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As you walk down the deteriorating bitumen alleyway – which threatens to snap a stiletto heel with every step – past overflowing skip bins and graffiti-tagged Besser block walls, a glamorous Mediterranean-style facade stands out like an unplucked hair on your grandmother’s chin.

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Akin to something in the backstreets of Santorini, Greece, sits a white, rendered, curved entryway. Plants throw their tendrils over the edge of the flat roof, while a distressed timber double gate brings a sense of mystery to what lies behind.

The dining room at Maman in Burleigh Heads. Picture: Russell Shakespeare

Welcome to Maman Bar & Kitchen, hidden among the shabby Laneway at Burleigh Heads.

Maman – pronounced Ma-Mo – is the French word for mum and is the work of Queensland sisters Liz and Karen Fines.

The pair set about creating a restaurant to showcase their favourite Mediterranean and Middle Eastern eats and opened Maman in Port Douglas in July last year. They then teamed up with Karen’s son Oli Frost and Oli’s friend, ironman Matt Poole, to open a second venue on the Gold Coast, in October.

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Despite having to disconcertingly pass by the toilets and back of the noisy kitchen to enter the Burleigh restaurant, before leaning over the clean cutlery to scan the COVID-safe QR code, the eatery itself is an inviting one.

Maman in Burleigh Heads. Picture: Russell Shakespeare

Grecian-inspired, arched walls frame heaving shelves of spirits on one side and striking blue and white murals by local artist Jai Vasicek on the other. A line of terracotta-hued booths runs almost the length of the restaurant, meeting a scattering of white, bar-height timber tables and chairs. There’s also a private dining space that sits along James St, flanked by breezy curtains, designed for an intimate lunch or dinner.

Echoing the brightness of the skylight-lit dining room is the menu. Designed to share and representing home-style cooking like your mum would make, the offerings run from breads and dips and simple starters like burrata, olives or chicken liver parfait to small plates such as tuna tartare and gazpacho, and large plates, including lamb moussaka and salmon nicoise. Maman has done a take on nearby restaurant Rick Shores’ famous Moreton Bay bug roll ($18) and it’s a pretty good one.

The Moreton Bay bug roll at Maman Bar and Kitchen, Burleigh Heads.

The soft, not-too-sweet, hot dog-shaped milk bun has been scorched and cut in two, each half bursting with ribbons of iceberg lettuce and crisp, battered bug pieces zigzagged with zesty, harissa-spiked mayo for gentle heat.

Less successful is the moussaka of eggplant and scallops ($24), featuring rounds of softened aubergine layered with the Greek fish dip taramasalata and pan-seared molluscs. The flavours are a tad off, while the term “moussaka” creates false expectations for what is essentially more like a vegetable stack from the noughties, with a couple of scallops thrown in.

The scallop and eggplant moussaka Picture: Russell Shakespeare

Lamb kofte ($22) is on the dry side, while a beef tagine with apple and couscous is well- made though a touch expensive at $31 for a small serve.

Worth getting stuck into, though, is the drinks list. The wines are largely small-batch, sustainable or minimal intervention from boutique producers, with almost all available by the glass.

A diverse list of spirits is on show by individual pour or as part of a seductive array of cocktails, including the deliciously refreshing, passionfruit-charged Time Out.

Dessert options move from French to Middle Eastern, with a fine apple tart ($16) a winner, starring razor-thin crescents of apple baked into flaky pastry under a softball-sized scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a generous swirl of caramel sauce.

Apple tarte at Maman Bar and Kitchen, Burleigh Heads.

Service is fast and efficiency focused, but misses details like clearing empty glasses and asking customers if they’d like another drink.

The premise behind Maman is to feel like you’re “coming home to mum”, and its simple fare ensures just that.

MAMAN BAR & KITCHEN

49 James St, Burleigh Heads

0409 841 410

mamanbarkitchen.com

Open Mon-Fri from 5pm, Sat-Sun from noon

VERDICT - SCORES OUT OF 5

Food 3

Ambience 3.5

Service 3

Value 3

OVERALL 3