One of the few constants in the Gold Coast hospitality scene is change. For those of us invested in the industry, watching changes occur in the industry is much like watching a game of chess, with owners or chefs the pieces moving around the Gold Coast to new locations on the board.
When former Willow Dining restaurant owner Ian Banghal closed his intimate date night venue in Burleigh Heads at the height of its success, it was a surprise to see him open a new establishment, Rise & Set Restaurant and Café, on the edge of a light industrial estate in Coombabah. Not only was it a change from his 10-year proven operation model, but the change of location also took him from a tourist-dominated locale to an under-serviced local area where the café is frequented by the same regulars daily.
To Ian, affectionately known as ‘Chef Choi’, Willow was a dream come true. As a child growing up in the Philippines, Ian had spent a lot of time in his mother’s fine dining restaurant, sleeping under the dining tables, tablecloths brushing the floor around him like the branches of willow trees touching the riverbanks. Into his own little secret world beneath the tablecloths floated the smells of food arriving at the table, he was entranced observing the interactions of restaurant life and the people who worked there, he eavesdropped on conversations, all the while dreaming of one day owning his own restaurant.
Even while training and working as an architect in the Philippines, Ian kept his dream alive, owning a small restaurant before travelling across Europe and studying the culinary arts in Germany. Ian’s dream of working in a kitchen came true after he emigrated to Australia in 2009 with his friend (and soon-to-be-wife) Anna, who he credits as being his main support, his ‘builder of hope’ and a fundamental element in his success.
In 2015, he opened his own humble restaurant, ‘Willow Dining’ in Burleigh, with his sister as his first employee, increasing in size and popularity over its ten-year lifespan from having just a few tables to being the top-ranked local restaurant on Trip Advisor.
While every restaurant and restaurateur is unique, in Ian’s eateries we can see a marriage of both his architectural and culinary skills.
“We could call it ‘Foodchitecture’, Ian tells me, describing his unique ‘double passion’ approach to the physical and culinary environments of his restaurants.
Invested in the physical environment to the point where he even made the bricks for Willow himself, Ian saw Rise & Set in his mind’s eye long before he opened it.
“I pictured the new venue and put myself in the place of a guest,” Ian says, relating his first conception of Rise & Set even before he found the space. “I even planted these plants at home and watered them each day before they were planted out here,” he adds.
With its soaring raked ceilings, timber and brick faҫades and eclectic mix of furniture, there’s a welcoming cosiness to the café that is like an arms open hug. Fanned by gentle breezes and surrounded by greenery, the stunning architectural space is balanced by a mixed collection of rustic objects d’art. As diners, we feel relaxed and comforted by familiarity, spending time with friends without feeling the need to move on.
The menu is as much Ian’s domain as the venue. Having visualised many of the dishes in his dreams before creating them, Ian rises daily before 3am to begin preparation for the day, overlooking each dish during service before it leaves the kitchen.
There are hints of Willow’s tapas-based food on Rise & Set’s menu. Lamb Kofta has morphed into Lamb Kofta Salad, Croquettes are common to both menus, while Jerk Chicken has gained a Southern marinade. The café’s signature dish, the Asian Breaky, stands like a little warrior against hunger, a tower of chorizo patty on a base of Adobo rice topped with roasted tomato, pickled papaya, fried egg, sweet and spicy BBQ sauce, crispy hay and dried shallots. It’s a reinterpretation of the famous Asian Chorizo, which was served at Willow on a photogenic trio of hanging skewers.
With a compact but encompassing menu spanning breakfast and lunch, the main commonality between Willow Dining and Rise & Set Restaurant and Café is the labour of love behind each plate, with sauces made in house, secret ingredients pimping the flavour, and stunning presentation leading to gasps of delight as the food is served.
The kitchen is Ian’s domain, his staff the team that builds the dream. These are the people he fed during Covid, delivering groceries to their doors. In turn, they become part of a family.
“Some employees who started as juniors with us are now professional physiotherapists, teachers and nurses,” he says. Many keep in contact with Ian, acknowledging the role he has taken in mentoring and supporting them. “We have an extended family relationship with our former staff.” So much so, that when Ian opened Rise & Set, some of his employees even moved to the northside of the coast to be closer to the café.
While the physical environments and menus of Ian’s restaurants have been distinctively unique, it’s the people (both staff and diners) who make his spaces special.
“Both regulars and annual tourists dated, married, celebrated their anniversaries and the birth of their children at Willow. You become a part of their romantic journey,” Ian tells me. “They become friends, and events in their lives touch you,” he adds. “It’s not just about the restaurant but about the relationship with customers,” he summarises.
“At Rise & Set we see the same faces every day. We know their orders and how they like their coffee,” he tells me.
It’s with the extended restaurant family in mind that Ian considers the future.
Now with his own family of two sons, Ian says, “I want to open another café so that staff can have reliable jobs, so I can help more people and spend more time with my family.”
In the meantime, he hopes to extend the café’s hours to weekend evening trading to cater for birthdays, family celebrations and christenings, just as he did at Willow.
From the comfort of willow trees beside the river to a restaurant café that welcomes us from the rise of the sun until it sets, Ian has envisaged his eateries as places of community.
And what does he get back in return?
“When customers talk to you and you interact with their lives, it makes the dedication worthwhile,” Ian says.