Light Years Asian Diner set to open on Gold Coast in September

A playful Asian eatery is set to land on the Gold Coast after its huge success in Byron Bay and Noosa. And its food looks incredible.

IT launched in Byron, it coasted into Noosa and now it’s landing in Burleigh Heads.

Light Years Asian Diner is charting a course through eastern coastal towns and the Gold Coast is ready for its touchdown in early September.

Light Years co-owner Kim Stephen says opening in Burleigh was always on the map for the playful Asian eatery.

“It was always our goal to open somewhere on the Gold Coast,” Kim says.

“A couple of months into opening Byron, one of my neighbours said we need to open in Burleigh.

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Cocktails at Light Years.

“It was always on our radar, we know how much of a vibrant young and energetic atmosphere it is there.

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“The space that came up for us next to Commune Cafe was perfect. It was another corner site, similar to Noosa and a good size, so we struck a deal.”

Kim says the fresh ingredients in Asian cooking suit the coastal lifestyle, and casual indoor to outdoor dining areas called for mild weather.

Light Years will have a selection of new wok dishes at the Burleigh restaurant.

“We feel that Light Years’ cuisine suits these nice little warm coastal towns,” Kim says.

“The food we offer is modern Asian, which typically is in warm tropical settings. It’s not too spicy, there’s a great mix of fresh and fragrant ingredients using lots of tropical fruits, and great tropical cocktails.

“Our venues have quite an alfresco dining atmosphere. It’s set outdoors with an indoor to outdoor patio, while Noosa has a huge outdoor section out the front.

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“These sorts of venues would not work in Melbourne where it’s cold. And there’s a lot of competition in Melbourne and Sydney, we feel like we’ve got something to offer up north.”

Their third restaurant will open in Burleigh Heads.

On the menu will be a mix of classic Asian dishes including dumplings, baos, raw and grilled seafood and fried chicken, as well as new dishes that have never been offered at the Light Years brand before.

“In Burleigh we’ll have the addition of a wok style menu as well as classics from Byron and Noosa,” Kim says.

“It will retain a lot of those classics that Light Years customers would recognise while introducing some new specialty dishes with the introduction of a wok burner.

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Some more items from their menu.

“We’re building a kitchen from scratch so we’ve got the ability to put that in.

“Each menu has its own cocktail and wine list.

“You could go to each venue and have a different experience with the food, and still have some similarity with the music and the atmosphere.”

Completely gutting the previous restaurant in its place, The Greek Joint, has also given the team free roam with the fit-out, with colour and lively decor key features of the new venue.

“It’s got lots of colourful tiles, velvet banquet seating, a disco ball, courtyard dining — these are items that are probably not too prevalent in our other venues,” Kim says.

“There’s lots going on. We imagine this being our show piece, we hope people find out about our venues through Burleigh.

“We’re definitely putting everything into this Burleigh restaurant.”

Light Years will open at 1848 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads in early September.