Five of the best: Gold Coast’s best international eateries in the city’s suburbs

There’s no need to jet off to exotic climes to savour the tastes of the world. We’ve found some authentic global cuisine in our own backyard.

Lebanese delights from Rabbath, Burleigh Heads.

THERE’S no need to jet off to exotic climes to savour the tastes of the world. We’ve found some authentic global cuisine in our own backyard.

Rabbath Lebanese

7a/1837 Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads

Traditionally-prepared grilled meats at Rabbath, Burleigh Heads.

The Rabbath brothers want you to feel like you’ve come to their house for a Lebanese dinner prepared and shared, just as their late mother taught them, with love.

With only 28 seats in the restaurant, the interaction from the kitchen and the warm service lends a welcoming, homely feel.

“A lot of people have suggested we get a bigger restaurant but the size is what’s special. It makes us different from elsewhere,” Patrick Rabbath says.

Diners at Rabbath, Burleigh Heads

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There are two nightly sittings from Tuesday to Saturday where you’ll find consistently good, authentic Lebanese food: dips, housebaked bread, grilled meats and specialty dishes.

Try the chef’s selections to take it a step further. Patrick and his brothers are also planning a Grand Lebanese Dinner where guests leave the food entirely to them.

“It will be special food not on our usual menu, where we take our guests on a journey,” Patrick says.

It’s in the planning stages but you can register your interest on the Rabbath website.

Itoshin Japanese

3/2484 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach

Sushi and sashimi selection at Itoshin Japanese restaurant, Mermaid Beach.

It’s a good sign when a Japanese restaurant is full of Japanese ex-pats and visitors savouring the food of their homeland.

This locals’ favourite has been around for 31 years, starting out at Miami before moving north, and is now in the hands of the founder’s son Yusuke Ito who’s instituting a couple of small changes.

“My father started introducing people to Japanese food although he modified a few things to suit local tastes,” Yusuki says. “Now I’m taking it back to a more authentic Japanese theme.”

Sushi selection from Itoshin Japanese restaurant, Mermaid Beach.

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Monday is Japanese Banquet Night where food is served in a traditional no menu, banquet style — what you get is what you eat.

From Tuesday to Saturday, the extensive menu returns for those who like to select their own dishes.

Itoshin certainly offers a wide choice, everything from sea urchin, wagyu, duck, tempura and teriyaki, but is perhaps most revered for its melt in the mouth sashimi and fresher than fresh sushi.

Bunnath Kitchen Cambodian

East Quay Shopping Centre, 13/44 Commerce Drive, Robina

Traditional Cambodian dish at Bunnath, Robina, the Gold Coast’s only Cambodian restaurant.

This true local gem, tucked in a backstreet of Robina, has the distinction of being the only Cambodian restaurant on the Gold Coast.

According to owner Bunnath You, who came to Australia as a refugee 38 years ago, Cambodian cuisine — like the country itself — is somewhere between Thai and Vietnamese, with both French and Chinese influences.

“It’s not as spicy as Thai but has its own flavours,” he says.

Fresh traditional food from Bunnath Cambodian restaurant, Robina.

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Bunnath and his wife Ivy keep the menu deliberately small to focus on doing what they do well.

For an authentic Cambodian dish, Bunnath recommends the amok, a spicy yellow curry of either chicken or fish, with spinach.

“Here the protein is steamed rather than cooked in a pot like other curries,” Bunnath says. “It gives a different flavour and you get the taste of the fresh herbs.”

Taboon Modern Middle Eastern cafe

514 Christine Avenue, Robina

Flavours from across the Middle East at Taboon, Robina.

The menu of this Robina favourite underwent a refresh after owner Steven Isaacs returned from an extended trip to the Middle East last year.

“I couldn’t change too much because it would cause a riot,” Steven says. “But we’ve added more share plates and a few new dishes like our falafel crumbed chicken that have gone over very well.”

Funnily enough, the Middle Eastern share plate style of eating was greeted with suspicion when Taboon first opened 14 years ago but is now right on trend.

Rosemary and Garlic Lamb Kebabs from Taboon, Robina.

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The Taboon menu offers grilled meats, fresh salads, homemade breads inspired by the popular suburban bakeries, grill and hummus houses of the Middle East, where Steven lived for 12 years.

Steven’s thrilled his children Tomer and Romy are just as passionate about the family business, which has also has a shopfront at The Pines shopping centre, Elanora.

Ipoh Satay House

64 Karbunya Street, Mermaid Waters

Traditional Chinese Malay food at Ipoh Satay House, Mermaid Waters

Ipoh Satay House has been serving up authentic dishes from the Ipoh region of Malaysia for 24 years.

The cuisine, like the region, is Malay-Chinese, and long term regulars are quick to tell the Hoi family they don’t want changes to the menu.

Thomas Hoi has been in Australia for 40 years but worked as a street food hawker in his homeland. The restaurant is now run by his children Sam and Teresa.

Traditional Chinese Malay dish at Ipoh Satay House, Mermaid Waters

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“We’ve had the same regular customers since the first day we opened,” Teresa says. “Now we’re getting the next generation and their kids.”

She describes the food as “consistent and cheerful” and says the Aussie favourites are the beef rendang, Hainanese chicken and the hawker style noodles.

There’s also a steady stream of Malay-Chinese ex-pats enjoying traditional salty fish dishes, squid, pork, prawns and eggplant that taste just like home.