Social Brew
NOTE: The Richards family sold Social Brew early in 2017. “Everything the Richards family touches works really well,” a friend once confided. From what we’ve seen it’s certainly true. We’ve followed the Richards family (a family team of parents and three adult children) in awe as they opened and operated a string of successful ventures: […]
Street Corner Espresso
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 […]
The Paddock Bakery
There’s something timeless and elemental about bread. To me, it’s a given. So, I find it strange that a food item which dates back to the Stone Age, the most widely consumed food in the world whose very name itself denotes staple nourishment, should ever have been out of favour. But it has been. Until […]
The Little Plate – revisited
Dressed up for date night, coiffed, perfumed, accessorised. Should I pack my camera? It’s our fifth wedding anniversary and The Main Squeeze has managed to keep the venue a secret. “Be ready at 5pm,” was all he’d said. I cast my memory back to our first date. Dressed up, coiffed, perfumed and accessorised, I’d anticipated […]
the little plate
Sometimes dreams don’t work out exactly how you plan them…they’re even better! At least that’s how it turned out with the little plate… Workmates Gaynor, Olivia and Nicole dreamed of owning a tapas restaurant where people could share food, enjoy good service and top flavours. They shared a common vision and complementary skills, but when […]
Commune, Burleigh Heads
UPDATE January 2014: Commune has achieved cult status on the Goldie, with a huge band of loyal followers won over by its rustic organic food and generous servings. It’s also highly affordable, with the most expensive dish priced at $17. Whether you want blueberry pancakes, Mushrooms and asparagus piled on toast with Persian fetta, the […]
CocoLuscious Ice cream
CocoLuscious. The name says it all. Coconut milk based, this fully organic dairy-free ice cream is simply luscious! It’s the ice cream of choice of some of our top Queensland chefs, the accompaniment to fine desserts, but we prefer it on its own – its raw natural goodness a rich delicious treat. The story of […]
Ambarella Fine Foods, Burleigh Waters
There’s more than a touch of a French provincial town market in Ambarella Fine Foods. With its black and grey striped shop awnings, reproduction chandeliers, potted herbs and flowers accenting the displays, Mediterranean-influenced groceries for sale, a French patisserie and boulangerie, and even a kitchenware shop replete with Julia Child inspired cookware, it’s a lush […]
The Woodbox Café
I walked into the Woodbox Café at West Burleigh and felt right at home. There’s that spacious ‘earth mother’ vibe going on which is rare on the Gold Coast: that of a large open country kitchen, where the bread is freshly baked, the heady aroma of coffee wafts through the room, produce picked in the […]
edBaker, Burleigh Heads
You may not have visited the edBaker shopfront, but chances are that you’ve tasted their food under the banner of an upmarket café, specialist chocolate shop, hotel or restaurant without knowing it. The edBaker outlet is inconspicuously tucked away in the industrial backblocks of Burleigh Heads. In fact, I would never have known about it […]