Thank God it’s Monday! … said no one, ever. Let’s face it, the day gets about as much love as peak hour commutes and the Orange Creams (don’t @ us) left lurking in the office bickie jar.

The day gets a bad wrap, but one thing Monday does have going for it is sweet dining deals. So if the prospect of a tasty treat to look forward to is all it takes to summon a modicum of enthusiasm for the day (and week) ahead, ‘tis but a small price to pay, if you ask us (literally, these deals are cheap as chips y’all).

NORTH GC

• The Club at Parkwood: Serving up an absolute, finger lickin’ steal of a dining deal, scrape together some shrapnel and scoot over to The Club at Parkwood to start your week. Every Monday from 5:30pm, smash half price ribs and 69c wings – which are available in four different flavours to rotate between. Do we smell a new weekly ritual? At 76-122 Napper Rd, Parkwood
  
• Crafty’s: Noshers that pull off genuine fun for all ages can be hard to come by, and Crafty’s Sports Bar #NailIt every time. And it gets better, because on Monday’s, the ‘nugs and cheese pizzas are on the house! From 11am till late, get any kids meal free when you order a full priced adult meal. So if the fam is in a funk and the week has barely started – get it back on track with six simple words: ‘Kids! We’re going out for dinner!’ Dining kid-free? Score big every Monday with Crafty’s NEW sizzling $20 steak night! Wash it down with their MVP Lager or house wine for $6 (exclusively with the steak offer). At Harbour Town Shopping Centre, 147 Brisbane Road, Biggera Waters

MID GC

• Cavill Hotel: Tell Monday to pound sand and get yourself down to Cavill Hotel for a mega parmi, pronto. This Surfers fave has nosh specials going down nightly, and starting your week off with a bang – aka, a heaping, plate-sized portion of Parmi and requisite sides, will only run you $20 bucks (and perhaps your pride, if you can’t finish it). You beauty. At 46 Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise
• The Island: Goldies offer a different penny-pinching deal for every day of the week – and Mondays are all about getting your pub grub fix on the cheap. It’s impossible to be sad whilst tucking into the gloriousness that is a golden chicken schnitty with all the trimmings – and doubly so when it’ll set you back one crisp lobster for your trouble. Or grab the Parmi for just $22. At 3128 Surfers Paradise Boulevard, Surfers Paradise

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• Salt Meats Cheese: Curing Mondayitis one slice at a time, Salt Meats Cheese is serving up an all-you-can-eat, handcrafted pizza feast for a spectacular start the week… and honestly, what price do you put on happiness? As it happens, about 30 bucks (and some change) – slide on in to Surfer’s wood-fired pizzeria and stuff yourself silly on their rotating selection for only $29 with a drink purchase. Plus, upgrade to the pasta menu for an extra $5pp. At The 4217, Beach Road, Surfers Paradise
• Harajuku Gyoza: If you’re a sucker for bargain eats (and who isn’t) you’ll beerly believe the value on offer over at The Oasis every Monday. Head on in to Harajuku Gyoza to give Cossie Liv a swift kick in the… dumplings, with a mean meal deal indeed – for $15 they’ll hook you up with five juicy Gyoza and a Japanese craft beer. Sayonara, Monday blues, we beerly knew ye. At The Oasis Shopping Centre, Victoria Ave, Broadbeach
• Mermaid Beach Tavern: All hail the almighty twofer deal! Every Monday, the absolute mad lads at the swish, new look Mermaid Beach Tav are bunging on 2-4-1 meals with any beverage purchase. So round up a willing participant to go splitsies with, and chow down on downright tasty pub classics to shake off the Monday monotony (without the shakedown for your wallet). At 2500 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach

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• Mermaid Beach SLSC: So Monday kicked your butt, the dishwasher’s on the fritz and you cannot muster the motivation to rustle up a meal that’s bound to be rejected by your broccoli-dodging brood, anyway? Say no more, says Mermaid Beach SLSC, because Barra Monday is here to save the day. $19 buys you your pick of battered or grilled barramundi, served with chips and salad – and the kids eat free with every adult meal purchase. Love that for us. At 172 Hedges Ave, Mermaid Beach
• Bine: There’s no denying Nobby Beach is home to some cracking noshers – and Bine is one of the best whenever the hankering for frosty craft beer, wings and burgers hits. They’re also the MVP of cheap weeknight eats, and as Monday rolls around for another week, a Cheeseburger and Chips will set you back just $12. Happy wallet, happy tum… happy days. At 1/28 Chairlift Avenue, Nobbys Beach
• The Arc: Move over Cheap Tuesday, Mad Mondays at The Arc are where it’s at. Cheap eats and drink specials are the M.O. and (not unlike another #MadMonday we know) the prices are scandalous. Pick from six of their most popular Pizzas, or Crispy Wings for $12, and if you’re a sucker for a chippie you can also throw some fries in the mix for a fiver. At 3-4/28 Chairlift Ave, Miami 

SOUTH GC

• Apres Surf: Along with frosty beer, super tasty food and good vibrations, Burleigh’s friendly neighbourhood bar also dishes up a mighty irresistible cheeseburger deal to kick off the week. Just like a classic cheeseburger, the rub here is pretty simple – just head on down to Apres Surf and bliss out with some good ol’ fashioned $6.50 Cheeseburgers every Monday from 5pm. At Shop 1/1837 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads
• Burleigh Pavilion: Enjoy delicious Mussels and Fries Mondays from 4pm. Single and Share serves available from $38, but that’s not the only news for Mondays at Burleigh Pav… kids also eat free with any main meal purchased! 43 Goodwin Terrace, Burleigh Heads
• Maman Bar & Kitchen: Our Burleigh fave for Mediterranean feasting is all about Moroccan Curry on Monday nights. For just $39/pp, enjoy a delicious Moroccan curry served with rice, papadams, minted yoghurt, tomato and cucumber salsa and chutney. At 49 James Street, Burleigh Heads
• Currumbin RSL: If you’ve got little ones, Currumbin RSL has news for you and it’s allll good. Kids eat FREE*, yes you read that correctly.  The only catch? This one’s for members only, which will set you back a fiver if you’re not already… watch yourself, centre console coin stash – we’re comin’ for ya! At 165 Duringan Street, Currumbin

Words by Kellie Leader.

If the very thought of slurping back oodles of pillowy bao, glistening prawn dumplings and piping hot soup noodles puts a smile on your dial – prepare those pearly whites to be positively beaming. Because Smiling Dumplings & Noodles, the aptly named new kid on Robina’s block, gives us plenty worth grinning about.

Now, if like us, you consider yourself a discerning dumpling connoisseur, you’ll likely also be in full Cheshire Cat mode over the prospect of this delicious new dining development. Luckily for fans of these delectable morsels, our gleeful grins are entirely warranted. With bonafide bao experts Louie John Zhang and Nina Zheng at the helm, Smiling Dumplings & Noodles is now serving up house-made, handcrafted bites like spicy, steamed Soup Dumplings and Shanghainese style Noodles daily.

Quietly sliding into Robina Town Centre’s flagship foodie precinct, The Kitchens in recent months, the newcomer is yet another absolute W for Robina residents. Off the back of recent additions, Charcoal Charcoal Yakitori and Hwaro92, Smiling Dumplings & Noodles adds casual yet authentic Chinese eats to the locale’s budding nosh scene.

Greeting diners with a glowing, neon-lit facade, the cheery yellow fitout is one you couldn’t miss if you tried. The space, led by Darren Kong, is flanked by a central, open-plan kitchen tucked behind a tiled, wraparound counter. So you can watch on in awe as the culinary magic unfolds (or folds, as the case may be).

While SDN might be the new kid on Robina’s block, it’s certainly not the first (or even third) rodeo for Louie and Nina – who now boast an impressive four restaurants in their repertoire. Originally hailing from Sydney, it seems the restauranteur gene reigns supreme in this fam, with their mother Jennifer Du, the proprietor of the East Coast’s 9-strong Taste of Shanghai franchise… talk about a role model!

From humble beginnings, slinging their signature handmade delicacies out of a hole-in-the-wall style haunt in Burwood Chinatown, the pair have forged their own, slightly more relaxed style take on quintessential Chinese-Australian fare. Like many southerners who have set their sights on the sunshine state in recent years – for their fourth venue, Louie and Nina were drawn to the GC for the ‘great weather and people’ – go on guys, butter us up why don’t you.

And sure, flattery will get you far, but surely Char-siu pork buns and crispy Pan Fried Pork and Chive Dumplings will get you way further (like, honorary BFF status).

Alongside the succulent, steaming-hot dumpling specialties, the menu offers an irresistible array of wok-fried and grilled goodies to wrap the ‘ole laughing gear around.

Dishes like saucy SDN house noodles, tender, seared Chicken skewers and Prawn and XO fried rice are all equally befitting of a banquet – which, if you ask us, is absolutely the only way to go when you’re spoilt for choice with a spread like this.

Our tip? Just don’t forget to leave room for the Mango Pancakes to finish.

Where: Shop 4248A/19 Robina Town Centre Dr, Robina
When: Monday-Wednesday 10:00am-5:30pm, Thursday 10:00am-8:00pm, Friday-Saturday 10:00am-5:30pm, Sunday 10:00am-4:00pm

Words by Kellie Leader.
Images by Mathilde Bouby.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a username belonging to some rando causing a ruckus in the comment section? No, it’s Hwaro92 – a brand new, Korean BBQ flavour sensation – the latest to join Robina Town Centre’s ranks amid its elevated The Kitchens precinct.

Serving authentic flavours designed to transport you to the streets of Seoul, Hwaro92 delivers the traditional, Korean style of barbecue. A hands-on – and addictive – experience, where, with your choice of high-quality cuts at the ready, you converge with your crew around a glowing grill to char your mouth-watering selections to perfection (and attempt to keep the salivation levels in check).

Also known as “Gogi-gui”, the classic Korean method of cooking is complemented by a selection of specialty dishes from the kitchen such as tender and sweet beef Bulgogi Bibimbap, Kimchi Fried Rice and Spicy Soft Tofu Soup. So, yep, there’s plenty worth getting fired up over, here folks.

And if there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to take food to a whole new level of delectable, it’s some smoky, barbecue goodness. Sear-iously – we challenge you to come up with even one ingredient that doesn’t benefit from being slapped across smoking hot grill.

So, whether you’re an old hand at the art of self-seared, melt-in-your-mouth meats, or totally new to the tantalising wonders of Korean fare, Hwaro92 should have the ‘ole tastebud alarms well and truly sounding.

Owner Allan Park can certainly stand the heat in this kitchen – his experience doling out East Asian eats already extends to two venues, including Chermside’s Bulgogi Bros. A grill-focused venture has been a long-term goal driven by Allan’s enthusiasm for carnivorous eats, ‘I love to handle and eat meats’ – and hey, who doesn’t – adding, ‘I’m always buying big cuts of meat… trimming and boning it to get a better cut and different texture’.

Of course, at a venue like Hwaro92 it’s the kitchen crew doing all the heavy lifting – so we can swan in and take all the grill glory, Steven Bradbury style. Enlisting the expert skills of Sangbong Seo, a gun, Korean culinary graduate head chef with whom Allan shares a lengthy hospo history. Diners are in excellent hands here.

With a fit-out flanked by the ubiquitous sight of grill-adorned tables throughout, the roomy 80 seater is more than equipped to handle the onslaught of flame-licked fare fans. Bedecked in classic black marble and oak finishes, the space – delivered by Yura Choi and Yoon Kang – also includes a 12 pax private area for those looking to gather a group for a delicious, grill-studded celebration.

So whatddya say, Gold Coast? Time to get in on some mouth-wateringly good GIY (grill it yourself) action? We thought so.

Whether you’re not yet familiar with the flame-kissed wonders of Korean BBQ or a keen connoisseur of the trademark, melt-in-your-mouth marinated meats – it’s high time we all met Hwaro92.

Where: T5037/19 Robina Town Centre Dr, Robina
When: Daily, 11am-3pm, 5pm-9pm
Instagram: @hwaro92_robina

Words by Kellie Leader.
Images by Mathilde Bouby.