Indian Empire

When we think of Indian Cuisine on the Gold Coast, the picture in our minds is predictable: Copper clad bowls filled with curry, accompanied by naan bread and rice. If we’re fortunate, those curries are rich and succulent with spices, served obligingly in an ambient venue.  Beyond this, the vision fades. Rick Stein’s spectacular journey […]

Easy House Vegetarian, Mermaid Waters

If you’re looking for a lighter alternative to the usual yum cha, stop in to the Easy House and let Mary Tsang convince you that, as well as being excellent for your health, vegetarian food can taste fantastic. Open since 2010, Easy House forms part of a small recently renovated suburban shopping centre which also […]

Adam Dundas-Taylor

Not everyone can boast cooking for Beyonce, Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Parker-Bowles family, running the company that catered for clients such as Ruinart champagne and Kate Moss, or co-owning Barbacoa, one of the most successful restaurants in Bali. But travelling the world with his supermodel wife, cooking for the stars and running high-pressure events, […]

The Fish Shak

There’s nothing that compares to a great fish and chip shop with a water view, and that’s exactly what you get at The Fish Shak. The latest venture of Liz and Justin Allie, (also co-owners of Longboards Laidback Eatery), the former Café Rockpool has been transformed into an upmarket yet casual licensed ‘dine in or […]

Taverna

Every town has its iconic places, including Kingscliff. The sleepy little coastal village, so loved by many, has such a place: a simple cottage overlooking the beach. For forty years, it housed restaurants, such as Tracey’s Garden Restaurant and Baja, where families would dine while on holidays. For many, including present owners Mark Wilson and […]

Brooklyn Depot

Burgers are one of the Gold Coast’s favourite foods. It seems everyone is hanging their mouth around one, from tiny sliders to sweet brioche wonders housing gourmet delights. Of course, it didn’t take long for the big guns to get involved in the boutique burger business; guys who’d seen trends develop before, such as co-owner […]

Baritalia

Sometimes a really solid little restaurant can be hiding in full view, waiting to be discovered by locals. Perhaps you, like us, have walked past the olive trees too many times. All along, Baritalia has been sitting in the corner beckoning us with hooded eyes and somehow we’ve missed the overtures. Located on a triangular […]

Balter Beer Dinner at The Glenelg Public House

We’re dining tonight at The Glenelg Public House, a moody man cave if ever there was one. With its masculine industrial vibe, it’s a fitting home for a mythical beast, ‘the other David’ (not Bowie) the labyrinth-dwelling minotaur, poised on one wall. It’s the place I’d take a bloke on a first date, if I […]

Hideaway Kitchen & Bar

Hidden away behind a rather bland concrete-rendered façade, Hideaway Kitchen & Bar is the latest addition to the Gold Coast’s Asian street food scene. It’s the dark backstreets of Asia that co-owner Scott Imlach visits in his latest restaurant; those shady alleys with overhanging awnings and neon sign lit dodgy bars, with hawker food carts […]

Jimmy Wah’s

“Good morning, Vietnam!” Jimmy Wah’s brings a huge smile to our face. Not only is it a sideways nod to the local GI bar in the 1987 movie Good Morning, Vietnam, but its combination of talented owners – Jake Cooley, highly regarded former head chef of Social Eating House + Bar and Shelly Greaves, former […]