Gold Coast dining: Review of Fish House, Burleigh Heads

In a location to die for, this southeast Queensland seafood restaurant is holding its own beside some of the best venues in the state to help this little beachside strip stand out among the top dining-drinking-surfing precincts in the country.

NATHAN, our waiter, was a man of considerable charm who guided us expertly through the menu. He also had panache, but not too much if it. But something didn’t quite fit.

Nathan appeared to me to be too worldly to be a waiter. When pressed, he confided he was an actor from Sydney who came to the Gold Coast for roles in Pirates of the Caribbean and Godzilla vs Kong.

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Have you done more serious roles, asked the Blonde?

“Some Shakespeare,” he said.

“Prove it,” I said, expecting him to say he was far too busy. But prove it he did.

“If music be the food of love, play on,

Give me excess of it; that surfeiting,

The appetite may sicken, and so die.”

Fish House at Burleigh Heads. Picture: Russell Shakespeare

Nathan channelled his inner Laurence Olivier, reciting the words of Duke Orsino from Twelfth Night. It was stunning. Seeking no praise he reverted quickly to his waiter persona and went back to gathering plates of prawn heads and fish skeletons.

The Fish House overlooking the ocean at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast seemed an implausible place to catch a lovely Shakespearean riff, however brief.

It is one of the Gold Coast’s top dining-drinking-surfing precincts.

Across the road is Rick Shores, a pan-Asian restaurant of merit, and the Burleigh Pavilion bistro and bar that is a magnet for young people.

The blue eye trevalla. Picture: Russell Shakespeare

I began my repast with a “simple lemony fish soup” ($18) that certainly was lemony. It had been primed with a few chunks of New Zealand hapuka, the Maori word for grouper. The soup was so acidic I was barely able to taste any seafood flavours. But this is more of an observation than a criticism. Lemon soup is lemony.

I guess, and I got what I asked for.

The Blonde’s prawn bisque risotto entree ($28) was a generous plate that could have passed as a main course size.

She loved everything about it including the texture and the flavour which she said was “intense”. Lifting the intensity was bottarga, the dried fish roe (usually ground or shaved) that is suddenly turning up on everything from pasta to salads to scrambled eggs.

We swapped plates. Her risotto was indeed intense. And fishy and briny – exceedingly so in my opinion. Godzilla vs Kong.

The apple tarte tatin. Picture: Russell Shakespeare

But it’s difficult to take umbrage in such a joyous place with the quintessentially Australian vision of surfboard riders and colourful beach towels and umbrellas framed by the large window; the tranquillity disturbed only by the occasional roar of the bikie hoods grandstanding up Goodwin Tce.

I could not have been happier with my main course comprising two chunks of coral trout ($53) from Bowen resting in a puddle of mushroom and celeriac broth with a trio of smoked mussels and onions. There was an exotic line-up of seafood with John Dory from Victoria, Bluefin tuna from Tasmania, kingfish from NSW, scallops from Western Australia, King George Whiting from South Australia and Moreton Bay bugs (served in tagliolini) from Moreton Bay.

The Blonde chose the most exotic import of all: “live” marron from Western Australia ($48), a large freshwater crayfish related to the lobster.

The handsome invertebrate had a delicate flavour and was cooked carefully in a gentle garlic and butter sauce with the tiniest hints of red chilli.

We finished sharing an outstanding apple tarte tatin ($28), made with Pink Ladies with burnt toffee and ice cream.

FISH HOUSE

50 Goodwin Tce,

Burleigh Heads Gold Coast

BOOK 5535 7725

thefishhouse.com.au

OPEN

Seven days, lunch from 12pm, dinner from 5.30pm

VERDICT
Food 7

Ambience 9

Service 10

Value 6

OVERALL 8

Originally published as Gold Coast dining: Review of Fish House, Burleigh Heads