If there’s one thing recent times has gifted us, it is a slew of new phrases that are now part of our daily language. One of which is pivot, a thing that many Gold Coast businesses are doing very successfully, making our lives even easier than they were before.

A group of such businesses you’ll know quite well, are those found at Oracle Boulevard in Broadbeach of the eating and drinking variety, all very good at what they do and all very accessible thanks to a new thing they like to call Dial + Drive-Thru.

Which yes, is as great as it sounds and consists of exactly that. As of right now, you can call ahead to your favourite venue within Oracle Boulevard, order some goodies, get an allocated time and head to the new drive-thru section to grab it and go.

Genius.

So what’s on offer you ask? Well, everything.

Orzo is serving up their exceptional Italian eats including cook-at-home pastas and your choices of accompanying sauces. There’s also ready-to-eat dishes like handmade lasagne, salads and of course, you may add a bottle of wine to complete the experience.

The Lamb Shop is offering their absolutely delicious souvlakis (could eat four of these at a time, don’t do that) plus small plates and bar snacks like Housemade Pork Sausage with Tzatziki.  Wash all that down with a beer, wine or cider and you’ve got a good time.

Mamasan Kitchen + Bar have their extensive menu available for takeaway. It’s filled with an array of Asian dishes like Pork San Choy Bau, Dumplings, Baos and some incredible curries to name a few. If you’ve not yet had the pleasure of sampling their dishes, do yourself a favour now.

Social Eating House has a fine dining share-style menu to go including dishes like Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder, Chargrilled Chicken and Korean Twice-Cooked Glazed Lamb Ribs to name a few. There are sides, a few cook-at-home options and cocktails to go too. So good.

The Cuban Bar & Lounge Dining have many a tasty Cuban delight including Paella Cubana, Salmon Ceviche and Cuban Chicken Breast Skewers PLUS Spanish Churros for dessert. Yes to all of that please. Of course, there’s plenty of wine and beer to go and that’s our new favourite thing.

Mecca Bah is all your Mediterranean food dreams come true including MEZZE PLATES, Stone Baked Mecca Bah Pizzas and Morroccan Chicken Salads among other things. It’s all ten out of ten goodness and all available to enjoy in your stretchy pants right now. Bless.

Broadbeach Pizzeria is a relative newbie on the scene and they absolutely have all your hand crafted pizza options covered. Start with Mozarella sticks and waffle fries (obviously) and then treat yourself to a Spicy Spanish Prawn and Chorizo pizza or perhaps a Gourmet Pepperoni is more your style. They have it all.

Guzman y Gomez are all about good Mexican eats to go and we can confirm, they’re onto it. All your fave Mexi-goodies are there including burrito bowls, tacos, enchiladas and Nacho Fries (OMG) and you may as well taste them all.

No Name Lane is the Boulevard’s exceptional coffee joint but not only delicious brews, the team are also serving up their famous brunch eats like Smashed Avo on Sourdough Toast (the best), Reuben Sandwiches and Potato Hash Benedict and it’s all amazing, all the time. That’s your breaky run sorted.

Noodle Broadbeach have a snack menu on offer including things like Spring Rolls, BBQ Pork, Deep Fried Squid and Chicken Wings so you can grab something yummy to sample on the go. Not sure where you’re going but perhaps around through the drive-thru again? Why not.

There you have it, breakfast, lunch and dinner sorted in absolute style thanks to Oracle Boulevard. Impressive pivot guys, love your work. Get ordering here.

Words by Kirra Smith

Exciting news fresh out of Broadbeach today involving beloved Italian eats by people whose culinary talents have wowed us for quite some time already.

Yes friends, it’s a new Italian eatery adding to The Oracle Boulevard’s already thriving dining scene. Orzo, which translates to ‘barley’ in Italian, is the epitome of exceptional work by Social Eating House and Bar’s owner and executive chef, Matthew Jefferson, along with his wife Dayna who have gifted us with sophisticated coastal Italian cuisine.

And it absolutely delivers on all fronts.

Having only just opened in the last couple of weeks, Orzo exudes an elegant, relaxed vibe that’s also reflected in a menu that focuses on sustainable, local produce that will span lunch and dinner. Italian food all day long, what a treat.

The space itself is perfectly reminiscent of coastal chic with muted pastel tones, a curved wall and an open kitchen so you can watch the chefs work their magic. A wall filled wines, low lighting, gold and marble accents and light wooden light fixtures bring it all together and we are absolutely in love. You may choose to perch inside amongst all that beauty or outside in the fresh air to watch the world go by.

They said it would be the epitome of a coastal hug and that it absolutey is.

The menu features housemade pastas paying homage to southern Italy with mouthwatering dishes, all of which we would love to eat every day forever please.

To start, choose the House Made Foccacia with whipped ricotta and rosemary oil (to die for), the Fried Zucchini Blossoms with stracciatella, tomato and miso and vincotta (one of the most beautiful dishes we’ve ever sampled) and the Veal Carpaccio with tuna mayo, pickled onion, crouton and caper leaf (another life changer). Yes, all of them. Absolutely divine.

Pasta-wise, the Gnocchi with cherry tomato, basil and bush tomato was the fluffiest, most perfect dish of it’s kind we’ve ever sampled. The addition of a crunchy bush tomato concoction meant we wished it would go on forever. On the side add Heirloom Tomatoes with stracciatella, basil and olive oil and you will be one happy Gold Coaster.

There are mains along the lines of Pancetta Wrapped Spatchcock with chicory and grape and Pan Roasted Fish Fillet with sauce vierge with green olives and walnuts and of course, those are absolutely magical too.

There are also delights like house-cured meats and a variety of cheeses (AKA the love of our lives) so you might want to sample those too.

To drink, there are a beautiful array of Italian wines and beers and a list of cocktails that rivals any other.

The Negroni Orzo is perfection with strawberry gum, meletti and pandan and the Little Italy is obviously a delight with Aperol, vodka, lemon, mango and marjoram – the perfect summer sip. The entire list should be on your to do list of course.

So there you have it. If you’ve had the pleasure of experiencing the next-level goodness that is Social Eating House and Bar, you’ll know everything about it is unparalleled.

Make sure you get down there to experience it for yourself, Orzo is one of a kind and we are moving to Broadbeach now, good bye.

LOCATION: Oracle Boulevard, Broadbeach
HOURS: Daily from 12pm until late

Words and photos by Kirra Smith

It’s been awhile since we’ve brought you news of something opening on the Gold Coast for obvious reasons, but that is changing as of this very second.

We’re very excited to let you know that a new brewhouse is set to open in Surfers Paradise as of late 2020 and by then, the days filled with eating and drinking across our city that we miss very much, might just be possible once again.

The newbie is called Bobs Beer (the Bobs part stands for best of beer) and it’s set to be a state-of-the-art taproom, brewery and dining room which are right up there with all our favourite things.

You’ll be able to find Bobs on the corner of Elkhorn and Orchid Aves, where the Louis Vuitton store once lived and that’s pretty much the perfect place for what we’re sure will be an absolutely pumping new establishment in the heart of Surfers.

The venue will be of the three-storey variety with both an indoor seating section and a stunning outdoor patio, perfect for people watching. Inside will seat around 52 lucky folks and outside, there’ll be room for 68.

Extremely knowledgeable brewer Ryan Fullerton has made the trip up from Victoria to oversee the project so we know we’re in good hands. His rapsheet includes time spent working for Red Duck Brewery in Ballarat, Bad Shepherd Brewing Co, Melbourne’s Clifton Hill Brewpub. So that’s good news for us.

He’s currently in the process of researching the types of beers we Gold Coasters like best (tough gig), so we can assume there’ll be a good range to choose from, no doubt including a few out-of-the-box options.

In terms of eats, Bobs Beer is said to be offering a slightly fancier menu than your usual pub grub dishes and again, that is something we can get behind.

Now if you’ve ever frequented the site at all in the past, you’ll know it’s a grand position so we’re very excited to see what the team are able to do with it.

Of course, exactly how it all rolls out is dependent on the state of the world, so please friends, keep washing those hands and keeping your distance so we all get to visit this epic newbie sooner rather than later.

Stay tuned for more details when Bobs Beer opens.

LOCATION: Cnr Orchid and Elkhorn Avenue, Surfers Paradise

Words by Kirra Smith