News on all the Queensland coastal fronts is all good, with new venues opening on both the Gold and Sunshine coasts and all with seasonally sensitive and site-appropriate menus. On the Gold Coast you can have a little or a lot at 1two3 Mediterranean, a new concept bar and eatery in the heart of Broadbeach's popular Eat Street, Surf Parade. Restaurants and cafes, sushi bars and delis standing side by side, all opening out onto the wide pavement where people watching is the daily pastime.
The team at 1two3 Mediterranean offers a more relaxed menu style, throwing away traditional a la carte in favour of "culinary promiscuity and indecision". Presumably this means you can design your own dining plan or simply graze when and where you see fit. The ‘1' part of the menu is simply tastes with a range of bite-size morsels that afford plenty of options without having to commit to a single dish. ‘Two' is entree-sized and ‘3' is roughly main course-sized dishes you can have alone or share. ‘Picnic at your table' is also suggested for those who simply can't decide. Phoenician Tower East, Surf Parade, Broadbeach; phone (07) 5570 6123.
Head up north to Sunshine Beach and you will enter the balmy surrounds of Coconut Grove, a new bistro ‘on the deck' in the heart of Sunshine Beach. The strip of shops, once a convenience store and bakery and not much more, has become a thriving band of eateries headed up by Glen Bowman's Med-inspired Alegria (56 Duke St; phone (07) 5474 5533). The Duke Street Deli caters for your take-home needs as well as creating a vast daily range of ready-to-eat items, both sweet and savoury, to have after a hard day at the beach. Next door is the Marble Bar, a small outdoor bar offering a range of sharing plates to have with a drink. Fratellini's is a colourful and cool pizzeria and trattoria with a laid-back, shabby chic interior that spills out onto the footpath. Colourful cushions adorn the eclectic array of furnishings and specials are written on poles inside and on boards that hang around the front doorway.
Upstairs is Coconut Grove, a white-on-white bistro with painted floor and several areas designed for either dining or lounging. Ex-Ricky Ricardo's creators, Steve Fisher and Leonie Palmer-Fisher, are bringing a more relaxed ambience to this vibrant dining scene by creating what they now term as ‘coastal cuisine'. "Things you want to eat when you're at the beach," Says Leonie, "We make use of all the wonderful local produce from the ocean and the surrounding hinterlands, adding a light but slightly exotic touch."
Think lush spanner crab omelettes laced with a hint of chilli, pu pu plates (Hawaiian tapas), coconut prawns on pickled cucumber ribbons, crisp battered zucchini flowers with lemon mayo, and Marseilles seafood stew. Influences from all over the globe - where the ocean is near - have been embraced and you can sample anything from sardine and potato pancakes to slow-baked lamb with aubergines and fig vincotto, little oxtail pastries or a platter of deep-fried vegetables with warm basil aioli in as many courses as you see fit. The wine list also skirts around the globe but, as with the food, prices are incredibly reasonable and drops are selected to complement the simple, stylish fare. 46 Duke St, Sunshine Beach; phone (07) 5449 2333.
Back in town and Woolloongabba, previously a culinary black hole just south of the city, has renewed vigour with cafes and bars opening as the area becomes more developed. Right across the road from The Gabba cricket ground, in a street full of antique shops, 1889 Enoteca has opened to an appreciative audience. Housed in the heritage-listed Taylor Heaslop building (circa 1889, hence the name), this slice of Italy was inspired by the enoteche of Rome, notably Enoteca Ferrara in Trastevere. The idea is to implant a very authentic dining and wine experience within the Brisbane scene.
Chef Craig McCabe (formally of Soul Kitchen) trained under Michelin-starred chef Stefano Cavallini in London and has mastered the sometimes difficult art of balance with his versions of Italian classics - intensely flavoured but never heavy or overwhelming. Wine man Dan Clark has amassed a serious library of Italian wine, the likes of which Brisbane has yet to experience, during his 15 years as a merchant. Travelling through Italy on buying missions, he has begged, borrowed and hoarded wines that will thrill lovers of a super Tuscan or a simple sangiovese. Add to this talented team Cameron O'Brien, who's front-of-house experience has been gained in establishments such as Gianni and Noosa's Sails and Berardo's and you have the foundation for a consistently pleasing, Rome-inspired experience - all without the air fare. 10-12 Logan Rd, Woolloongabba; phone 0400 185 881.