Build your own bowl.
Build your own bowl.
Is there anything better than a fresh, healthy bowl of goodness on a balmy spring day? The answer friends, is no there’s not, and lucky for us because poké bowls have taken over the Gold Coast of late.
The Kitchens at Robina Town Centre is the latest foodie venue to jump on the bandwagon with the opening of Poké Face, a space dedicated to takeaway bowls in many a delicious flavour.
Before you get too excited though, here’s the best bit, y’all can build your own bowls with all of the tasty things your little poké loving heart desires.
It goes a little something like this – choose a base, then add your protein (hi snapper sashimi), next up is the veggies then your choice of dressing, crunchy bits on top and a little drizzle of wasabi mayo if you’re game.
How good’s that!
Of course, if decision-making’s not your thing, the Poké Face gang have you covered. There are six ready-made bowls to choose from and each one is filled to the brim with nourishing, quality goods.
We vote the Common Love Story because a. name game is strong and b. it’s got snapper sashimi, beets, shredded carrot, edamame, radish with roasted sesame dressing, tobiko and toasted coconut. See, all the good things.
Owners Mary and Calum relocated to the Gold Coast from Sydney a few months ago bringing their creative poké bowl plans along for the ride and how happy are you that they’ve joined us all in the Sunshine State.
Get in there and welcome your new pals and while you’re there, build yourself the mother of all poké bowls.
What a time to be alive.
LOCATION: The Kitchens, Robina Town Centre, Robina
HOURS: 8am until 10pm daily
Words and photos by Kirra Smith
Hands up if you’re in a toxic relationship with Uber Eats? You want to bite that hand feeding you, even though, technically, that hand is yours. So maybe this is a self-restraint issue? Don’t worry, this isn’t a therapy session- just a list of healthy takeaways that don’t require any restraint at all! Because, well, they’re healthy, obviously?
Here’s your cheat sheet for the best healthy takeaway eats on the Gold Coast.
As wholesome as it gets, Dalas Kitchen is a gourmet salad bar with two Gold Coast locations, online delivery and catering. They’re known for the most deluxe salads, but also serve sangas (on house-made focaccia), bagels and sodas too! Ran out of time to meal prep? Just order’ Dalas At Your Desk’ via their website!
Our pick: the vegan and dairy-free Bangin’ Cauli’ with panko-crusted roasted cauliflower, Asian slaw, mint, coriander, shallots, crushed peanuts and a creamy maple sriracha dressing!
Where: 2247 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach and 6 Fifth Avenue, Palm Beach
Voted Gold Coast’s best healthy vegan eats, Govindas is not just a restaurant, but a mission. They’re a non-profit serving up feel-good, budget-friendly, and ethically made vegetarian fare. Every dish is as soul-nourishing as the next, with curries, salads, sides and more. They also run specials daily!
Our pick: Thursday’s Shepherd’s Pie– a classic!
Where: 20 James St, Burleigh Heads and 72 Griffith St, Coolangatta
This place is a plant-based paradise; every dish is a visual and nutritional masterpiece. If you’re yet to experience the best of vegan cuisine, let Cardamon Pod be your gateway! It’s as decadent and exciting as vegan dishes come- from raw cakes to globally inspired mains.
Our pick: Vegan Madras Chicken Tacos with tamarind popcorn ‘chicken’, bhuja, BBQ corn chat salsa, madras mayo and jalapeño cheese pakoras.
Where: 3/3 Brolga Ave, Brickworks Ferry Road, Southport
Quick, healthy and tasty- Just Fresh Made is your go-to for mouthwatering salads, spuds, wraps and fresh juices. Whether you’re craving something light and refreshing or a little heartier, Just Fresh Made has you covered every day of the week.
Our pick: Classic Fresh Veg Spud loaded with your choice of protein, smashed avo, tomato salsa, kale mix, sour cream and herb butter.
Where: Shop 1/84 Scarborough Street, Southport
They’re the Asian-inspired salad bar shaking up the fast-food game with zingy Asian bowls and rolls full of flavour and crunch. Banana Blossom is an East Coast favourite, serving in locations from the Sunny Coast to Bondi Beach. Their salads, rice bowls, and rice paper rolls are a fast, healthy and flavourful way to get your takeaway fix.
Our pick: Satay Salad with chicken, tofu or beef, plus pineapple, rice noodles, bean sprouts and a mouthwatering Malay-style dressing.
Where: Shop E117 Oracle East 6 Charles Ave, Broadbeach
Come for the poke, stay for the roti wraps and smoothie bowls. This Mermaid Beach gem dishes up generous, customisable bowls with all the toppings your taste buds could desire. They offer plenty of vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options to suit all!
Our pick: Nacho Bowl with chilli con carne, smoked sour cream, guac, habanero jam, and crunchy wonton chips.
Where: 2375 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach
Plant-based yum cha? What about take-home banquet packs?! Hell yeah! This little vegan restaurant in Mermaid Beach serves up mind-blowing Asian yum cha and meals that are so damn good it’s earned them a 92% recommendation on Facebook! This place is a not-to-miss, with insane hot pots, soups and noodles, and even vegan ‘meat’ and ‘seafood’ dishes.
Our pick: Any noodle dish (seriously, you can’t go wrong)- but don’t skip the entrees.
Where: 90 Market St, Mermaid Waters
Three words, well, dishes; donburi, okonomiyaki and sushi. Does healthy takeaway get much better than Japanese soul food? Okazu does it best- fast, fresh and in two locations. They also do poke bowls, burgers, bento combo meals and plenty of options for the kiddies.
Our pick: Teriyaki Beef Okonomiyaki with a side of miso soup.
Where: 1/2223 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach and 90 Markeri St Mermaid Waters
Don’t let the same put you off because this famed franchise is single-handedly making salads great again! They taste so damn good you forget you’re getting your entire daily intake of veg in one bowl! Build your own or pick from a menu of stacked bowls.
Our pick: The O.G. Chicken with poached chicken, kale, beets, crispy shallots, seaweed salad and roasted sesame dressing.
Where: Soul Boardwalk Shop T120B/4 Esplanade Surfers Paradise, Shop/4252 Robina Town Centre Dr, Robina and 2 James Street Burleigh Heads
Your servo snack stop just got a serious glow-up. Fox’s Pantry is a gourmet grocer/café hybrid (also a servo) serving fresh and fab whole eats, including sandwiches, salads, soups and more. Whether you follow a vegan, gluten free, dairy free or, keto lifestyle or diet….they have something ya!
Our pick: whatever you get, just don’t leave without a smoothie!
Where: 468 Golden Four Drive, Tugun
This Currumbin spot is a treasure trove of health-conscious delights. While catering is their main gig, their in-house and takeaway eats are at the next level. They use only the highest quality ingredients to make only the best-tasting eats that will fill your belly and warm your heart.
Our pick: the Organic Handcrafted Tofu Burger
Where: Shop 2 – 30 Currumbin Creek Rd, Currumbin
Words by Chelsea Ipsen
Is there anything more peaceful than floating along Tallebudgera Creek on a sunny, windless morning with a paddle board under your feet?
How about anchoring close to the shore for a relaxing yoga class while the tide gently rocks beneath you.
Now you can do both in the one glorious, zen-inducing morning thanks to local yokl, a Gold Coast company passionate about connecting travellers to locals and uniting them with the heart of our city.
Stand up paddle boarding can be somewhat of an art unto itself and while some balance is required, at least if you fall off, you’ll be splashing into the crystal clear waters of Talle Creek for a refreshing dip. It’s win win.
After cruising up the creek, instructor Sarnia has you dock the boards close(ish) to the shore to begin the yoga portion of the experience.
The practice starts off gently with meditative breathing and stretching and moves into stronger poses tailored to your strength and balance abilities.
After around an hour of asanas, including a few minutes to test out your skills with something a little trickier, it’s time for a closing meditation laying on the board, eyes closed with the sounds of birds, waves and laughing children floating by.
Paddling back to the starting spot might just be one of the most relaxing experiences of your life after that.
Once you’re back on dry land, have a quick dip and join Sarnia for a healthy, delicious breakfast by the creek and be on your merry way.
Paddle board yoga is such a beautiful way to experience one of the Gold Coast’s most breathtaking natural sights and what better way than on the water with a relaxing workout thrown in for good measure.
HOURS: Various (we recommend a sunrise session).
LOCATION: Meet at Kevin Gate Park, Awoonga Ave, Burleigh Heads.
Words by Kirra Smith
It’s all happening in Burleigh Heads folks, we’ll be eating somewhere new every night for the rest of our lives at this rate and we’re not sad about it.
This week Finn Poké slid open its doors on James Street bringing healthy, colourful and, best of all, absolutely delicious poké bowls to the people. Now we know poké bowls have been discussed previously but allow us to elaborate for those who haven’t had the pleasure.
Originating in Hawaii, poké (pronounced poh-keh) bowls are usually made up of raw fish, rice, vegetables and other fun additions. Don’t stop reading if raw fish ain’t your thing though, you can also have chicken (cooked) poké, vegetable poké and tofu poké.
Burleigh’s newbie comes courtesy of Jem Jacinto and his team who began their foray into poké bowls in Byron Bay just last year and since then, opened a store in Pacific Fair and now, this pretty place.
Speaking of pretty, you’re gonna LOVE it. The space is all white textured walls and aqua leather seating with a tiled entryway way and, our fave, a neon pink slogan sign scrawled across one wall.
Wicker light fittings are strung down the length of the space and the whole thing comes together in a perfectly Burleigh way – light, airy and with delightful little pops of colour and we would like to move in please.
Especially because we could eat poké bowls all day long. Yes please.
Finn Poké’s bowls are a little different from most in that they source only the most premium of ingredients to ensure both quality and flavour are top notch. Which they are.
We’re quite partial to the Spicy Salmon Shaka because not only is it made up of the prettiest pink hues we’ve ever come across, it is also a flavour sensation. The Shaka has red onion, bean sprouts, daikon, watermelon radish, shiso furikake (seasoning) and spicy sriracha mayo over the freshest of salmon.
The Salmon Finn is also next-level. Reminiscent of summer in a bowl, it’s filled with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bean sprouts, orange segments, nori furikake and classic shoyu (a type of soy sauce). So citrusy, so yum.
Of course, those are part of the signature bowl range but you’re also welcome to build your own bowl, which the chefs will ensure are perfectly balanced and even more perfectly tasty.
In conclusion (how dumb was essay writing back in the day), Finn Poké is the perfect addition to James Street and just imagine grabbing a bowl and perching atop Burleigh Hill every single day of summer. It’s going to be a time.
See you there, bring beers.
LOCATION: 31 James Street, Burleigh Heads
HOURS: 11am until late daily
Words and photos by Kirra Smith
