Arlo’s Pizzeria

There’s nothing like dinner at a little BYO. It’s as close to dining at home as you can get, but without the fuss. Of course, BYO is a contentious point around town. There are those of us who love bringing our own bottle, but of course there’s no ‘cream’ profit for restaurateurs so, when we […]

The Oak Café

Somehow, every time we visit Mudgeeraba we fall in love again. It’s because little things count. A greeting from wait staff or a friendly smile from the open kitchen, water immediately brought to the table, a bowl of water for someone’s dog… it all adds up to make a village. The Oak Café, Mudgeeraba’s latest […]

Pasture & Co

Sometimes, you need to go a little out of the way to find beautiful things. That’s so with Pasture & Co. Sitting alongside organic co-op Ground Grocer, facing the entrance to Currumbin Valley’s Eco Village, the café is situated on the newly-named precinct, Ground at Currumbin. With a new tenant comes new life. Dani Riley, […]

Going Organic

“Organics is one of Australia’s top 5 growth industries, becoming mainstream,” says the Australian Organic Market Report. “Supermarkets are fast embracing organics, with growth propelled by the average Australian,” the report adds. There are lots of reasons to increase the amount of organic food we consume, including eating more nutrients and taking far less chemicals […]

Dinner at Cardamom Pod Brickworks

NOTE: Cardamom Pod is no longer open for dinner, however Cardamom Pod Broadbeach is open nightly until 9.30pm. Gone are the days when ‘vegetarian’ meant a simple salad landing on your table. Not any more! As more people adopt a plant-based diet, the bar has been raised for vegetarian food. Vegetarian has gone gourmet! Our […]

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 […]

Cardamom Pod Brickworks

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 […]

Terrarium

Tucked into one corner of the Maudsland Central Shopping Centre, it’s easy to see why this brunch spot is named ‘terrarium’. Glass windows compose two walls of the triangular-shaped café, looking out to Maudsland Road. Inside, the grey and white hues of the décor are livened up by green plants, hanging from the ceiling, in […]

Mavis’s Kitchen

It’s rare for me to be completely ecstatic about a dining experience. Despite extensive research about where we’ll dine, more often I’m quietly enthralled with some parts of the experience or people we’ve met, pleased with the overall meal, sometimes hopeful and occasionally disappointed. But our trip to Mavis’s Kitchen is stellar. It’s a rare […]

The Salt Mill

Walk up from the beach at Currumbin, and you can talk surf with Johnny Gillett, who owns The Salt Mill with his wife Sarah. Perfect as their first café, it’s a little ‘cute as a button’ nook put together using the couple’s combined skills. Rough-hewn bench seats, fruit cartons and a wine barrel tell us […]