The Gold Coast, like many places, has long struggled to define its cuisine. There are few places that reflect our relaxed lifestyle, the abundance of produce we enjoy from coast to hinterland, at the same time shining a beacon on the growing sophistication of our dining palate.
The Gold Coast’s newest dining destination, the eponymous ‘Coast’, might just be the closest we’ve come to achieving that definition.
Coast Beach Bar & Kitchen, from local husband and wife hospitality duo, Justin and Elizabeth Allie, (part of the family team behind Longboards Laidback Eatery and Bar in Surfers, The Fish Shak in Southport and catering company Gourmet en Counter), is located in Ocean by Meriton on Surfers Paradise Esplanade backing onto the Cypress Avenue G:link station.
“We have always dreamed of opening a restaurant and bar that would change the dynamic of Gold Coast dining,” Justin Allie says. “We want to play an active role in growing Surfers Paradise as an iconic food and drink destination within Australia and we hope Coast will make its mark.”
Designed by local firm Space Cubed and built by Open Projects Group, Coast’s sophisticated space reflects the sand and waves of our shoreline, the billowing clouds of the Gold Coast’s skyline above. The first-floor restaurant which enjoys uninterrupted ocean views, exudes a relaxed, casual vibe.
The restaurant itself seats 110 diners in booths and at tables within several discreet but flexible spaces, with another 160 accommodated at the expansive 14-metre marble bar and on the verandah overlooking the beach.
With the venue itself mirroring an interesting coastal landscape, it’s the food and wine menus that fulfill the promise.
Chef Rhett Willis, (runner up in MasterChef: The Professionals, ex-Icebergs Bondi, Jellyfish and Cha Cha Char Brisbane), leads the international team in the kitchen to produce a menu of innovative modern Australian cuisine.
“Our philosophy at Coast is to work as a team, and to cook real food well,” says Chef Rhett Willis. “We utilise the best fresh regionally sourced ingredients we can find from land and sea plated to share,” he adds.
Smaller dishes such as Spanner crab topped with chilli, lime and three caviars served on a wasabi leaf tantalise the senses with their innovative mix of luxe ingredients and visually exciting presentation.
Coal roasted yogurt bread with a line of smoked eggplant pâté is delicious enough to inhale.
Old world meets new with imported Greek saganaki DOP deliciously served with family estate ‘Old Dairy Lane’ honey and macadamia. ‘Sucking the marrow from the bone’, Beef fillet tartare with avocado, shoyu and miso-cured yolk is impressively presented in a cone of cinnamon bark, while the signature Chicken liver parfait with Chambord jelly provide a savoury Hestonesque take on caramel-filled choux pastry.
While smaller dishes excite foodies with their twists of flavour and presentation, mains fill the appetite they have created, appeasing mainstream diners.
There are two key players in the creation of main course dishes: the exclusive dry ageing cabinet onsite in the restaurant, and the Spanish Josper oven whose charcoal grill seals the moisture into food and imbues it with gentle smoky flavours.
Together, they combine to help create Coast’s signature dish, the Tomahawk by John Dee Optimal, 120-day grain fed, dry aged for 30 days in house and served with chef’s sides and condiments.
Other key dishes include top regional produce such as an 8+ wagyu rump cap from Jacks Creek in NSW, fresh oysters from Stradbroke Island, Queensland, lamb shoulder from Junee NSW, as well as free range chicken from Nichols in Tasmania.
From Josper-fired local trawler prawns with XO butter to organic cauliflower steak from Toowoomba with chermoula, with sides of charred baby lettuce hearts with bacon and walnuts, truffled potato baked chips and chipotle coleslaw dotted with cheddar and pork crackle, the menu holds many surprising adventures for foodies while catering to a range of palates.
The venue also boasts a 2,000 strong wine room fronting out to the restaurant. Its centrepiece is a 26-year vertical Grange Hermitage magnum collection, a rare achievement available exclusively to Coast’s wine connoisseurs. While most of us stand outside the wine room peering in through its walls of glass, we can imagine the hotel’s founder enjoying a private tasting within its hallowed space.
With its sophisticated design, exquisite and innovative food offerings complemented by some of the finest wines in Australia, Coast presents Australia with a new interpretation of coastal dining.
Whether it be to share a cocktail hour with mates on the verandah, host a business lunch for select clients in the dining room or to attend an intimate family celebration in an exclusive private area, the team at Coast welcomes you to come and share their ‘foodie paradise’, Coast.
NOTE: Coast’s Head Chef is now Matt le Beau.
COAST Beach Bar & Kitchen, Level 1, Ocean by Meriton, 86 The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217 Ph: 07 5636 9543 Open Tues 3 – 10pm; Wed – Sun 11.30am – 10pm. Closed Mondays.
NOTE: Good Food Gold Coast dined as guests of Coast.