Despite rising costs of living, labour shortages and turbulent weather, 2023 proved to be a year of growth for the Gold Coast hospitality industry. Consumers may have adjusted their discretionary spending, but they still made room for dining. Tourism was strong in 2023, with approximately 12 million tourists contributing $1.7 billion into the local economy.
https://billychow.com.au/First and foremost, there was confidence in the industry, particularly in the top end, with well-known restaurateurs rejuvenating venues and consolidating their holdings. Openings such as Kirra Beach House and kōst Bar & Grill, Little Truffle and Quila Lodge, Blowfish Ocean Grill + Bar, Modo Mio and Billy Chow brought excitement to diners who anticipated new dining and watering holes to celebrate with friends.
Consolidating the ideas of ‘collective’ and ‘village’, new high-end dining and lifestyle destinations, such as The Oxley 1823, pay tribute to history, culture, food and community, in line with the concept that being in community is foundational to both wellness and longevity. The Oxley is a destination embodying a lifestyle many people aspire to; the place to embrace as the new ‘favourite’ meeting and eating spot, the ‘village grocer’ where they would like to shop. We are yet to venture into integrated living hubs with accommodation included.
Post-Covid lockdown, we have been hungry for personal interaction, with food being the great connector. The best operators bring us immersive and interactive experiences that we share with our favourite people, the harmonious environment of lighting, colour, texture, flavour and physical aspect providing a setting for us to create special memories with people we love.
While cafés, stunning bakeries (Tarte Beachhouse) and casual dining provide a strong point in the Gold Coast dining scene, a new appetite for luxury became evident. kōst and Blowfish led the way in Broadbeach openings, where a new sophistication and luxe glamour were cloaked in a relaxed coastal vibe, described as ‘the meeting place of earth, sea, and sky’. In this ‘caviar and champagne trolley’ capital, with free-flowing vintage champagne, or your choice of seemingly endless other tipples, seafood is king and dry-aged steak is queen.
Balancing the high end is everyday dining where Modern Australian is our favourite cuisine. Street food continues to be popular, with Italian (Crispy Italian Bar, Luna’s Pizza & Wine, Lenny Pizzeria & Bar, Piatto), Mexican street food (Mex Cartel, Isla Cantina, El Ranchero, Costa Taco, Nude Amigos), and New York style glamorous sandwiches (Janus Deli, O Bagel, Meda Deli, Piknik) satisfying our love of all things crispy, salty, cheesy and spicy.
Our food choices continued to show allegiance to Modern Asian food, not so much in traditional presentations, but in inventive fusion dishes. ‘Elevated Thai cuisine’ was a newcomer on the scene with Nahm Talay Thai, Valyn Thai and Tide Bar & Restaurant raising the bar on what we expect to see on Thai menus. Inventiveness of ingredients and presentation is key to these dishes, also reinforcing the visual influence of social media on food consumption.
Trending foods continued to dominate Tik Tok and Instagram: mochi (Shiro Gelato & Snack), katsu (KatsuCo), soft serve yoghurt (YoChi) and bubble tea (Machi Machi), with Southport the undiscovered champion of Asian cuisine. No, let’s not talk about trending cottage cheese ice cream, butter boards, ‘girl dinners’ or ‘potato chips with everything’ because #thatsnotfood
Most new restaurant development flourished in the middle to southern end of the coast. A few notable exceptions were Longtide (Runaway Bay), Alamat (Southport) where Jon Hizola reintroduced us to Filipino cuisine, and Atto (Southport) which reminded us that we have much more to learn about Korean food.
One of the biggest surprises of 2023 was the introduction of a new cuisine to our shore: Nikkei, the blend of cultures created by Japanese-Peruvian chefs in the late 1880s. Brought to prominence by single dishes in restaurant giant Nobu’s menu, the opening of Tayta in Nobby Beach finally brought us the fusion cuisine many of us didn’t know we were missing! It also reminded us that invention and surprise are just as essential to the culinary arts as are familiarity and comfort.
Talking comfort, how about we take our eyes off the newcomers for a minute and pause to acknowledge the hospitality ‘stayers’ and hidden gems that we sometimes overlook. A few places immediately come to mind: The North Room where Tim Stewart’s seasonal tasting menu continues to intrigue us, Clay Cantina where Kristal Smith transports diners to the family-run kitchens of Mexico, Beun Modern Japanese where Yusuke Ito’s delicious labour-intensive modern Japanese food is to be relished, and Anekawa, the epitome of inventive, sustainably sourced cuisine where Koki Anekawa brings us his simple yet elegant food in an intimate venue that would be at home on the backstreets of Tokyo.
Let’s have more of that authenticity in 2024.