Clifford’s Grill & Lounge, voco Gold Coast
“This town is steeped in a rich tapestry of colourful history.” The Gold Coast is not only built on a colourful past, it must grow to a brilliant future. A former holiday ground for the Kombumerri people, since the 1860s the Gold Coast has been a place of big personalities. They were people who boldly […]
Mario’s Italian Restaurant
If there was a family tree of restaurants on the Gold Coast, Mario’s would be the patriarch. Since it was established in 1989, Mario’s has been a favourite of many families, whether they are locals or tourists on annual holidays. Mario’s longevity, when so many other restaurants have come and gone, is testament to its […]
The Wine Barrel
Coast dwellers now have a new reason to cross the highway, as The Wine Barrel opens its doors for breakfast. Besides our love of ‘the village’, The Wine Barrel holds a special place in our hearts. Nothing about it has been ordinary from the start, nor is it now. Their new breakfast menu is a […]
Rick Shores
Rick Shores brings a warm tropical breeze to Gold Coast dining. Opened by the owners of LONgTIME, Brisbane, Rick Shores occupies one of the most revered spots on the coast, the ground floor level of the iconic Burleigh Pavilions, seaside dining at its best. Today, the sea is calm. We enter the restaurant down the […]
Yamagen’s Friday Lunch by Asahi
Yamagen’s ‘Friday Lunch by Asahi’ is an introduction to delight; a finely nuanced mini-degustation of the best of the best. I’m a huge fan of the long lunch. There’s no better start to the weekend than the Friday afternoon ‘flex’. As you leave work early to slip away for a sneaky lunch, there’s a hint […]
Black Sheep Bistro
If there’s an unsung hero of the northern dining scene, it’s the Black Sheep Bistro. Located not far from the Oxenford turnoff, the Black Sheep is a local favourite, especially for its weekend breakfasts and lunches. To Australians, ‘black sheep’ carries the connotation of a stray, or disreputable family member. However, my New Zealand childhood […]
Red Hot Cod
Simon Scott lives and breathes the ocean. Born and raised on the Gold Coast, Simon’s a keen surfer and fisherman. When he’s not out on the ocean, he’s in the kitchen cooking the catch. So, it’s understandable that when Simon and his wife Buffie opened a seafood shop in Burleigh it would be within sight […]
Lucky Bao
They say that the mark of great food is whether you remember when, where and who you were with when you ate it… Even the smell and sensation of texture can linger on… That’s not all I remember. Memories of my bao epiphany featured groans punctuated by exclamation: “Bloody hell! That’s the best damn bun […]
Harajuku Gyoza Beer Stadium
Get on your ‘little Japanese dumplings of happy’ and get down to Harajuku Gyoza in the Broadbeach Mall. If the combination of beer and gyoza is not enough to put you into a spin, add the zany elements of ‘Harajuku’ and you’ll be doubly happy! The largest of seven outlets of the phenomenally successful chain […]
Frigg Café
The pizza arrives, a steaming plateful of cheesy topping dripping over the edges of the crust onto the giant-sized plate. It’s huge, far too big for my appetite, and this is only one slice of pizza! It’s lunchtime in Disneyland, the place ‘where all your dreams come true.’ Someone’s dreams, perhaps, but some of my […]