Kunal Miind, Lucas Doocey, Mick Wallace open The Rickshaw

A riverside restaurant and bar promising to transport diners to the “vibrant streets of Asia” is opening at a serene and tucked away location at Maroochydore this month.

Mick Wallace and Lucas Doocey are the frontmen of The Rickshaw.

Maroochydore’s new riverside restaurant that draws inspiration from Asian history and cuisine had its opening weekend completely booked out within 24 hours.

“Serial entrepreneur”, engineer and hospitality boss Kunal Miind is behind The Rickshaw, adding to his six restaurants across Sydney and Brisbane.

Mr Miind is joined by head chef Lucas Doocey and general manager Mick Wallace, who have both previously worked at Ocean St restaurants.

The group put their heads together to take “authentic” Asian cuisine to the next level on the Sunshine Coast.

Mick Wallace (left) and Lucas Doocey (right) will be the frontmen of the venue.

The vision for the restaurant was to pay homage to the role of the rickshaw – a light, two-wheeled cart used in Asian countries – that travels across Asia as the “driver of spices and ingredients”, Mr Miind said.

“We want to transport people to the vibrant streets of Asia,” he said.

Malaysia, Indonesia and other parts of Asia have played a role in the creation of The Rickshaw's menu.

Mr Miind said he had the vision for the restaurant in his mind for several years and discovered the location – formerly Culture Cafe – two years ago.

He approached the owners 12 months ago and soon after the project was well underway with Mr Miind procuring and restoring a vintage 1950s rickshaw to be the restaurant’s centrepiece.

The Rickshaw's interior colours and gardens are Asian-inspired, as is the menu and extensive cocktail list.

Mr Miind had a vintage rickshaw and a Sunshine Coast business helped restore the piece while retaining the original fabrication.

Mr Doocey previously worked as executive-chef at Junk and owned Woodhouse Barbecue in Ocean St.

He said he looked forward to the creative freedom to experiment with the menu after he was inspired by Mr Miind’s “dream”.

Mr Wallace called himself the venue’s “hype-man”, backed by eight years as the stage host of the Caloundra Music Festival and his experience owning former Ocean St restaurant Machu Pichu.

He wants to give people the greatest dining experience possible, Mr Wallace said.

Mr Miind’s real passion is within hospitality, finding joy in transporting people away from the daily hustle and give them a few hours to “enjoy life for what it really is”.

The restaurant opens from Wednesday to Sunday, with the opening night on May 26.