BEST OF THE GOLD COAST: The top 10 surf club meals

BEST OF THE GOLD COAST: WHERE will you find the best surf club feeds in the city after a day on the beach. Check out the Top 10 list.

Fans of ribs will travel for miles for Southport’s triple-stacked smokey ribs.

The Top 10 Gold Coast Surf Clubs where you can get a great meal, as voted by you!

10. RAINBOW BAY SLSC

Location: 2 Snapper Rocks Road, Rainbow Bay

Locals and holidaymakers rub shoulders in a club whose regulars include Joel Parkinson, Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore. The chicken parmigiana is extra large, designed to fill the belly of a hungry surfer after a day on the waves. Specials nights include Barra Wednesdays and Schnitzel Thursdays.

Rainbow Bay Surf Club serves up a mean fish and chips.

9. BURLEIGH SLSC

Location: Cnr Goodwin Terrace and Gold Coast Highway

Classic surf club menu includes chicken parmigiana, barbecue ribs, and wild-caught barramundi and chips. For something a little bit fancy, there’s the prawn and scallop linguine or warm caramelised ginger pork and apple salad. All are served with views of beach, park and heritage- listed Burleigh Arcade.

Burleigh Surf Club serves a fancy prawn and scallop linguine.

8. PALM BEACH SLSC

Crn Seventh Avenue and Jefferson’s Lane, Palm Beach

Here it’s all about surf, turf and fresh simple fare served up with great views. Try the Palmy Burger, a Wagu beef burger with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, caramelised onion and tomato chutney on toasted Turkish. Bistro open for lunch and dinner seven days and breakfast Saturday and Sunday.

Palm Beach Surf Club is about surf, turf and fresh simple fare.

7. SOUTHPORT SLSC

Macarthur Parade, Main Beach

Steak and seafood may be popular, but there are regulars prepared to rack up kilometres for the triple-stacked smokey barbecue pork ribs. All served with views over Main Beach and the chance of spotting veteran sporting greats including Olympian Grant Davies and ironman Mark Bennetts.

Fans of ribs will travel for miles for Southport’s triple-stacked smokey ribs.

6. MERMAID BEACH SLSC

172 Hedges Avenue, Mermaid Beach

The place where surfers hungry from a day in the water rub shoulders with the millionaire

residents of beachfront Hedges Avenue. Try the coconut barramundi — grilled barra served with coconut cream, steamed rice and Asian greens — or something else from a menu of steak, seafood, pasta and salad for lunch and dinner, specials that include Parmis from Around the World on Thursdays and breakfasts on weekends.

Parmis from Around the World are one of the features at Mermaid Surf Club.

5. KURRAWA SURF CLUB

Old Burleigh Road, Broadbeach

The three-tiered hot and cold seafood platter mix of fresh, grilled and deep fried treats is best enjoyed on the bistro balcony where you can smell the salt, enjoy views of Kurrawa Beach and park and maybe even see the spray of passing whales. Fast, fresh traditional surf club fare includes a chicken parmigiana served with salad and chips, a traditional burger with meat patty, egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato and beetroot on a Turkish bun and a side of the massive chunky cut Badboy chips. Open seven days for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Best of the Gold Coast 2014. Surf Club Meals. Kurrawa Surf Club.

4. NOBBY BEACH SLSC

25 Albatross Avenue, Mermaid Beach

New menu with the focus on quality over quantity and good fresh food served up at reasonable

prices with a terrific beach view. The chef’s signature dish is king snapper topped with mussels, clams and king prawns and served in a tomato, chilli and herb sauce. Seafood taste plates that go by names like Ocean View and The Longboarder are among the top menu picks.

Fresh food at reasonable prices is the aim at Nobby Beach with seafood taste plates among the top menu picks.

3. NORTH BURLEIGH SLSC

293 The Esplanade, Burleigh

Comfort food done well and served up to clubbies, families, retirees, seniors and visitors who venture out from nearby resort hotels. Menu favourites include the chicken schnitzel and parmigiana served with thick chunky-cut steak fries or the roast salmon fillet or whole baked barra offered as a variation on old-fashioned fish and chips, all served with a view north to the Miami headlands and Burleigh beach. One of the few clubs that still has a beer garden and built over a single floor is accessible to wheelchairs, walkers and prams.

Comfort food done well is the aim at North Burleigh Surf Club.

2. CURRUMBIN BEACH VIKINGS

Pacific Parade, Currumbin

Order the mixed seafood platter for two or four and dine out on prawns, oysters, calamari,

beer-battered flathead and the water view. The menu includes steak, chicken parmigiana and

surf club salads. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The popular mixed seafood platter has helped Currumbin Beach Vikings SLSC come in at No.2 on the Bulletin’s list.

1. BMD NORTHCLIFFE SLSC

51 Garfield Terrace, Surfers Paradise

BMD Northcliffe breeds ironmen and ironwomen — Shannon Eckstein, Zane Holmes and Courtney Hancock to name a few.

Young nippers, some from third generation surf families, grow into teens who take on surf life saving duties. Plenty subsidise degrees with jobs bussing tables in the bistro and work behind the bar. They eat there too.

The Northcliffe club bistro serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, just a few blocks south of the iconic sign which marks the entrance to the beach at Surfers Paradise.

Visitors from overseas looking for an authentic Aussie beach experience rub shoulders with members, clubbies, surfers, locals and business types.

Visitors to Northcliffe can sit on the deck only 50m from the water at Surfers Paradise.

Early morning feeds range from big brekkie option The Lifesaver — two eggs cooked as

you like with grilled smoky bacon, pork sausage, sauteed mushrooms, herb roasted tomato

and hash browns served with Vienna toast — to such healthy alternatives as a balsamic

mushroom stack of grilled portobello mushrooms, soft poached eggs, fresh avocado, grilled

haloumi cheese and cherry confit tomatoes served on crusty ciabatta.

Steak, seafood, pizza, pasta, burger, salad and Asian wok options are on the menu for lunch

and dinner.

“We aren’t just some little old surf club. We’re right there at Surfers on beach. We try to

make sure everything we serve is good and fresh,’’ says supporters club operations manager Lauren Hinds.

Nazi Goreng is one of the great meals that helped Northcliffe finish at No.1 on the list of best surf club meals. Picture Glenn Hampson

Menu hits include the ironman sandwich, a triple decker toasted monster meal of chicken

breast, bacon, fried egg, cheese, mixed lettuce, tomato, avocado and aioli served with chips.

The views, though big open windows over Surfers beach, are something else.

“This is what I call the world’s best view,’’ says Lauren .

“From here you can look straight into the waves. You’re only 50m to the water.’’

Channel 7 brekkie show host David Koch pops in for a meal or to watch his beloved Port play footy on the big TV screen when the show comes to town.

“There are 11 TV screens here, so no matter which code you watch, you’re sure to find the

game you want to watch on at least one screen somewhere.

And Los Angeles based singer songwriter and pin-up boy Cody Simpson, a former

Northcliffe nipper, performed there for members during his last visit home.