When Cardamom Pod Broadbeach began serving à la carte breakfasts, the Gold Coast’s vegan/vegetarian dining scene took a massive turn skywards. With beautifully presented, nutritious meals made to order, Cardamom Pod converted a throng of fans, their fruit and flower laden ‘Pod’ breakfast bowl being named one of the best dishes on the Coast. In...

Dreams sometimes come true. At least that’s the case for husband and wife team Monica Tjong and Gabriele Pirotta. The pair had always dreamed that one day they might own a little café in the ‘burbs. Gabriele, a chef in Italy before he emigrated to Australia about seven years ago, waited for his residency before...

Saffron is without doubt the most elegant and luxurious Indian restaurant on the Gold Coast. Its position in Broadbeach is situated directly opposite Pacific Fair and the Broadbeach South light rail station within easy reach of Jupiter’s Casino, the Convention Centre and major hotels. Sridhar Penumechu opened Saffron in 2005 in a bid to take...

I didn’t know the rules. That the honest truth, pure and simple. Frankly, I was pretty oblivious to the new world of donut frenzy. Stores ordered to stop trading because the queue for donuts was causing traffic jams? Yes, this scenario exists even in the world of vegans, just as prevalent, in fact, as it...

Cha Cha in Broadbeach is our other dining room. There’s a saying in our house, ‘Let’s eat at Jack’s tonight.’ We’re talking about Jack and Maiko Suzue’s restaurant ‘Cha Cha’. It’s our home away from home, not in the ‘dress up, let’s celebrate’ sort of way, more like the place we can rely on to...

Gelato. I’m sitting looking into the tubs. This is one of those foods, I’m thinking, where the visual representation has very little to do with the taste. In front of me is an ordinary looking mass of light brown gelato; a bit non-descript, really. Unenticing. Except that I’ve just tasted it. Which changes everything. Gelato...

Coffee shops are the new community centres. They’re the places we meet, read the papers, catch up with friends and generally hang out. If you live in Burleigh or Palmie, you’ve got tons of choice. In those suburbs, the coffee shops are as busy as Central Station. Everyone has their favourite place. (Bad luck for...

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...

Food and love…even the mention of Mecca Bah brings me warm memories of a first date, journeys to far distant lands, exotic and elusive, but loaded with promise. Once more, I’m unable to resist its charm. Mecca Bah Gold Coast forms an essential piece of the multicultural mosaic of Oracle Boulevard, Broadbeach. In this sophisticated...

Peace. Joy. Love. These three words herald a time that for many is a tiring gauntlet of present buying and family commitments, the rite of passage marked by the consumption of copious amounts of food and drink. Somehow we emerge, breathlessly gasping into the New Year. We sit on the couch, exhausted and over-satiated, swearing...