New restaurants, cafes and changes in Mackay Whitsunday food scene
Hungry? From croissants to bibimbap, catch up on what’s been happening in the Mackay Whitsunday dining scene, including Asian fusion desserts. BE TEMPTED
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From French pastry to Korean fried chicken to Italian agritourism, there’s a whole world of flavour to be found in the Mackay Whitsunday food scene.
It’s already been a busy year with several new restaurants, venue changes, and even awards given out since the start of 2024.
Fiancés Tim Peet (27) and Sinead Perrett (25) have both worked in kitchens for years and are now striking out on their own with Pain Au Chocolat Patisserie at 98 Victoria St.
“The classic French omelette, nobody does that in Mackay … no one’s getting pomme dauphines, or even just your French toast,” Mr Peet said.
“That’s the kind of stuff we want to emphasise, the traditional methods of how the French things are supposed to be served.”
According to their Facebook, Pain Au Chocolat Patisserie will officially open its doors on March 20.
Owners Lena Kang (30) and Ribel Goh (33) said they were excited to share their favourite foods with Mackay at the grand opening for The Real Korean Restaurant late last month.
From more traditional recipes like kimchi stew to Korean soul food treats like fried chicken, Lena said there was a variety of meat-based dishes to more healthy vegetable dishes like rice bowl bibimbap.
Both owners worked previously at Wara Sushi at Parkside Plaza, but Mr Goh has also been the chef at fine dining restaurant Attica in Melbourne as well as 86 and Sage in Canberra.
The couple have taken over the formerly venue of Flavours of Vietnam at 176 Victoria St, whose owner Mina Dang was a key supporter for the young entrepreneurs.
WalWal Mackay sells a select range of Asian fusion desserts and celebrated their opening with free samples of their signature walnut pastry, known in Korea as hodu-gwaja, with custard, Nutella, red bean, and cheese fillings on offer.
Brian Shin said WalWal’s sweet and savoury treats, like Korean egg bread and the traditionally Chinese tanghulu (candied fruit skewers), were inspired by the trip home with his partner and co-owner Bella Kim and their young daughter Thea.
“While we were visiting Korea, we witnessed all the street food getting popular,” he said.
“So we were thinking if we have this business in Mackay it could be really good, and it’s happening now.”
Mr Shin and Ms Kim also worked at Wara Sushi and, with support from its owners and Parkside Plaza management, opened WalWal in the kiosk in front of Coles on February 4.
Southeast Asian style restaurant Eastwoods Dining and Bar was only open for a couple of months before it won Whitsundays and Bowen’s best restaurant for 2024, smashing the Daily Mercury poll with 37 per cent of the votes.
Located in the Beach Plaza along the Airlie Esplanade, owners Jack and Kirsty Mason described the spot as an up and coming restaurant hub alongside Mexican restaurant Mika and Italian restaurant La Tabella.
Sourcing traditional Southeast Asian ingredients cooked in a modern way, the restaurant offers a broad range of dishes incorporating all the big flavours, colours and fresh produce and seafood.
“It’s pretty humbling to think, after three months of being open, that we have been voted the best restaurant,” Ms Mason said.
Salvatore Cicchelli, Sabrina Rampi and their daughter Camilla began dishing up authentic Italian pizza and smoked meats at Mount Jukes Family Farm, about 30 minutes’ drive north of Mackay, in late 2022.
Taking out second place in the vote for Mackay’s best pizza months later, the family now wants to upgrade from a food truck outdoor seating to a fully-fledged indoor restaurant complete with a pizza oven, brewery, bar and small shop selling souvenirs and gifts.
Development application documents submitted to Mackay Regional Council show the owners plan to also build a new sealed car park for 20 vehicles to service the “unique” tourist attraction.
Mina Dang opened restaurant Flavours of Vietnam in a small venue on Macalister Street in February 2019, and in late 2023 her young family and staff celebrated the grand opening of their new space at 18 Nelson St.
Ms Dang was deeply grateful for the loyal customers who helped make the move to Nelson St possible, with twice as much seating and three times as much space overall.
She said she was passionate about encouraging others to “dream” whether it was for a better job or a business of their own, including Lena Kang and Ribel Goh of The Real Korean.
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Originally published as New restaurants, cafes and changes in Mackay Whitsunday food scene
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