Best of the Gold Coast: Top 10 buffets
WE ASKED, you voted and now we can reveal the top 10 buffets on the Gold Coast!
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WE ASKED, you voted and now we can reveal the top 10 buffets on the Gold Coast!
As part of our Best of the Gold Coast 2016 series, we went on the hunt for the best buffet. After taking your nominations we put it to the vote — and here’s what you decided ...
10. Frenzy Food Court, Southport Sharks
Musgrave & Olsen Avenues, Southport
5532 1155
At Southport Sharks buffet, Frenzy Food Court, the team let the numbers do the talking.
Executive chef Andrew Dugard said in one week Frenzy’s goes through 2,500 to 3,500 buffet meals, 10,000 desserts and approximately 1,000 kilograms of roast meats.
An extensive range of meats, salads, international dishes and desserts are available at the buffet with a great range of munchies to keep the kids happy too.
9. Waves Buffet Restaurant, The Watermark
3032 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise
5588 8304
watermarkhotelgoldcoast.com.au
Waves Buffet Restaurant inside The Watermark is changing perceptions of buffets one chocolate fondue dipped strawberry at a time.
Jack Carter from The Watermark said the buffet hosts a few pleasant little surprises.
“We have a make-your-own salads and stir fry section, a seasonal international dishes section, cheeses and meats, fresh seafood and the chocolate fountain — which brings out the child in everyone,” Jack said.
“We also have an in house patisserie, which means fresh sweets that change every day.”
He said the chefs draw inspiration from the seasons and buy locally sourced produce wherever possible.
8. Shoreline Restaurant, Sea World
Seaworld Dr, Main Beach
5591 0044
Catering for a huge local and international following, Shoreline Restaurant at SeaWorld’s buffet offerings are large and diverse.
General manager of the theme park and resort, Bikash Randhawa, said they have a different theme for every night.
“We have a flavours of the world night, tropical barbecue night, Italian night, seafood nights and things like live cooking demonstrations for diners,” he said.
“It keeps it fresh for diners staying at the resort but locals also have their favourite nights.”
In addition, the regular buffet has a huge carved, fresh salads, desserts and even a lolly station that packs out the restaurant regularly.
“We can seat 300 people but I think if I had another 250 seats we’d fill those as well,” Bikash said.
“We’re very proud that we have such a large regular clientele.”
7. Food Fantasy, Jupiters Gold Coast
Casino Dr, Broadbeach
5592 8443
Food Fantasy is a good way to describe Jupiter’s flagship buffet that welcomes the whole family. Open for every meal of the day, every day of the week, you’ll never leave hungry with all the usual buffet favourites, including over 80 dishes from around the world.
Find hot and cold selections, seafood, salads, cheeses and an impressive selection of desserts with mountains of cakes, slices, muffins, mousses, danishes, cupcakes and fruit.
6. Il Barocco, Palazzo Versace
94 Seaworld Dr, Main Beach
5509 8000
Located so close to the water it makes sense that Palazzo Versace’s Il Barocco has a strong seafood influence.
Executive Chef Grant Murray said their focus is “quality not quantity.”
“We use the very best local seafood products sourced from within Queensland to create a fresh, diverse looking buffet,” Grant said.
Diversity is key throughout the whole buffet which along with seafood, includes both hot and cold meat and vegetarian displays, as well as a tempting dessert selection.
“For those of you that have a sweet tooth my pastry team have created an amazing array of sweets, cakes and pastries for you to indulge in,” Grant said.
Grant intends to introduce product themed buffets in the future that showcase his talented kitchen team.
5. Terraces Restaurant, Sheraton Mirage
71 Seaworld Dr, Main Beach
5577 0001
Terraces buffet is a treat for tourists and locals alike. Kelly-Ann Stuart from the Sheraton Mirage said the restaurant feeds many more than tourists staying at the hotel.
“We have a really strong local following but we often get people driving down from Brisbane for the seafood,” Kelly-Ann said.
“We’re probably most famous for our seafood buffet because we source local — prawns, bugs, salmon, and oysters both hot and cold — our seafood selection is huge and really fresh.”
Kelly-Ann said the breakfast buffet is also a crowd-pleaser and their croissants are hard to beat.
“I might be biased but I think our croissants are the best croissants on the Gold Coast,” Kelly said.
“We actually have an in house bakery as well — we don’t get anything brought in so we have fresh breads and pastries every day.”
4. Four Winds Restaurant, Crowne Plaza
2807 Gold Coast Hwy, Surfers Paradise
5592 9907
To accompany the 360 degree view at the Queensland’s only revolving restaurant, the buffet has to be spectacular.
Gold Coasters agree that Four Winds Restaurant on the 26th floor of the Crowne Plaza delivers a worthy feast.
Marketing manager, Mrs Victoria Peterson, said the team at Crowne Plaza are dedicated to creating an unforgettable experience.
“The buffet in Four Winds is a true dining experience,” Victoria said.
“The crowd favourite seems to be the oysters kilpatrick but we’ve got some amazing dishes for a buffet like the macadamia crusted roast pork loin and the quinoa, green pear and beetroot salad.”
Victoria said Four Winds has some exciting buffet restaurant developments coming up for Gold Coasters thanks to their new head chef Troy Medynski.
3. Citrique, Surfers Paradise Marriott
158 Ferny Ave, Surfers Paradise
5592 9800
Citrique at Surfers Paradise Marriott offers guests and locals a dining experience almost too picturesque to eat.
Director of food and beverage, Andrew says their trick is in their seafood selection.
“We are renowned for our high quality seafood selection, which is selected daily to ensure premium quality and ultimate freshness,” Andrew said.
“We embrace seasonal change in our seafood offering throughout the year, for example we have just recently changed from Sydney rock oysters to Coffin Bay Oysters.”
Andrew said Citrique is proud to offer adventurous events and nights to give diners an opportunity to eat something they’ve never had before.
2. Bazaar, QT
7 Staghorn Ave, Surfers Paradise
5584 1200
Bazaar’s buffet at QT Hotel is designed to be an interactive experience for diners, from the marketplace vibe to the chef-diner engagement.
Group executive chef Justin Zammit said there is always a wide variety of food available which changes regularly depending on seasonal local produce.
“Guests get to graze on pizza from our wood fired oven then onto having one of our chefs build you a milk bun stuffed with house smoked brisket and slaw,” Justin said.
“Most of the produce used in our Bazaar kitchen is sourced from local farms in the scenic rim and quite a bit from our roof top garden here at QT Gold Coast which is amazing.”
Justin is passionate about everything served in the Bazaar buffet, but has a very particular recommendation.
“The suckling pig which I source from Vaughn Schultz farm in Toowoomba,” he said.
1. Govinda’s
3120 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise
0466 181 495
facebook.com/GovindasSurfersParadise
Govinda’s at Surfers Paradise has been serving up vegan, karma-conscious food for about 10 years and operating as an all-you-can-eat buffet for about three.
To say this buffet is unique is an understatement.
Co-owner Mr Zardi Manning said his Govinda’s is, to the best of his knowledge, the only vegan Govinda’s that exists currently.
“As far as I know we’re the only 100 per cent vegan Govinda’s in the world — we don’t use any dairy or any animal products whatsoever,” Zardi said.
“We try to keep the flavours the same but use substitutes to make them vegan like our mango lassi, which is usually yoghurt based but we make it coconut cream and people can’t tell the difference.
“Same with our potato bake, the sour cream is soy based, with sunflower and vinegar and we make a range of our own cheese but I can’t tell you all the secrets.”
Zardi said the main purpose of the Govinda’s buffet was to get as many people to try vegan food as possible for a small cost.
“Eating vegan helps decrease the footprint we have on the world as animals need a lot of food, water and care to produce a small amount of meat and dairy,” Zardi said.
“And producing karma free food, you don’t want your food to go through a lot of suffering.”
Zardi said the buffet at Govinda’s is perfect for anyone and is great for people who feel they just need more vegetables and healthy food in their diet.
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