You Japanese Restaurant

For 25 years, even before Japanese food became trendy, You Japanese Restaurant has been operating on the Gold Coast. It’s an unassuming little izikaya on the Cavill Street end of an arcade overlooking Cavill Park, the sort of restaurant frequented by regulars, or by Japanese tourists who’ve heard about it by word of mouth; a […]

Sushi at Palm Beach

When you hear that Chase Kojima, Executive Chef at Sokyo, has announced he’s opening a casual dining and takeaway restaurant at The Star Sydney later this year, you know that ‘casual’ does not always mean low quality food. There have to be places between fine dining and takeaway joints that offer quick, healthy cuisine while […]

The Fish Emporium

There are times when I hanker for great fish; something more than a battered bundle of joy wrapped in paper with crispy chips – that’s another delight entirely. No, I want the real thing, unadulterated; a perfectly cooked buttery piece of coral trout or red emperor, or the indulgence of tasting the salty brine of […]

Izakaya Ichi

Sitting pretty amongst laminex diners, Izakaya Ichi is as cute as a Ningyō Kabuki doll. With fairy lights winking and the dining wagon calling, there are lots of reasons to check out this little gem. Owned by Young Hun Cha, owner of the Sushi 1 chain, the bar opened in late 2015, the flagship (he […]

Misono Japanese Steakhouse

We’re having one of those D & M (deep and meaningful) discussions about why people keep coming back to their favourite restaurant –a signature dish, great service, comfort, price and proximity… “It’s not just about the food, of course, it’s about the show,” the Main Squeeze puts in his two cents worth. He means the […]

Hachi

Following seven years in Palm Beach, Nam Sukhyum has opened a second Hachi in Nobby Beach, adding variety to the already popular highway front strip. It’s an ambient space with its two-piece floating ceiling and smart bar, the open kitchen showing off the chefs hard at work. Effective use of stone and wood together with […]

TetsuAki Japanese Cuisine

It’s a beautiful summer’s day. We’ve travelled up to visit TetsuAki Japanese Cuisine, at Paradise Point overlooking a market stall lined Esplanade, the sun shimmering on the Broadwater beyond. Looking through the floor to ceiling frameless glass shopfront into the bright, shiny and very very white restaurant, light bounces off every surface bar the floor. […]

Top Noodle Japanese

Top Noodle’s quite a surprising package. Although it’s in a prime position directly opposite the beach, at first glance it’s an underwhelming generic laminex-tabled eatery squeezed into a corner beside a shopping centre entrance. It undersells itself too in its presentation, with menu items pasted on the walls and an odd assemblage of crates, containers, […]

Amimoto, Surfers Paradise

It’s easy to get lost to the grunge in the Lido Arcade, Surfers Paradise. You can get a buzz haircut, choose your latest tattoo, buy a surfboard, indulge in almost poster size slices of pizza, adorn yourself with diamante nails, or (most desirable of all) eat a meal at Amimoto. Worn in from over thirteen […]