Best of the Gold Coast 2018: 13 of the best fine dining restaurants
WHETHER you have champagne tastes or are celebrating an occasion, get spoiled at one of the city’s best fine dining restaurants.
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WHETHER you have champagne tastes or are celebrating an occasion, here’s where to get spoiled when you’re looking for fine dining restaurants on the Gold Coast.
Nineteen at The Star
Level 19, The Darling at The Star Gold Coast, Casino Drive, Broadbeach
French champagne, Russian caviar, Patagonian toothfish and the most ‘grammed view on the Gold Coast — when it comes to pleasures of the palate, Nineteen at The Star reaches dizzying new heights.
The menu includes a rare privilege for steak lovers. The Kiwami Wagyu beef has a marbling rating of 12 — smashing the Australian marbling benchmark which usually only reaches nine. “It’s one of the best (steaks) in the world,” co-owner Simon Gloftis says.
And then there’s the smoked white chocolate and Oscietra caviar dessert ... it may set you back $44, but it has to be tasted to be believed.
Hellenika
2235 Gold Coast Highway, Nobby Beach
From flawless food to irreproachable service, Hellenika is where to head when you want fine-dining quality without the fuss … and access to a treasure trove of more than 500 wines. Simon Gloftis’ classic Greek eatery may be expanding to Brisbane, but the original Nobby Beach venue is all class after a recent renovation.
Choose it for family celebrations full of warmth.
“It’s simple, authentic, home-style food, designed to be placed in the middle of the table to share,” Simon says. The mezze menu at the rooftop Bar Hellenika suits more casual catch-ups. It’s developing a reputation for its sunset sessions.
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Restaurant Labart
8 West St, Burleigh Heads
The newest addition to this list only opened last week, but owner-chef Alex Munoz Labart’s reputation precedes him.
While fine food is a given, there’s no room for pretension in the intimate 60-seat dining room. “Our sole purpose is to make people happy,” Alex says.
“We want to do away with the idea that delicious food needs to be served with stuffiness and formality.”
Sample local spanner crab with charred leeks and roasted crab sauce or the share-friendly grilled lamb rack, followed by apple ice cream and rhubarb or chocolate mousse with popcorn ice cream.
Splurge on the six-course set menu for the ultimate showcase of seasonal produce.
The Fish House
50 Goodwin Terrace, Burleigh Heads
Seafood is synonymous with luxury and The Fish House is the place to splash out.
Boasting Burleigh beach views, the elegant eatery has one of the broadest selections of delicacies from the deep.
You could be supping on green lip abalone from St. Helen’s, Tasmania, octopus from Port Lincoln, South Australia or John Dory from just across the border.
The signature whole fish is an ever-changing offering and a lesson in perfection in simplicity, or choose the degustation to let the chef present you with the pick of the produce.
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Little Truffle
2444 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach
From the two plush private dining rooms to the sparkling chandeliers and heavy white linen, this Mermaid Beach restaurant sets the scene for decadent dining.
Take your pick from the rich wine list to match the modern European menu and enjoy first-class service while you nibble on Moreton Bay bug and prawn tortellini.
Owner Daniel Ridgeway’s decadent desserts are the pièce de résistance — don’t leave without treating your tastebuds to the signature flower-strewn glass of vanilla-bean pannacotta or an airy souffle drizzled in white chocolate sauce.
Go for the three-course set menu to satisfy champagne tastes on a budget.
The Fireplace
Sanctuary Cove Resort, Manor Circle, Sanctuary Cove
As the name suggests Sanctuary Cove’s signature dining destination is perfect to mark a winter occasion with its wood-fired cuisine and cosy ambience.
The winter menu still features the house favourites, lamb striploin and the braised short ribs, but it’s worth checking out the added pasta dishes for pure comfort, along with the mains of pork belly in fig puree wrapped in prosciutto and the Queensland barramundi teamed with octopus and spinach vichyssoise.
If it’s all too much thinking, place yourself in the hands of executive chef Matt Hart’s six-course degustation. The Fireplace also has a 300-strong wine library and currently holds Two Glasses in Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards.
Fellini
74 Seaworld Drive, Main Beach
With its timeless formula, this Marina Mirage stalwart knows how to rise to an occasion. “Nothing beats a window table with water views for a special occasion — except watching the sun set over the Gold Coast hinterland with a glass of wine and a meal of authentic Italian cuisine,” says Fellini co-owner and executive chef Richard Burt.
“People dining out for special occasions are looking for something different. They want to try food they cannot replicate at home. At Fellini we focus on providing an experience for diners with high-quality local produce, prepared expertly and plated beautifully.”
Artisan pasta, made at the restaurant and cooked to order, is the culinary calling card.
“We recently added a new pasta dish to the menu, which is outperforming a lot of our popular pasta dishes. Linguette aragosta e asparagi features lobster tail with fresh asparagus tips and cherry tomatoes.”
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Seaduction Restaurant and Bar
Peppers Soul Surfers Paradise, 8 The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise
Boasting ocean views from every table, it’s hard not to be touched by Seaduction’s sense of occasion.
If you’re a seafood lover, the lunchtime Seafood Table option provides a memorable feast, with your personal chef preparing and serving fresh seafood at your table.
The array includes oysters, anchovies, local prawns, mussels, sashimi, squid and seasonal fish. Followers of executive chef Joel Bryant will be keen to try the menu he’s currently working on.
He promises the emphasis will be on fresh, seasonal ingredients with the occasional appearance of a fermented vegetable.
It’s also worth arriving early for a Seaduction dinner reservation to admire the view on dusk from the bar. Complimentary pinchos are served with every drink to fire the appetite.
Kiyomi Japanese Restaurant
Lobby Level, The Star Gold Coast, Casino Drive, Broadbeach
Kiyomi is The Star’s premier Japanese offering, delivering a contemporary, innovative take on authentic Tokyo cuisine.
As if to illustrate its approach, this weekend is the last chance to experience Kiyomi’s truffle season offerings, inspired dishes prepared with fresh Australian black truffle, paired with the prized Krug Grande Cuvee champagne.
It’s no surprise it’s being billed as a once in a lifetime special offer.
Kiyomi’s regular menu is rich in seafood (and reflects the Japanese penchant for a fine cut of prime beef) with the requisite attention to detail and intricate presentation of fine Japanese cuisine.
If you haven’t quite defined the famed Japanese “fifth taste” umami, this is the place to experience it. Just ask the staff for their umami recommendations.
Videre
RACV Royal Pines Resort, Ross St, Benowa
Videre is one of the few local venues preserving the art of fine dining, including gueridon service when you order the crepes.
Prepared tableside with flames and flair, the traditional treat is complete with rum-glazed banana, banana rum and raisin ice cream.
The sophisticated presentation of the a la carte menu rivals the showmanship of the restaurant’s expert servers.
Sample pressed confit pork belly with chargrilled green apple velvet and crackling crumble and handmade saffron tagliatelle while savouring panoramic views of the coast and hinterland from the 21st floor.
For an extra special experience, Videre also has a chef’s table that seats 12.
Room81
Sofitel, 81 Surf Parade, Broadbeach
Room 81’s young Scottish chef de cuisine Sam Moore is collecting awards for his Australian-inspired menu, which he describes as having a “light-handed” approach to quality produce. For a special occasion meal to remember, he recommends his new favourite dish, lamb fed on carrot and olive oil.
“It’s just that,” he says. “Young lamb fed on a diet of carrot and olive oil. I take the neck and braise it overnight for 12 hours in herbs and olive oil and roll it into the shape of a baby carrot, using yarrow leaf as greenery and serve it with wattleseed toast, with olive oil on the side.”
If you’re having trouble choosing from the menu, there are multiple degustation options which can be paired with wines from Room 81’s impressive wine list.
Vanitas Restaurant
Versace, 94 Seaworld Drive, Main Beach
Relaunched less than a year ago to reflect Versace’s Italian soul, Vanitas strikes the effortless balance between elegance and warmth that Italians pull off so well.
Overlooking the lagoon with starched white tablecloths and signature Versace tableware, the scene is set for sophisticated Italian dining lovingly handmade onsite.
The menu, as in Italy, changes with the seasons and August 7 marks the start of Vanitas’ annual Truffle Month, featuring a truffle degustazione menu.
It launches a series of special events at Vanitas, culminating with the restaurant’s first Italian birthday in November. It’s to be celebrated with a cocktail party, promising fine food, sublime cocktails and every bit of trademark Versace flair.
Rick Shores
43 Goodwin Terrace, Burleigh Heads
Currently closed for building renovations, Rick Shores fans are eagerly awaiting its August reopening.
The restaurant voted No. 1 in Queensland’s delicious. 100 is in the midst of a mini facelift that will include a permanent roof to replace the sails on the lower level, fresh furniture and updated menus.
The finer details may be a surprise, but the best beach views are a guarantee. Sit metres from surfers slicing through the waves while you sip sophisticated cocktails and explore pan-Asian flavours.
The Moreton Bay bug rolls — with lipsmacking sriracha-infused mayo — are another given. Book a lingering lunch to take full advantage of the unparalleled location.
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