Gold Coast dining — Five of the best Tweed Heads eateries

THERE’S nothing borderline about Tweed Heads’ blossoming foodie scene, writes Denise Raward, who reveals five of the best eateries south of the border.

A Buckwheat salad bowl at 3 Sea, Tweed Heads

THERE’S nothing borderline about Tweed Heads’ blossoming foodie scene, writes Denise Raward, who reveals five of the best eateries south of the border.

Hymn Coffee

24/99 Kennedy Drive

Owners Kaycee Hapi and Kelly Hapi with daughter Harlow Hapi at Hymn Coffee at Tweed Heads. Photo by Richard Gosling

It’s nice to hear a Hapi hospitality story. Hymn owners Kaycee and Kelly Hapi have been going great guns in their slick Kennedy Drive cafe in their first six months of opening.

“We’ve had great support,” Kaycee says. “There’s a wide demographic in the Tweed and we’ve tried to offer a bit of something for everyone.”

Hymn’s natty cafe menu pays homage to the seasonal, local approach underpinned by serious quality coffee.

“By far the most popular menu item is our bacon and egg hawker, served with a roti flatbread with the house apple-based barbecue sauce, crispy onion, greens and our condensed milk mayo,” Jaycee says.

“We’ve also got buttermilk hot cakes on for winter with banana, maple, walnuts, almonds and whipped vanilla marscapone.”

Kaycee and Kelly are enjoying the Tweed and have plans to extend their 40-seat cafe into the outdoors when the time is right.

“We’ll concentrate on getting everything right with this first,” Kaycee says. “But it’s all going well. We’re super-excited.”

3 Sea

4/135 Minjungbal Drive/Shop 4

Buckwheat snacks from 3 Sea, Tweed Heads

This tucked-away gem attracts rave reviews for its signature Brettone crepes (a little different to the French ones you may be thinking of). Owner Damien Pigot is a sixth generation buckwheat galette maker and generously shares the family recipe. “The people of Brittany have survived on buckwheat for 800 years,” he says. “So if you go to there, this is what you’re going to get from any grandmother.” These days buckwheat is prized for its gluten-free status but Damien cares little for fashion. He once trained in a Michelin star restaurant and creates delectable French food from his unassuming shopfront, with an abiding passion is sourcing his ingredients direct from farmgates and trawlers.

Foodsmith Cafe and Pantry

14 Bay Street

Yum! Photo by Richard Gosling

Foodsmith is a go to for healthy, handmade cafe fare with a generous selection of gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian dishes. Glenn and Sarah Smith have been mixing it with the locals for three years now and think they’ve hit on a menu that caters for everyone. “We make everything on site from scratch and we like to add our little twists,” Sarah says. Go the roasted mushroom on sweet potato toast with creamed greens and local jersey milk fetta with a poached egg and dukkah for brekkie and come back for the beetroot and goat cheese tart baked in the house signature pate brisee pastry for lunch. The coffee is from Marvell Street roasters at Byron. “I can’t tell you how many people tell us we do the best coffee,” Sarah says.

The Bread Social

12 Bay Street

Some of the yummy food from Bread Social. Picture: John Gass

Expansion is in the wind for this artisan bakery, opened as a second venture for the trio behind the baked goods at The Farm Byron Bay. They’ve just taken over the shop next door and are putting in some seating for those who’d like to linger a while. Co-owner Paul Giddings says although the demographic is different in Tweed Heads, there’s no second guessing the beef pies or pork, apple and sage sausage rolls. “And the Portuguese tarts, they’ve taken on a life all their own,” he says. The sourdough is just as popular too. “People are aware these days of the benefits of less processed, better digestible bread,” he says. “We’ve been pretty happy with how things have gone in 18 months. We’ve had great support from the locals.”

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Vegan Aisle Eatery and Bar

Tweed City Shopping Centre, 54 Minjunbal Drive

Vegan pizza from Vegan Aisle, Tweed City Shopping Centre, Tweed Heads

This all-vegan establishment does its best to be “as normal as possible”. In its seven months of trading, co-owner Dee Wilson says unsuspecting customers still can’t believe everything they’ve eaten has been vegan. “We’re trying to do vegan without the stigma,” Dee says. “You can order triple cheese burgers with bacon, chicken parmis, hot dogs and pizzas — all without animal products.” Catering for food allergies and intolerances is no issue — soy-free and gluten-free offerings abound as well. Dee and her business partner James Denney both worked in hospitality before deciding to open their own place. Vegan Aisle is licensed and serves beer or wine, but if it’s a health hit you’re after, there’s kombucha and vegan milkshakes. “It’s a bit of a niche we’re catering for,” Dee says. “But the word is out. People are coming back. It’s going well.”