Taboon, Robina
I’ve never been to the Middle East, but as we sit in Taboon feasting on its fresh salads and smoky grilled meats, I gain a little glimpse of its culture. Since its opening ten years ago, Taboon at Robina has established a reputation for fresh, vibrant modern Middle Eastern cuisine. Consistency has been the key […]
Double Barrel Kitchen
Having kitted out some of the smartest restaurants in town (think Etsu and Mamasan), Jess Winters had plenty of ideas for what she wanted in her first cafe, so her partner Peter Tutton learned new skills to complete the vision, the pair harnessing some great talent to be part of their team. So, Double Barrel […]
Mockingbird Cafe
Every so often you meet someone whose enthusiasm is the driving force of an establishment. So strong, in fact, that it’s like a magnetic field, drawing you into its energy. At Mockingbird Café, Kingscliff, that force is Jo Jackson. We’d first met Jo at her very successful restaurant, Signature Dish in Varsity, where she not […]
The Island Boutique Hotel
There’s something special about heritage places, especially when they’ve been reborn. It’s as though those who’ve gone before have trod the floorboards, breathed the air and imbued into the building a sense of place. There’s all that and more at The Island. The original five-level tower, built in 1964 by Greg Graham and Bill Reichelt, […]
Lakeview Espresso
They say that location is everything, but for cafés, that doesn’t always mean being in the main street. Sometimes, being the only café in a neighbourhood can be a winning formula, especially when the venue provides great service to the community. When Dylan and Kira Rackley took over the Lakeview General Store just over four […]
Thai Mudgee
Sometimes dreams take us to unexpected places. At least, so it seems for Thai Mudgee’s owner Siranee Hocheuay, known to her guests as ‘Boo’. After moving to Sydney from Central Thailand, Boo fell in love with the Gold Coast when visiting friends. “It was just like my home town,” Boo tells us. “In King Street, […]
Hot Shott
Gold Coast café culture has done well from the downward shift in fine dining culture. Hot Shott is no exception. An example is owners and business partners, Chef Kellie Rolfe and Barista Jenna Finch, who took the opportunity to move from their jobs at Palazzo Versace to open their own business in Main Beach in […]
Return to Ipswich
There are lots of attractions that draw us to Ipswich. While many visit the city to enjoy rail or car racing events, our natural inclination is to visit the Top of the Town area to shop at specialty stores, stopping for coffee and a meal along the way. Fringed with green, it’s as though the […]
Dovetails at The Pumpyard Brewery
Ipswich, the ‘grande dame’ of Queensland, is being reborn, her stately buildings and houses undergoing rejuvenation as the city takes on new life. There are lots of attractions in Ipswich if you take time to look: road and rail events, heritage walks, funky cafés and a load of owner-operated niche interest, vintage and gift shops. […]
The Grounds of Alexandria, Sydney
The Grounds of Alexandria is a place we’ve been eager to visit since it opened in 2012, creator Ramzey Choker transforming the former industrial space in Alexandria, Sydney, into The Grounds with the aid of friend Jack Hanna, a coffee guru. Carrying reference to Babylon’s Hanging Gardens, The Grounds is the pair’s own vision of […]