Rick Shores, Burleigh Heads, Qld
You can’t get much closer to waterfront dining than this.
Rick Shores at Burleigh Heads gives new meaning to the words waterfront dining. As you sit at your table, with a stunning view down the main beach of the Gold Coast, the ocean gently laps at the rocks you overlook. In fact the famed eatery is so close to the waves they sometimes come inside.
“When we designed the restaurant, we were aware that there had been incidents in the past where the waves came in, so we designed with that in mind so we could pull the furniture out, and we fortified the walls of the kitchen,” co-owner Nick Woodward tells WISH. “Little did we know that six months after we opened there would be a huge cyclone that hit us straight away and got as close to the kitchen as you could get. That was pretty scary because it knocked out all the windows in the lower level.”
That was about five years ago and since then Woodward and his team have become very good at navigating the risk, pulling out windows and sandbagging the place to protect it from the sometimes not-so-tame ocean.
“There was one incident at the end of last year where we did leave the windows in but the waves were still quite big,” Woodward says.
“I remember them coming up against our windows – it was almost like you were in an aquarium because you could see fish swimming past.”
The incredible location is not the only thing Rick Shores has going for – it does really good Asian-inspired food. It’s the place to be seen and booking in advance is the only way in. The eatery – under the eye of head chef James Brady – is known for its curries and its Fried Moreton Bay Bug roll with sriracha mayonnaise and gem lettuce in a brioche bun, as well as beautiful fresh oysters with Thai vinaigrette and its 900kg ribeye with Sichuan pepper, sweet onion puree and burnt butter jus.
This is the second restaurant for Woodward and his business partners, who opened a Thai-inspired eatery called Longtime in Brisbane with critical and commercial success.
Woodward got his start in hospitality about a decade ago as a DJ when he and a mate decided to take over the lease of the venue they were working at in Fortitude Valley. They then took on the pub upstairs and moved into food entirely with Longtime restaurant (now known as sAme sAme and under different owners).
“We had done a few trips to Thailand and we just thought there was definitely a gap in the market for a fun place to dine,” he tells WISH. “Basically, smart casual with some good food; loud but fun.”
Woodward says they decided to open Rick Shores – a play on the word rickshaw – when the space became available, and moving to the Gold Coast wasn’t a bad incentive either.
“Lifestyle played a big part and we saw an opportunity to do something quite special,” he explains.
“We had a bit of success with the previous restaurant and we saw the opportunity to try and replicate it in a much more stunning and beautiful environment than a back alley in Fortitude Valley.” Not that there is anything wrong with a back alley in Fortitude Valley, he adds, laughing.
Since opening Rick Shores in 2016, Woodward says he has noticed a significant improvement in the dining options in the Gold Coast, and especially in Burleigh Heads.
“There is now a little foodie hub in Burleigh; there are all these cool little bars and it’s not just the pub,” he says.
“Even in the five years I have been here it is incredible to see the changes.”
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BOOKS
FROM OUR KITCHEN TO YOURS
The Country Women’s Association of Victoria
Murdoch Books
To use millennial-speak, this delightful old-school cookbook includes the best 185 recipes from the ultimate bakers – the Country Women’s Association of Victoria. It has all the classics, from never-fail sponge to ginger fluff cake and sticky date puddings. And there are even savoury recipes thrown in to offset the sug
IN GOOD COMPANY
Sophie Hansen
Murdoch Books
Written by author and foodie Sophie Hansen, who lives just outside Orange in NSW, this book is about easy-to-put-together menus for all sorts of gatherings. They’re divided into seasons, so think spring chicken lunch party, the perfect summer picnic and Sunday-best roasts in winter. Illustrated with lovely photographs, this book inspires even me to contemplate entertaining at home.
THE PASTA MAN
Mateo Zielonka
Hardie Grant Books
London-based Mateo Zielonka makes pasta that is beautiful, and we are not talking just about the taste – his creations look like works of art. In these 40 recipes he shows you how to make spots, strips and other shapes and effects, as well as covering the pasta basics such as lasagne sheets, pappardelle, ravioli and tortellini.