Rick Shores, at Burleigh Heads, is a culinary tour of Asia

This unpretentious beachside restaurant on the Gold Coast takes you on a culinary tour of Asia.

On the rocks: Rick Shores. Picture: Heath Nissen

It’s a pity. If the global warming zealots are right and rising sea levels do threaten our coast, Rick Shores’ days are already numbered. And the place has only been open a minute. Sitting at our big table facing the spotlit sea through huge windows open to the warm March night, I swear a fleck of salt water hits my face as a wave rolls in and breaks on the rocks below. That close.

Given the general malaise that seems to overwhelm most tourism-centric restaurants in Queensland, you’d be forgiven for entertaining low expectations of a new mod-Asian from the folks that brought us Longtime, in gritty inner Brisbane. My experience with Sunshine State restaurateurs who expand their empires is less than positive.

But everything about this place breaks with convention. The look (seasidey white without the cliches); the wine list (smart, plenty by the glass, lots of organic producers and not a drop from the home state); the attention to detail that suggests accumulated wisdom in the restaurant caper (from menus to lighting, crockery to staff uniforms of jeans, white T-shirts and denim aprons); the service (“faultless” is a word I’d use only carefully); and of course the food.

The food at Rick Shores is just plain delicious. It is less a riff on Longtime’s greatest Thai hits, more a refined pan-Asian style. Don’t let that suggest formality; RS manages a dance combining service, handsome plating and enough originality, with its twists on favourite big Asian flavours, to be very impressive without demanding we fawn over “chef’s” creations. A good thing.

Unsurprisingly, the place is humming like a hot laptop. A tiered seating arrangement means everyone gets a view; whether they all get the same professional service, I’ll never know. Napkins, water, banter, wine, pacing, explanations and good humour … it’s one hell of a slice of the restaurant pie. And it’s a pretty comprehensive pie: nuance, imagination and good produce drive a menu that swerves around Asia for inspiration but isn’t afraid to appropriate from other cultures.

Take the delicious, mushy Japanese standard of miso-caramelised eggplant and stuff it in a crisp little house-made taco shell with dollops of (presumably) Kewpie mayo on top and you have one of the finest pre-dinner drink nibbles I’ve encountered for years. In a similar vein, their version of the ubiquitous Thai snack that uses a whole betel leaf as the mini wrapper — here with chopped prawn poached in kaffir-infused coconut cream with toasted ground rice for crunch — is a winning idea that succeeds as much on the quality of the prawn as the timeless appeal of DIY one-handed flavour bombs.

Miso-caramelised eggplant in a taco shell with mayo. Picture: Heath Nissen

The “Salad” section has two excellent ambassadors. The oiliness of crisp-grilled salmon is a successful contrast to the fresh, juicy astringency of watermelon chunks; throw in a creamy egg net, crunchy fresh fennel, more ground rice and a refined, delicious take on XO sauce and we’re pretty much in a Thai resort with a drink and an umbrella.

The other is a take on som tam with green apple instead of papaya and fried soft shell crab. The balance of heat, nuttiness and acid — with a hint of fructose — is spot on. Again, the rich/fresh juxtaposition is deft.

These, it should be noted, are large starters; so much so that a curry, rice and something from a quirky “Sides” list worked perfectly, to wit a dark, rich, turmeric-heavy yellow curry of prawns with depth, fruitiness and modest heat.

The same care, with a light, modern and very pretty approach, applies to a dessert that might have come out of Quay: a jumble of ginger beer-poached rhubarb, lychee sorbet, ginger beer and rhubarb granita, torn black sesame sponge, freeze-dried lychee and gingernut biscuits. It is so light, fresh and appropriate.

In short, Rick Shores is a wonderful (and unpretentious) package. Go while it’s still dry.

Address: Shop 3, 43 Goodwin Terrace, Burleigh Heads, Qld | Contact: [phone], rickshores.com.au | Hours: Lunch, dinner Tue-Sun | Typical prices: Small dishes $22; large $35; dessert $14 | Summary: Shore of itself | Like this? Try … Longrain, Sydney; Apple Daily, Perth; Supernormal, Melbourne | Rating: 4 out of 5