The cheap and cheerful restaurant where food arrives in a flash

Want food in a flash at bargain prices? This uber popular Sunshine Coast restaurant promises quality bites that won’t break the bank - so what’s the catch?

A restaurant menu where nothing is priced over $26 – you don’t see that very much these days.

With costs of ingredients continually going up, staffing rates rising as many venues pay above award wage to attract more experienced applicants, and rents through the roof, those expenses have pushed up the price of dining out.

But seemingly not at grungy contemporary Asian eatery Giddy Geisha in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast.

Pan-Asian restaurant Giddy Geisha in Maroochydore.

Like at their other hugely popular ventures Rice Boi and Spero in nearby Mooloolaba, restaurateurs Tony Kelly and Mitch Smith have a propensity for delivering great value and have found the key to keeping costs low.

Firstly, any type of formal service is out. At Giddy Geisha, customers order at the counter, with hurried staff taking a dump-and-run approach to delivering dishes to tables, while diners help themselves to water.

Next is their high-volume strategy, with meals flying out of the kitchen faster than French fries at McDonald’s, ensuring the restaurant can turn over as many tables as possible throughout a service. In fact, all four of our meals arrive in under 14 minutes – some sort of speed record.

The lamb rendang at Giddy Geisha in Maroochydore.

And then there’s the basic, yet vibey fit-out with plain polished concrete floors and industrial ceilings all jazzed up with hanging bulbs, a couple of neon signs and a mini nursery of potted plants. The mess of boxes of takeaway containers piled up in the corner like a game of Jenga, however, makes the place look unkempt and needs to go.

Where the money is spent at this casual eatery, though, is on the quality ingredients.

Top-notch, local produce is used throughout the fusion, street food-style menu including ocean trout roasted in tom yum paste, Hervey Bay scallops served with umami butter and a house made yuzu, chilli and salt condiment, and grass-fed beef in a Thai crying tiger dish.

The karaage calamari at Giddy Geisha in Maroochydore.

Traditional Japanese karaage gets a shake up here using calamari instead of chicken ($12), coating the tender seafood strips in the thinnest of batters and a fiery shake of the Japanese seven-spice mix shichimi ready to be tamed by an accompanying yuzu flavoured ranch dressing.

Continuing on the spice route, but in a more toned down capacity, is the loosely termed eggplant “chips” ($15).

The aubergine is cut into thick, long wedges, tempura battered and deep-fried before a drizzling of dessert-sweet, chilli-infused Szechuan caramel. While their substantial heft makes them virtually impossible to eat with our provided chopsticks, the supple centre and crisp exterior ensures the dexterity challenge is worth it.

The eggplant chips at Giddy Geisha in Maroochydore.

Deviating from the deep fryer is the lamb rendang ($24) which has been cooked over 10 hours rendering the sheep butter-soft and the coconut curry gravy intensely fragrant with lemongrass and Kaffir lime, and a subtle sweetness that continually draws your spoon back for more. And it’s even better when scooped up with a piece of deliciously golden, puffy roti that boasts all the flakiness of a French croissant. It can be ordered as a side dish for $5, but you’ll want the $12 version which comes with a dipping pot of sensational satay sauce.

With our ordering unintentionally on the greasy side, the citrusy sharp Bruce Lee sour and Giddy Geisha cocktails ($16 each) from the keenly priced drinks list are much needed to refresh the palate. Alternatively there is a quartet of sakes, just over a handful of broad-appeal wines and a line up of local and imported craft and mainstream beers; plus bubble tea and spiked bubble tea for fun.

The roti and satay sauce at Giddy Geisha in Maroochydore.

And fun and good food is what Giddy Geisha is all about. While it might skim lightly over the other aspects of traditional restaurant hospitality, its focus on flavourful fare at affordable prices makes this a must visit for the value conscious.

GIDDY GEISHA

8 Market Lane, Maroochydore

giddygeisha.com.au

Open daily 11.30am-late

Must try

Lamb rendang

VERDICT - Scores out of 5

Food 3.5

Ambience 3.5

Service 3

Value 4.5

Overall 3.5