Sunshine Coast seafood restaurant: Velo Project owners open new business
The owners of a popular Mooloolaba cafe have revealed their latest business venture – a casual dining seafood restaurant at a beachside suburb.
Sunshine Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sunshine Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
David and Sarah Nash hope they have the recipe for success for a seafood restaurant after almost 10 years running a popular Mooloolaba cafe.
The Velo Project owners have spent the past six months preparing to open Sole Restaurant at Marcoola.
The casual dining restaurant was due to open on Friday, June 17, 2022, at Seaward Ln, at what was previously a Vietnamese restaurant.
With experienced head chef Tom Staal, who previously worked with Ms Nash at Harry’s on Buderim and recently at Eudlo General Store, the couple said they wanted to create a casual dining space that would suit the beachside suburb.
A whole baked sole fish has been listed as a signature dish, with oysters, octopus and barramundi also making the menu.
Mrs Nash said they wanted to create a family friendly atmosphere.
“We’ve wanted to open a restaurant for years but we struggled to find the right space,” Mrs Nash said.
“For example we never wanted to open a cafe next to another cafe, so as soon as we saw this space we knew it was perfect and that seafood would work really well being right next to the beach.”
Mr Nash said they had several ideas for restaurants but seafood was one of their first on the list.
“We needed to find a space that would fit in with the theme of the restaurant we wanted,” he said.
The former Vietnamese restaurant at Seaside, Marcoola has been renovated into a light and bright seafood restaurant, with white walls and navy details.
“We’re stoked with how it has turned out,” Mrs Nash said.
“We’ve had amazing suppliers and tradies who have put this together for us.”
David, 39, and Sarah, 34, met while working at Hayman Island in 2007 and have worked at restaurants together since then.
In 2014 they snapped up the Velo Project and always envisaged opening a restaurant together.
Mr Nash, an experienced chef who had his original training more than 16 years ago in New Zealand, has worked at several high-end restaurants including Garfish in Sydney and Huka Lodge at New Zealand.
“What we want to offer here is great service and simple, but really good food,” Mrs Nash said.
Sole Restaurant will trade Thursday to Sunday for lunch and dinner, with a focus on local produce.
‘Come on dog’: Trial begins over haymaker punch outside pub
A jury will decide whether a man’s action were in self-defence after he punched another person outside a Sunshine Coast tavern who had allegedly circled and barked at him like a dog.
‘Goat track’: Debate sparks over road upgrade after horror head-on
Debate surrounding the duplication of a busy stretch of the Sunshine Motorway has reignited following the death of a woman in a head-on collision, while candidates keep quiet on the project’s future.