the Goldie without a cocktail by the pool? Longboards Laidback Eatery & Bar has one of the most spectacular views on the Gold Coast across an infinity edged-pool to the towering spectacle of Q1 beyond. Locals may have driven past the imposing iron-clad building on Garfield Terrace and assumed that it was...