You knead to visit Sanctuary Cove.
You knead to visit Sanctuary Cove.
The French know how to do, well, everything with finesse and style. Think Chanel, Bollinger, Moulin Rouge, Bridget Bardot and French Fries (jokes…but geez they’re good). Speaking of food, let’s not forget the obvious, because duh, French cuisine is L.I.F.E, and everyone loves it unless they’re prepping for a wedding or an event by which case, R.U.N.
And when we think of French food we think of French bakeries and all their bready, sugary, pastry-laden scrumptiousness that resides within. Sanctuary Cove, also synonymous with finesse and style, has just won the French bakery lottery with newcomer Rise Bakery. Opening just in a nick of time to woo the Boat Show crowds from Thursday 19th May through until Sunday 22nd May, both food and fit-out are nothing short of magnifique.
Combining high-end French bakery and salon de thés vibes with a (well-stocked) champagne bar, there is something for everyone here and much to love. After visiting Sanctuary Cove with its marina, resort and promenade, owners and Head Chefs Adrien Marcinowski and Maxime Bournazel were overcome with all the Southern France feels, and decided it was THE perfect spot for Rise.
Boasting plenty of Provence-style outdoor seating and plush leather benches inside, there’s no better setting for coffee sipping and croissant munching. The highlight for us would have to be the peeping-Tom-friendly kitchen, allowing patrons and passers-by to watch these master bakers in action through stunning arched windows. Clui Design and Lowry Group nailed the interiors and build with high-quality finishes and a simplistic elegance, with a few statement touches to deliver the wow. A never-fail colour palette of whites, pale pinks, creams and gold was used, with lots of curved edges for on-trend femininity. The lengthy cabinet displaying all the freshly baked goodies is truly stunning, as is the feature lighting and gold tombstone arch frames displaying custom-drawn illustrations of their in-house pastries.
Another talking point is the unique feature wall next to the champagne bar, with gold poles of glass feature discs that represent bubbles from the bottles of, well, bubbles! Designed and created in Poland and shipped here specifically, it’s not something you’d find in your average bakery and adds to the sophistication and class of this beautiful space.
Trying to choose a sweet or savoury treat here will really test the indecisive and delight the bakery enthusiasts. Whilst you can’t go wrong because it’s all so right, may we draw your attention specifically to the Macarons. These little bundles of heaven are just the right size to give you that decadent hit of sugary (but not too sugary) goodness. They look as amazing as they taste and go on, just order them all because lots of small treats are wayyyyy better for you than one big treat right?
And what type of French Bakery would it be if you didn’t get the chance to ogle a serious selection of freshly made pastries like Croissants, Pain Au Chocolat, Fruit Tarts and Chocolate Eclairs to name a few front runners. So, we are here to reassure you, that you’ll be hard-pressed to pick just one treat to indulge in when you are confronted with the decadent display. Also if you’re a sucker for freshly baked bread (samesies), Rise Bakery has you covered with Sourdoughs and Baguettes. But no dawdling please, because blink and you miss it – it sells like hotcakes, umm, we mean bread.
Oh and heads up on a simply irresistible menu addition coming soon which we’ve been told is the Balenciaga of bakery beverages; specialty Cake Shakes. We feel no further info is required because Cake. And. Shakes.
So watch this space folks because a liquor license is imminent which means you can take full advantage of Rise’s swanky champagne bar, which we reckon will be the fancy fruit on the flavour-packed flan.
Where: Shop C/ 4 Masthead Way, The Marine Village, Sanctuary Cove
When: 7am – 4pm Tuesday – Sunday. Closed Monday.
Words by Bianca Trathen.
Oh baked goods, why do you taunt us so. Taste sensations, tick. Better with butter, tick. Comforting when cold, tick, tick, tick. They’re almost too good to be true but, as demonstrated below, they are true and there are Gold Coast bakeries galore which is just fine by us.
Here’s a list of the top 16 bakeries within which you’ll find said exceptional baked treats and happy carb loading Coasties.
Custard Canteen
From 5:30am-2:30pm daily, Custard Canteen is known for cranking out absolute next-level Portuguese custard tarts, almond croissants, loaded muffins, the gooiest of cookies and various breakfast and lunch goods. Wash it all down nicely with a cup of their exceptional coffee.
Where: Tallebudgera Recreation Centre, Gold Coast Hwy, Palm Beach
The Pastry Emporium
Taking it up a notch from the good old-fashioned bakery, here you’ll find pastries baked to perfection with not a flake out of place by Adrian Graziloi. Think escargot pastries (aka, snail pastries) finished with apricot glaze, crushed pistachio and rock sugar and an array of pinky-raising single-serve cakesandtarts. The Pastry Emporium conjures up otherworldly cakes and desserts while also delivering necessities like delicious breads and coffee. If you moved in there, we wouldn’t judge you. Please invite us over.
Where: 4/28 Campbell St, Bundall
Bam Bam Bakehouse
Needing no introduction is Mermaid’s Bam Bam Bakehouse – creators of the most original baked treats the Gold Coast has ever seen and the absolute love of our lives if we’re honest. Known for creations such as Salted Caramel Eclairs and Ink Gin Choux Bomb, it’s another level of baked treat magic and everything tastes more delicious than you could possibly imagine.
Where: 2519 – 2521 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach
Paddock Bakery
Hidden amdist a little garden oasis is Paddock Bakery, a cafe/garden wonderland in Miami cranking out insane baked goods. How about a Matcha NY Baked Cheesecake? Yah. Milo Croissant Rings are also a thing and their oozing choc chip cookies are the real deal. They have an impressive and ever-changing doughnut selection, and there’s always something new to blow your dessert loving mind.
Where: 20 Hibiscus Haven, Miami
Fosters Bakery
Fosters is a Nobby’s institution that has been serving up legendary classics all day, every day, for many a year. Their pies are some of the best around; we may be known to indulge in them for breakfast, lunch and dinner for many days running. Their vanilla slice, custard tarts and doughnuts are always a good idea. It’d be wise to treat their pie and doughnut selection as a checklist to try them all.
Where: 1/2227 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach
Burleigh Baker
For the love of sourdough, this place is the goods. We’re partial to the olive sourdough because olives are life, but there are many varieties, all of which are the perfect addition to a warming soup and/or lathered with butter. Oh, and all their sourdough is of the organic and artisan varieties AND they make incredible cakes like a Raspberry and Pistachio with honey frosting and honey caramel drizzle. Two, please. Find them in Burleigh (obvs), but also Paradise Point!
Where: 13/50 James Street, Burleigh Heads and Shop 7/46 The Esplanade, Paradise Point
Fuel Bakehouse
Soooo many delicious things come out of this place you guys. We’re talking custard-filled, sprinkle-topped, meringue-crumbled, Nutella oozing (etc. etc.) doughnuts. Not just muffins, but cruffins. Your ol’reliable bacon and egg rolls, and some of the tastiest pies around town. There are three Fuel Bakehouse locations (Currumbin, Burleigh and Cabarita), so you need not worry about missing out. And you absolutely don’t want to miss out.
Where: 44 Currumbin Creek Rd, Currumbin Waters, 39-45 Tweest Coast Rd, Cabarita and Shop 1/23 James St, Burleigh Heads
Coolangatta Pie Shop
Want to know what we pray for? Generously filled pies with flaky pastry that are available from an absolute institution 7 days a week. Turns out we don’t need to pray, as this already exists! The iconic Coolangatta Pie Shop has proudly served at the NSW and QLD border since 1964. There are also tasty sweet treats and we recommend the Macadamia Slice thingo because caramel is life.
Where: 50 Griffith St, Coolangatta
Dipcro Pastry
Dipcro (verb): means to dip a flaking-ly fabulous croissant into a silky smooth coffee. The result is usually a feeling of unadulterated pleasure. Not to state the obvious, but you find that feeling at Chevron Island’s Dipcro Pastry in endless supply. They’re a patisserie that specialises in the scrumptious art of all things pastry and puff. A Matcha Mochi Pastry Tart anyone? How about an Espresso Tiramisu Mille Feuille? Or the Hazelnut Praline Cromboloni?!! Okay, we have to stop there- we’re afraid you may die of a pastry-induced coma if we go on.
Where: 55 Thomas Dr, Chevron Island
Franquette
With a name like Franquette (pronounced Fraen-ket), a mind naturally conjures up images of all kinds of French-inspired splendour. And you’d be right on the baguette. Franquette is one of Mt Tamborine’s latest editions – a French bakery that was quickly beloved by locals and visitors alike. They’ve got more loaf varieties than you can poke a breadstick at and freshly prepared sandwiches and baguettes with THE most scrumptious fillings. Then there’s the sweet French pâtisserie- do we really need to convince you how good they are?
Where: 155 Long Road, Tamborine Mountain
Tarte Bakery + Beach House
If you reside on the Gold Coast and haven’t yet experienced, or worse, heard of Tarte Bakery (or their sister venue, Tarte Beach House), then we’ve found you at a bittersweet juncture. You get to make up for lost time! Let us enlighten you on what awaits. Cue the song: ‘Strawberries on muffins and bacon on bagels. Brown butter cookies and truffle cheese toasties. Golden croissants dipped in pistachio cream – these are a few of our favourite things (at Tarte). Thanks, Julie Andrews, for putting that so melodiously into words.
Where: 2 West Street, Burleigh Heads (Tarte Bakery) and Shop 1, 2-4 Thrower Drive, Currumbin (Tarte Beach House)
Well Bread & Pastry
If you’re looking for a down-to-earth bakery where you can grab yourself a well-poured coffee, some incredible pastries and breads and a space where you can catch up with a friend, then say hello to Well Bread & Pastry. It’s a euro-infused bakery with two locations in Palm Beach and Miami. All their sourdough is made using sustainable stone ground flour (and lots of love), and their coffee is made with Paradox beans. And just like their pies, their cabinets are always filled to the brim with drool-worthy croissants, pain au chocolats and biscuits galore. Cappuccino cheers to that!
Where: 6 Fifth Avenue, Palm Beach and 1934 Gold Coast Hwy, Miami
Bread Social
If you’re a fan of mouth-wateringly good, cooked-with-love baked treats (if you’re not, you’re lost in the wrong article), then you will have absolutely sampled the goods from The Bread Social – they’re an in-demand Northern NSW and Southern Queensland baked goods supply. If you’re visiting in person, you can find them at Tweed Heads, Byron Bay, Currumbin and the Isle of Capri. And when you are visiting, here’s your hit list: the Reuben sandwich, an extra large Custard Tart and a Cinnamon Scroll made with crème patisserie and dusted with cinnamon sugar & pinch of salt. We’ll see you rollin…out the door.
Where: 12A Bay St, Tweed Heads; 2 Queensbury Ave Currumbin Waters; 11 Ewingsdale Rd, Ewingsdale and 15-21 Via Roma Isle of Capri
Rise Bakery
Picture your next Sunday morning; a fresh spread of French pastries behold you, and mimosas (plural) are in place of your water (H2O is taking a day off). Life is splendorous. That’s Rise Bakery for you; a sanctuary where butter, sugar and flour rise together and are served in the form of lunettes, pain suisse, baguettes and croissants. Your only complication is deciding what to have next coffee or champagne? Sweet or savoury? Life’s hard…
Where: Shop C/ 4 Masthead Way, The Marine Village, Sanctuary Cove
GLUTEN FREE
Sacre Coeur Pâtisserie
If you’re a big flan of baked goods, but your dietaries aren’t typically down with the likes of cakes, croissants, and flaky treats – doughnut worry! Serving a fresh-baked selection of specialty pastries, cakes, pies, coffees and more, Sacre Coeur Patisserie is a plant-based bakehouse that prides itself on a healthier approach to typical Parisian fare with a range of refined sugar-free creations. Think pistachio croissants, peanut butter caramel scrolls and Mint and Matcha New York-style cheesecake! It’s hard to imagine how such scrumptious goodies could be aftermath-free!
Where: 158 Scarborough Street, Southport
Made with Love
It’s not often that vegans and pastries can walk hand in hand, but thanks to this Southport bakery, they can finally be able to make it down the aisle together. Made with Love ( and zero harm) is a god-sent for the plant-based peeps and dietary-restricted alike. On offer are Nutella and custard-laden doughnuts, danishes that will quickly vanish, sausage rolls and ham and cheese croissants (don’t ask questions; just devour and appreciate the outright wizardry).
Where: 19 Alicia Street, Southport
Words by Chelsea Ipsen
When a new venue specialising in quality, authentic Mexican cuisine and tequila launches, we drop everything. Especially when it opens on the Northern GC because halleluiah, this end of the Coast is finally getting its quota of fresh, modern and very ‘now’ eats spots. This particular establishment, the spec-taco-lar Pablito’s Mexican Cuisine and Tequilaria, calls the luxe (yet casually cool) Sanctuary Cove home, and is the new frontrunner on your ‘restaurants to try stat’ list.
With an emphasis on fresh produce presented simply, Pablito’s serves up a very on-trend predominantly plant-based and gluten free menu, with just enough non-planty goodness to keep the meat eaters happy. Offering indoor outdoor dining with capacity to seat 45 inside and 50 outside, it looks the part of the quintessential Modern Mexican cantina. But, it also has a slight Caribbean influence and holy guacamole, is this not the union of the two coolest vibes ever and we are already obsessed.
Speaking of obsessed, there’s a cactus at every turn which really speaks to our unrelenting fascination with these prickly must-haves. Our terracotta fetish is also well and truly nurtured, with gorgeous terracotta tables set against venetian walls and exposed concrete. The Virgin Mary herself resides within, in the form of several statues lit up with soft, flickering mood lighting creating a warm, authentic Mexican ambience. Clui Design and Northcoast Building and Maintenance certainly understood the assignment by creating a space that feels intimate and fun and best of all, like you’ve just swapped continents and stepped into Mexico City itself.
Owners Peter Baumgart and Paul Hodgkinson have outdone themselves on the big sister to their first-born Mexican restaurant, Caracara in Tugun. Looking to cut their teeth on something bigger and swisher, they patiently waited for the perfect location to present itself for a premium dining experience. Naturally when a spot at Sanctuary Cove became available, they were all over it like jalapeños on a taco.
Head chef Luke Corvin cooks up a show-stopping variety of delectable plates, designed both to share or hog all to yourself. Using only the highest quality produce and suppliers, sink your pearly whites into his signature Red Snapper Ceviche, enjoyed most when washed down with one (or more) of the many margaritas on offer. Our infatuation with this iconic Mexican cocktail is well documented, so any chance we have to knock back a few of these bad boys, we’re there before you can say muchos margis grazias. We’re ordering both the coconut margarita and the watermelon margarita because we can’t choose and why should we? The house tequila is made with wild agave and they only use organic, freshly squeezed lime in all their cocktails. Or, if you’re into sipping tequilas and mezcals (or shotting, like us circa the early naughties), there are over 50 on the menu and we dare you try them all. Actually, maybe don’t do that… because it really won’t end well for anyone involved.
We’re also fans of the Crispy Mushroom Tacos with cashew cream, charred white cabbage and hibiscus onion, and the King Prawn Lettuce Tacos with Persian feta, sauerkraut, egg, peas, hibiscus onions, and Yarra Valley salmon caviar (fancy!). And let’s not forget the Chicken Burrito Bowl with Mexican rice, house beans, salsa verde and roasted red capsicum sauce and slaw. Top it all off with the Dessert Nachos with salted caramel bananas, coconut yoghurt and peanut brittle and you’ve officially died and gone to foody heaven.
So if you’re keen to escape the mass produced, sour cream laden tex-mex style of chow and experience authentic and genuine Me-hi-co, Pablito’s is the real deal.
Where: Shop 39D Masthead Way, Sanctuary Cove, Hope Island
When: 5.30pm – midnight Monday – Wednesday, 11.30am – midnight Thursday, & 6.30am – midnight Friday – Sunday.
Words by Bianca Trathen.
For a quicker visit and to grab something a tad naughty, you were hard-pressed. Until now, that is. New kid on the block Rosé Gelateria brings you all the delicious gelato, plus much more to make afternoons or mornings spent at Sanctuary Cove even more satisfying.
The shop itself is a pastel-infused piece of art. Period. Even if you walk by and don’t feel the necessity to pop in, it’s still sure to turn heads. Cute hanging ball lights will mean checking out the selection of gelato from the wrap-around counter is a breeze, whilst booth-style seating gives you an adequate opportunity to rest your feet and savour whatever tasty goodness you might have chosen.
Having only been open for a week, the shop was thrown into the busiest week of the year for Sanctuary Cove with their annual boat show. With over 50,000 people coming through over the two days, we’re told the scooping never ceased. Now, with that behind them and balmy winter days ahead, they look forward to a slower pace and welcoming all of you lovely people when you decide to drop by.
Now, gelato-wise, these guys are casting their net far and wide by having two different suppliers: Delizia Brisbane and Everest Melbourne. Not content with just anything, the team carefully considered their options and made sure they have the very best flavours for their customers to enjoy offering crowd favourites Cookies & Cream, Mint Choc Fudge, Vanilla Bean which sit perfectly next to more exotic flavours such as Italian Pistachio, Fig & Marscapone, Vienna Coffee or Raspberry Choc — not to mention the taste tingling water-based sorbets like Lemon, Mango or Raspberry for those who like to keep things plant-based. You can rest assured whatever you get scooped here has been rigorously taste-tested!
Suppose you’re not up for anything frozen. In that case, delicious pastries and the prettiest rainbow assortment of macaroons (there’s even a popcorn flavoured one!) — from the maestros at Mark Daniels in Robina — are the perfect accompaniment to coffee. Beans are sourced from local coffee roaster Supreme in Yatala, and as well as being poured the standard way, you can also have your coffee over ice cream — afternoon affogatos are a thing, didn’t you know?
Once your tastebuds have been spoilt rotten, there’s a small selection of homewares and products for you to have a look at and then most likely take home. Organic teas from Mayde in Byron Bay and Mr Consistent cocktail mixers make the ideal gift for somebody special or if you feel the need to indulge yourself, be our guest!
There’s little doubt Rosé Gelateria is going to go down a storm here at Sanctuary Cove. By complementing nearby venues such as tapas and drinks sensation Destino, the pre-and post-dinner/lunch game has undoubtedly gone up a notch.
If you are stopping by, why not come a little earlier and stay a little while longer?
Where: Sanctuary Cove, Shop/39A Masthead Way, Hope Island
Hours: 7 days: 8am – 9pm
Words by Alex Mitcheson.
