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. […]
Kinoto Japanese Restaurant, Robina
Valentine’s Day. I’m not cooking. We have no reservation for dinner. Disaster! Time to think outside the square, off the strip, into the unknown. Frankly, we’re not off to a good start, but armed with our bottle of Black Chook Sparkling Burgundy, we venture out into the night. Kinoto’s a tiny shop lost in the […]
Stairwell Coffee, Surfers Paradise
There’s something Tardis-like about Stairwell Coffee. Landed smack in the middle of ‘Asian Alley’, Surfers Paradise, its smart fire-engine red frontage and clear vintage branding stand out against the surrounding Babel-like confusion of hand-written signage and dishevelled shop fronts. The Centre Arcade is one of the oldest and least aesthetic arcades in Surfers, commonly termed […]
Longboards Laidback Eatery & Bar
What’s life on the Goldie without a cocktail by the pool? Longboards Laidback Eatery & Bar has one of the most spectacular views on the Gold Coast across an infinity edged-pool to the towering spectacle of Q1 beyond. Locals may have driven past the imposing iron-clad building on Garfield Terrace and assumed that it was […]
Itoshin
My early culinary memories of the Gold Coast involve The Shell Bar on Cavill Avenue, Froggy and Woggy’s (Orchid Avenue) and Itoshin. Owner Tomy Ito and chef husband Shin opened Itoshin in North Burleigh about thirty years ago. My comments in the ‘Mietta’s..’ guide of 2001 were: “Sit in this funky restaurant and read the […]
The Noodle House, Chevron Island
With twenty-one restaurants under her belt, Rose Morton decided to retire from the bright lights, and set up a little restaurant on the Gold Coast: The Noodle House on Chevron Island. Born in Koh Samui, the idyllic island off the coast of the Thai mainland, Rose had worked for many years on cruise ships before […]
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 […]
Thai Eatery, Main Beach
Thai Eatery at Main Beach is the better looking, sassier younger sibling of Thai on the Hill, Robina. If you’ve already discovered the fresh and exciting combinations of Thai food served up by Piti Chitchamnonk, you can now enjoy his cuisine in the more ambient alfresco surroundings of Main Beach. Like many Main Beach cafes, […]
Kampung Malay, Bundall
Kampung Malay is testament to the successful formula that Jason Tan and partner Kate Ferber have used in their existing restaurants. It is the same in all three of Tan’s restaurants: a combination of Malaysian/Chinese food, consistency of product, friendly service and BYO ($1 per head) which make this an extremely affordable dining experience. As […]
Govindas Pure Vegetarian, Burleigh Heads
It’s the lunchtime rush at Govindas Pure Vegetarian, Burleigh Heads, and the line runs past the counter of bain-maries to the back of the shop. We’ve heard that the food is fresh and extremely well-priced, and on a cold day we feel hungry enough to tuck into some decent vegetarian food. We’re in a group […]