If, like us, you’re currently dreaming of a sun-soaked Mediterranean getaway complete with sun lounges by the sea, fruity cocktails sipped under striped umbrellas and endless summer vibes, you’re in luck.

Surfers Paradise’ newbie, and your absolute new favourite bottomless brunch spot, Hyde Paradiso opened this week and it is all of your European holiday dreams come true, without using up all your annual leave and 24 hours upright in an airless plane cabin.

Found on level two of Peppers Soul Surfers Paradise and overlooking the ocean, Hyde Paradiso is a stunning space, open for lunch and dinner (with bottomless brunch on weekends) and it brings a whole new level of fancy to the Coast.

Natural wood, bright pops of pink, peach and blue and a wall of glass bring the bright, airy space together while rows of greenery drip from the ceiling and arched feature mirrors ensure holiday mode is activated the second you step inside. It’s bright, beautifully sunlit and perfectly pretty, you’ll be snapping up an absolute Insta-storm.

First, let’s chat bottomless brunch. Best enjoyed with as many gal pals as you can muster, Hyde Paradiso’s version runs from 12pm on Saturday’s and Sunday’s offering an exceptional selection of dishes and cocktails for $89 per head. Book in for that one right now.

The Autumn menu, kicking off as of right now, is both seasonal and local (our favourite) featuring mix of Greek, Turkish, Moroccan, Lebanese and Italian cuisines (also our favourite). The dishes are inspired by Executive Chef Joel Bryant’s travels throughout Europe and a casual tapas style of service.

Start your dining experience with a selection of traditional house made dips including hummus, smoked eggplant and Taramosolata.

In terms of share-style-dishes, we highly recommend the Kale and Pecorino Arancini with tapenade, the Roasted Cauliflower with ghee and pomegranate and the BBQ Baby Octopus with fermented garlic and olive oil.

From the Family Style menu, the Whole baby reef fish with fennel, lemon and roasted garlic is an absolute delight, as is the Australia Lamb Rack with chimichurri and saffron rice. So, so good.

To finish, the Pistachio Crème Brulee with biscotti is the perfect dessert and one you won’t soon forget.

At the bar, Hyde Paradiso’s signature tipple is a sweet and refreshing Sgroppino – a twist on the Venetian classic made with sorbet, Prosecco and Limoncello with three mind-blowing flavours to choose from. Keep those coming please.

A soon to be announced roll-call of local and international DJ’s, will bring the party across Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons.

The Hyde brand, with venues across the world, is known as a place to escape from conventional hospitality and that it is indeed Gold Coasters.

Pop on your party frocks and prepare yourself for a very good time, Hyde Paradiso is here to shake up the Surfers Paradise dining scene.

LOCATION: Peppers Soul Surfers Paradise, Level 2, 8 The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise
HOURS: Daily 12pm until late

Words and photos by Kirra Smith

We come to you today with news from our just-south-of-the-border friends, the good people of Byron Bay. Who, it seems, have quite quickly become famous for an array of locally produced, bespoke alcoholic goodies for which the world is very grateful.

In particular, and for the purpose of this tale, craft beer makers by the name of Stone & Wood Brewing. You may have heard of them.

The much-loved brand was established by a few local lads back in 2008 and, in the last few weeks, has opened the doors to their impressive new space, dubbed Stone & Wood’s ‘spiritual home’.

The team made the decision to invest in the local community and, rather than outsourcing the brewing, kept it at home to share the love with all of us, which is what we love most about local makers.

The launch of the new space is a proud moment, not only for a business that grew from quite humble roots, but also for Byron Bay itself. The purpose-built brewery is a whopping 1160-square metres and with 31 brewing tanks, an eatery and a tasting room, there’s plenty of fun to be had.

From the moment you lay eyes on the brewery, you know you’re in for a treat. It’s an architectural masterpiece, all parallel lines, wood and steel paneling and a sleek industrial vibe, perfectly at home in Byron Bay’s increasingly popular industrial area.

Inside, a solid polished concrete bar is the best part, offset by a floor-to-ceiling, mural in Stone & Wood’s signature bright hues and plenty of communal seating throughout, as is the Byron way.

Like the rest of us, the team are big on local love and want to share as much as possible about their journey and their product with the people. Tasting tours are on offer three times a day so you can become your most educated self while sampling some of the very best brews Australia has to offer.

You’ll taste the regular favourites along with an ever-changing selection of experimental beers and some limited-edition brewery-only creations. It’s a real treat.

The eatery offers a changing menu with plenty of bar snack-style dishes perfectly paired with all of the beers you’ll no doubt be sipping all day long.

In case you were somehow in need of a reason to pop down to Byron Bay, one of the most beautiful places on Earth, there’s a fair few you certainly can’t argue with.

Beers inspired by a laidback, simple way of life? Keep them coming please.

LOCATION: 100 Centennial Circuit, Byron Bay
HOURS: Weekdays 10am until 5pm and weekends 12pm until 6pm

Words by Kirra Smith

We love Japanese food A LOT. So many tasty, perfectly prepared options, so many sweet, flavour-packed sauces, so much goodness. Happily, a new Japanese eatery opened in Nobby’s a couple of weeks ago, giving us even more of our favourite cuisine to fill our tummies with.

Found on Chairlift Ave, Aburibi is a low-lit space reminiscent of a secret, back alley venue that serves only the very best.

Vintage photographs of Japanese culture line one wall and the intimate space is

lined with textured wallpaper giving it an edgy, perfectly-at-home-in-Nobbys vibe.

The menu primarily showcases charcoal chicken, a preferred method of cooking in Japan but there are plenty of dishes you’ll definitely want to try.

It’s a tapas style of menu designed to be paired with the many tasty tipples available at the bar so you know you’re in for a good time.

There is no reason in the world to not begin your dining experience with the Pasta Sticks, which are indeed sticks of deep fried pasta with Aburibi’s original seasoning. Of course you’ll also want to sample their signature grilled Yakitori (chicken) and you may choose from thighs, wings and meatballs. Taste sensations.

Next up, you’ll want to order some share plates and obviously Karaage chicken is the go, as are a few plates of Gyoza and perhaps some Camembert Cheese Tempura because is there anything better in the world than deep-fried cheese? No there is not.

All the regular delights are available too, including Aburi Salmon, thinly sliced Wagyu Beef and slow cooked pork belly.

For mains, we would always (every single day) order Teriyaki Salmon plus the Mixed Fried Seafood dish also looks the goods.

For dessert, give the Matcha ice cream a go, or perhaps the Black Sesame. Maybe both.

There’s also a set menu, if choosing isn’t your thing. You may choose from the $40 and $55 (per person) options, both of which include a selection of the most popular dishes so you can sample a few.

Drinks-wise, the cocktail menu is made up of a few Japanese favourites including an Umesyu Highball with plum wine, whisky, soda water and fresh lemon and a Mongo Sour with syochu, frozen mango nectar and soda water. Of course, there are a few sakes to sip too.

So, if you, like us could eat Japanese food (and sip Japanese cocktails) all day long, you best get yourself in to Aburibi at the earliest available opportunity.

We’ll probably be there too.

LOCATION: Shop 8, 28 Chairlift Ave, Nobby Beach
HOURS: 5.30pm until 9pm Monday to Saturday

Words and photos by Kirra Smith