Prepare your stretchy pants, folks.
Prepare your stretchy pants, folks.
The Gold Coast’s position in the South-East corner of Queensland means it has access to some of the country’s finest produce. Sorry other states — but it’s a fact.
And in recent years the whole paddock to plate movement has certainly seen diner’s expectations and tastes change. You only have to take a leisurely drive into the Gold Coast hinterland or South across the border into NSW: rural producers are literally around every corner. Another reason we are so blessed to live in this little corner of the world!
As scrumptious as it is impactful, QT Gold Coast is bringing something very special for you and your discerning tastebuds. Be Our Guest is a year-long collaboration with local food producers who are doing it tough whether they’ve been affected by bushfires, drought or the impacts of COVID-19.
Once a month, Bazaar Marketplace will host an intimate food and wine experience where QT’s chefs will work alongside producers to curate a one-of-a-kind five-course experience to hero their products and flavours.
Prepare your stretchy pants, folks.
The series kicks off with Tommerup’s Dairy Farm, from the Scenic Rim. The sixth-generation dairy farm, with dynamic farming duo Dave and Kay Tommerup at the helm, has been running within the region since 1874. After suffering through one of the worst droughts in their history, as well as the impacts of bushfires and the ongoing effects of COVID-19, the pair have evolved their business in true farming spirit to overcome these challenges.
Kay and Dave’s new and ethically farmed products deliver an authentic farm-to-plate experience for the conscious consumer.
“We’re both very passionate about keeping the farm going for future generations and we want to respect and honour the previous generations who have farmed here. We love helping our visitors connect with where their food comes from,” Kay says.
“As farmers, we take a huge amount of pride in producing the highest quality products for our fellow Australians, but we need the consumer to take pride in being part of the food chain as well. We need them to recognise the value in supporting sustainability, innovation, and quality – farmers can’t continue to strive for these things without knowing the consumer has our back too”.
Looking after your fellow farmer whilst experiencing first-rate food is surely a win/win scenario, right?
To kick off the series, QT Chefs have designed a premium menu to hero Tommerup’s dairy products in a five-course set menu to bring out the flavours of Tommerup’s creamery and pork products, with an optional wine tasting pairing to boot — Sundays will never be the same!
Buy your tickets here.
LOCATION: 7 Staghorn Avenue, Surfers Paradise
HOURS: 12pm – 3pm Sunday 28 February
Words by Alex Mitcheson
It’s been a minute since we’ve sung the praises of coffee and if you know us, you’ll be aware just how much we adore the delicious, life-changing liquid (a little too much perhaps).
The point is coffee is the greatest and particularly coffee that is perfectly brewed in a sweet, new coffee spot in the heart of Surfers Paradise.
And even more particularly when that coffee is made of Social Espresso Coffee Roasters beans.
Which as you may have guessed is exactly the situation at Olive Coffee on Surfers Paradise Blvd.
The newbie was opened in late December by brother and sister team Nicola and Ryan Touliatos who decided the intimate space was the perfect place for a specialty coffee shop.
We couldn’t agree more and especially because Olive Coffee is cute as a button with a light green coffee bench and matching back wall, plants draped from the ceiling and yes, a couple of beautiful olive trees throughout.
Along one wall you’ll find shelves packed with delights like Mr Consistent’s pre-mixed cocktails, jars of edible flowers and take-home bags of Social Espresso coffee beans. All epic local things you need in your life.
Along with one of Olive Coffee’s perfectly brewed sips of course.
To eat, there are sweet treats like cupcakes, caramel slice and cookies to name a few and savoury-wise ham and cheese croissants, plain croissants (deserving of a better name really) and some bigger bites too.
The Breaky Burger has bacon and eggs with cheese and tomato relish and there’s a vego version with halloumi.
You can also tuck into a Reuben Sandwich with pastrami, sauerkraut, pickles, cheese and Dijon mustard, a range of toasties, an acai bowl and Avo Smash.
It’s all fresh and lovely and filling.
If you’re all coffee-d out you can also sip Frappes in flavours like Oreo, Nutella and Chai to name a few or Naked Berry Smoothies in Coco Mango, Coco Strawberry and Choc Banana.
All in all, it’s a stunning place with plenty of delicious goodies to sample and you should absolutely stop in next time you’re in Surfers Paradise.
LOCATION: 3046 Surfers Paradise Boulevard, Surfers Paradise
HOURS: Monday to Friday 6.30am until 1pm, Saturday and Sunday 6.30am until 12pm
Words and photos by Kirra Smith
If there was one thing that Surfers Paradise was missing, it was a stylish brewery complete with it’s very own range of epic beers and a menu that is unlike anything you’ve seen in a brewery before. But that one thing is missing no longer thanks to the long-awaited opening of BOBs Beer this week.
Found on the corner of Elkhorn and Orchid Aves, in the heart of Surfers Paradise, the stunning new brewery is a must-visit not only because of an impressive range of frosty brews on tap and the aforementioned impressive menu but because the fitout is one of the very best we’ve seen in a while and you’re going to absolutely love it.
Being on a corner block means the venue offers plenty of window seating so you can sit back and watch the bustling world of Surfers Paradise roll by. There’s a little outdoor seating section if you’re keen to catch a breeze but inside is where all the Insta-worthy goodness can be found.
The first thing you’ll notice are the growlers suspended from the roof that have been transformed into light fittings and second, the bar made with beer taps that are actually huge copper pipes and behind that, the brewery itself. It all comes together absolutely perfectly and we are huge fans.
Now let’s chat beer because that’s what we all came for and BOBs is of course, a working brewery led by famed (former) Melbourne brewmaster Ryan Fullerton who knows what’s up when it comes to beer. He and his team have been busy brewing and already you can get four BOBs Beers on tap ( a lager, IPA, XPA and a Saison), with four more on the way.
The idea is to always have eight in-house brews on offer and the rest of the taps to be taken up by other Australian brewers.
If you’d prefer a cocktail there are sips like the Monkey Business with Mr Black Coffee Liqueur, Flor de Cana 5yo rum, banana and coffee and the Buffalo Berry with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Fino Sherry, Raspberry, Orange and Soda. So lovely. There’s also an extensive wine and sparkling list and A LOT of thought has been put into every single aspect of it.
To eat, as we said, there’s an incredible menu filled with bites you might not expect to find at a Surfers Paradise brewery — for example savoury profiteroles with craquelin, ricotta and King Island Mousse, oysters with mignonette, shallots, shitake and topiko and a chicken dish with carrot and pumpkin gels and purees and a chicken jus. All extremely delicious (tried and tested by us).
Of course there’s also a Waygu Beef Burger (so good), premium steaks and fries with aioli.
The entire venue boasts a few finishing touches that really make BOBs Beers something special – for example a stamp to brand the ice cubes (played with that for way too long) and plates made out of leftover grain from the beer production (how good).
Not to mention the team is planning to open a whisky bar downstairs in the coming months. It’s all happening in Surfers Paradise Gold Coasters, you’re not going to want to miss this one.
LOCATION: 10/2 Elkhorn Avenue, Surfers Paradise
HOURS: 12pm to 12am daily
Words and photos by Kirra Smith
