Meet Margate Beach House Bar and Kitchen’s head chef

THE menu at Margate Beach House Bar and Kitchen is full of personality – chef Steve Bestwick’s personality. We meet the man behind the menu.

Chef Steve Bestwick from Margate Beach House Bar and Kitchen at The Sebel Brisbane Margate Beach. Photo: Dominika Lis.

THE menu at Margate Beach House Bar and Kitchen is full of personality – chef Steve Bestwick’s personality.

The keen fisherman loves seafood, clean flavours and a range of cuisine from around the world, and has thoroughly enjoyed creating a menu for the dining hotspot, which opened in June.

He says Margate Beach House offers smart food in a comfortable atmosphere.

“We want to keep it a fresh and evolving menu, and mix it up to keep us interested and the customer interested,” Steve explains.

The Clontarf resident has been a chef for about 35 years. He was planning to be a builder, because he was good with his hands, but realised he was more at home in a kitchen.

“It’s the passion of eating and cooking and dining out,” he says.

Steve has lived and worked in Melbourne, and was at Woody Point’s The Belvedere Hotel for 12 years before working at Mon Komo Hotel and then Margate Beach House.

He’s enjoying working in a smaller restaurant where he is able to inject his personality into the menu.

A delicious dessert option at Margate Beach House Bar and Kitchen. Photo: Dominika Lis.

The response from diners has touched Steve and his team. “It’s been fantastic, people have been coming to the kitchen and thanking us,” he says.

So, if he was ordering from the menu what would he have?

“In the daytime, snacks and smalls, dips, charcuterie, spring rolls and share plates; at night, oysters, short ribs, or fish of the day; and for a special occasion, the seafood platter,” he says with a smile.

But Steve says it’s not just about what he likes, but what customers enjoy, so he’s keen for feedback and is willing to make changes based on what diners want.

A seafood platter from Margate Beach House Bar Kitchen.

Margate Beach House Bar and Kitchen is open from 7am-9pm.

Breakfast begins with barista-made Wolff coffee, and fresh seasonal menu choices from an a la carte menu.

Cafe-style meals are available during the day with a mix of sharing platters, a la carte and a bistro-style choices.

By night Margate Beach House transforms into a bar-centric bistro-style restaurant, with authentic modern Australian dishes, specialty cocktails and an extensive selection of craft beers to savour.

Address: 1 McCulloch Ave, Margate

Phone: [phone]