After twenty years in the making, the Gold Coast has a seafood restaurant to boast about: Blowfish Ocean Grill + Bar.
In a whirlwind turnaround, owners Steven and Autumn Adams took over the former Bavarian Restaurant site on Oracle Boulevard and, with the assistance of Space Cubed Design Studio and Zero 9, their dream was brought to life in a mere three months.
It’s a long way from the couple’s hometown, Southampton, UK, where they first met, their heritage referenced by a single dish on the Blowfish menu: posh fish and chips, old school style with mushy peas and ham hock. The dish may be similar to one served in British gastropubs, however, their Gold Coast setting could not be more different.
After migrating to Australia, Steven and Autumn opened their first restaurant in 2005, expanding their business base despite the setbacks of floods, changing economic climates and Covid.
“It’s like having another child,” Autumn says on our recent visit to Blowfish, describing the stress of opening their latest restaurant in December 2023 as part of their Moo Moo Hospitality Group, a complementary sister restaurant to the highly awarded Moo Moo The Wine Bar + Grill Gold Coast, Moo Moo Brisbane, and catering company Moo Moo 2 U.
“I have always dreamed of owning a seafood restaurant,” Steven tells us.
“The two levels of the venue represent the ocean, the deeper sections upstairs and the surface level downstairs, each providing a different dining experience,” says Autumn, praising Steven’s eye for detail.
Entering the restaurant from Oracle Boulevard, we stand in awe of the elegant fit-out, our gaze skimming from the bar shimmering like a reef of coral in the light-filled space, the chandelier providing a release of bubbles rising towards the surface above a sea of dining: sand and rock-coloured tables and chairs and plush sea green booth seating around the perimeter, gold accents mimicking rutile glimmering in the filtered light.
The upper level is elegantly moody, exuding a sexy vibe reinforced by a couple of full-sized nude portraits. The space includes the Ripple Room, a private dining room for 24 people. “This area is not only one of the most unique private dining spaces on the Gold Coast, but will also have AV equipment for presentations, making it perfect for business meetings and special celebrations,” Steven tells us.
As expected, the menu at Blowfish is seafood-dominated, with a few cameo meat appearances appeasing non-seafood diners. With Head Chef Lee Huckstep in charge of effecting the seasonal menu, Moo Moo Group’s Executive Chef Trent Robson (ex-Pier 9) says the secret to sourcing the freshest seafood is developing strong relationships with suppliers.
“The majority of our seafood is sourced from Northern NSW, Mooloolaba and Yeppoon,” Trent tells us. “Quality depends on who you get your seafood from. That choice determines whether you will get fresh or frozen. Nothing beats a super cold sashimi or fresh fish, or our Moreton Bay bugs with tamarind, curry and lime leaf.”
Chilled seafood is a great place to start our adventure, a bump of caviar accompanied by a shot of Royal Dragon Vodka, or maybe some exceptional oysters, a traditional prawn cocktail or Hiramasa kingfish.
Guests can choose their own style of dining with either a traditional entrée and main, or dishes to share, such as the signature Blowfish bug roll (a tempura Moreton Bay bug served on a soft milk bun with iceberg remoulade and caviar), ceviche, scallop and Moreton Bay bug spring rolls or a 48hr Wagyu oyster blade steak with charred sugar loaf and dill crème fraîche.
There’s also plenty to splurge on: a choice of caviar flights paired with Ruinart or Dom Perignon champagne, a seafood tower to share with a partner accompanied by a bottle of wine from the 320-strong list of premium wines, a spicy Yeppoon Mud Crab Singapore style with a beer, or the most exquisite fish of all, Patagonian toothfish, served with parsley sauce and black caviar.
From Hervey Bay goldband snapper ‘en papillote’ to WA rock lobster with cognac and gruyère, from Queensland coral trout with miso butter and trout roe to a whole black NZ sole with preserved lemon burnt butter deboned at your table, the diversity is astounding.
Every dish we tasted was magnificent with vibrant flavour, appealing presentation and attentive service. The only problem for diners will be making their choice of dishes.
BLOWFISH Ocean Grill + Bar, 3 Oracle Boulevard, Broadbeach, QLD 4218, Ph: 07 5620 2800 Open 7 days from 11am. The kitchen is closed for sit down dining between 3.00pm and 5.30pm. A bar menu is available from 11.30am.
NOTE: Good Food Gold Coast dined as a guest of Blowfish. Several photos credited to Blowfish.