Little Mermaid

Little Mermaid is a haven for the Mermaid Beach ‘coastal community with a village feel’. It’s a home away from home for many, a place to hang out with friends, and a venue with the vibes they love. “This venue has been created with one clear vision,” Little Mermaid’s website states, “to foster friendships, generate […]

The North Room

Lunch at The North Room is an exquisite pleasure. Without the distracting clamber of other conversation, our senses are heightened to the appreciation of Tim Stewart’s amazing cuisine. We’ve popped in to check out his use of native ingredients in dishes, such as local Pottsville pippis with fresh squash, pickled green tomatoes and coastal greens […]

Le Café Gourmand

NOTE: Le Cafe Gourmand is now under new ownership. …. A display of brightly coloured chairs on the Cronulla corner of the highway in Mermaid Beach marks a little French café / restaurant! The bright attitude is obvious. “Here I am!” the chairs exclaim: Le Café Gourmand! One of our fondest memories of France is […]

The Milkman’s Daughter

We love pretty spaces and pretty food but, even more, food needs to taste great and be good for us. It’s the fuel we choose, after all. Sometimes these factors don’t all come together. Sometimes Instagram leads to unrealistic expectations and, in the ‘flesh’, the food experience disappoints. Opened by the very creative Morgan Walsh […]

BSKT Café, Mermaid Beach

NOTE: The ownership structure of BSKT has changed since this article was written. … When Titans Greg Bird, Nate Myles, Sel Berdie and Mat Rogers decided to open a restaurant with their friends, we were interested to check out the food of superheroes! Hype aside, BSKT is a simple concept: a dual function holistic café […]

Gemellini

The Carney brothers, owners of Gemelli, waited some time before opening their second venue, Gemellini. But the wait was well worth it! Nobby’s ‘Little Twin’, as the name means, is a more relaxed and intimate venue than its older more worldly-wise Broadbeach sibling. Feeling fashionably well-established, the venue yawns back lazily from the street, a […]

Bam Bam Bakehouse

Despite the reference in its name, there’s nothing ‘Stone Age’ about Bam Bam Bakehouse. Nor anything so deep; it’s just the childhood chant of owners Ursula and Ben Watts’ young son. Cute? Yes. Symbolic? Yes. In more ways than one, Bam Bam Bakehouse marks the ‘coming of age’ of The Paddock Bakery crew, who have […]

How to cook steak

Every second person has an opinion on how to cook steak. Yet we’re surprised how many stuff it up. Then again, every other person has a preference as to how they like their steak cooked! So, a seemingly simple task of cooking a steak for dinner can be fraught with possible disaster. ‘Learn from the […]

All-Time Coffee

I didn’t know the rules. That the honest truth, pure and simple. Frankly, I was pretty oblivious to the new world of donut frenzy. Stores ordered to stop trading because the queue for donuts was causing traffic jams? Yes, this scenario exists even in the world of vegans, just as prevalent, in fact, as it […]

Bon Bon Bar

There’s something about Sunday afternoon that always catches me unawares. I want to slam the brakes on the weekend, reining in the rest of the leftover hours to head for the nearest watering hole. ‘‘Nooooooo! I’m not ready for the working week yet!’ I cry, as we gatecrash the Sunday sesh at Bon Bon. Ah […]