There’s just something uber appealing about a cosy woodfire restaurant, and we don’t care if it’s not winter. We warmly (wink wink, nudge nudge) welcome an intimate, homely yet wee-bit-fancy feed all year round!

As soon as you walk into this Northern GC treasure, you’re engulfed by the amazing woodfire aromas and high-class atmosphere. We must warn you, a drool sitch is entirely likely. For those who haven’t figured which location we are referring to yet, we’re talking about InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort’s spectacular signature dining destination, The Fireplace.

The restaurant’s name is enough to give you a solid dose of the warm and fuzzies, but the space takes that notion to a whole different stratosphere. A tastefully designed modern rustic beauty, the stone tiled flooring, moody lighting and open kitchen ensure that The Fireplace experience is as rich in the ambience as it is in flavour.

Showcasing locally sourced wood-fire cuisine at its finest, meals are seasoned with produce from the restaurant’s very own herb garden! (Side note; why does our home-grown herbs always seem to hate us so much #RIP.) Dishes are then placed inside the onsite wood-fire oven where they’re infused with irresistible smoky goodness, and where is a napkin because Houston we have a (salivation) problem – again.

It’s not just the magnificent wood-fire oven that makes this place so popular, it’s the genius line up of talent in the kitchen….and the cellar. Executive Chef Hamish Watt and Head Chef Randy Tablan cook with such heart and passion, and how we wish we had even 1/1000000th of their cooking panache. Elevating the dining experience to the next level, you can select a vino from the 200-strong wine library and can we just have all 200+ cellar of our own please and thank you.

The proud recipient of the Two-Glass accolade in Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards last year (for the fifth year may we add), the restaurant’s master Sommeliers Sean Robertson and Sacha Kansky clearly know the A to Z of grape juice. Their award-winning wine-list offers a diverse, appealing and well-balanced ensemble cast of vinos, showcasing Australia’s finest wine regions and premier ranges from across the globe.

Let’s unpack the menu which is positively LIT, and would we expect anything less with a name like The Fireplace? We recommend starting with an entree of Charred Field Mushrooms featuring lentils, sauteed spinach and sherry vinegar dressing.

Then, move on to a main and wait, we’ve just spotted a fusion of our two faves; seafood and pasta! Not an unusual combo by any means, but when you find a restaurant who can do this ‘power couple’ justice, it’s a moment. The Linguine Seafood Pasta with Moreton Bay bugs, prawns, cherry tomato, zucchini, chilli and baby basil hits all the right notes, and is it excessive to order another helping? Throw a bottle of chilled Aquilani Pinot Grigio into the mix and again we ask, if it’s OTT to order two, and the answer is always a hard no.

Or, for those craving a meat fix, the Bangalow Pork Belly with apple, brioche, red wine shallots and kaffir lime puree is cooked to perf. The crackling on this bad boy is phe-nom and we won’t judge if you try and steal your date’s helping coz, crackle. Pair it with a bottle of Donnhoff ‘Estate’ Riesling which, friends, IS the (now not so) secret sauce.

A meal minus dessert is like cheese sans quince paste, so do right by your tastebuds and order the 54% Dark Chocolate Parfait with whisky & vanilla sauce, chocolate biscuit and roasted nuts cream. Divine.

So now that your next date night is sorted, your only conundrum will be finding a frock that conceals the evidence of a three-course feed so good, you couldn’t part with a single crumb…or sip.

Where: InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort, Lower Level, Manor Circle, Hope Island
When: 6pm – 9pm Wednesday to Friday; 5.30pm – 9pm Saturday and 6pm – 9pm Sunday. Closed Monday & Tuesday.

Words by Bianca Trathen.

STORY SPONSORED BY INTERCONTINENTAL SANCTUARY COVE RESORT

You know when you visit the InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort for a meal, the chow is going to be on-point. Well the flavour and quality are about to be dialled up another notch, with the appointment of Hamish Watt as Executive Chef. Hamish is a bit of a big deal (autographs later peeps) and will oversee the culinary offerings across all areas of the resort.

Launching his illustrious career under Neil Perry at Rockpool in Sydney, Hamish has worked for an impressive rollcall of eatery icons here, in London and over the ditch in New Zealand. We’re talking the prestigious Kensington Place restaurant (how now brown cow), running the show at the Botanic Gardens restaurant, and Executive Chef at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley Resort. He was also the Executive Chef at Crowne Plaza Christchurch, before a secondment to InterContinental Wellington, where he reinvigorated menus across the five-star hotel’s R&B outlets. Oh and he’s also run his own successful start-up, ‘Watts on Crown’ in Crown Street Sydney, so yeah, he’s definitely going to bring home the bacon (and much more foody goodness) at our beloved Sanctuary Cove.

Using fresh, local ingredients as hero accents to produce innovative Modern Australian cuisine with a European touch, we are salivating as this is our kind of swagger! And when we say local, we mean precisely that, as Hamish aims to source from suppliers within a 100km radius. From The Fireplace, to Verandah Restaurant and Bar to the Cove Café, there are native ingredients galore, and oh how we love this for us.

Speaking of our cosy fave The Fireplace, it would be negligent not to talk about the new menu which will take your tastebuds to new (faren)heights! Together with the restaurant’s Head Chef, fellow culinary king Randy Tablan, this duo showcase the finest homegrown wood-fire cuisine, seasoned with herbs from the restaurant’s very own herb garden! Oh and important side note: redgum wood is used to fire the ovens, infusing each dish to perfection. The result….pure edible ecstasy! You’ll be so absorbed in the next level flavours that you’ll forget to take pics, which is code red because if it’s not on Insta, it didn’t really happen.

Kick things off with a wood-fire Grilled Quail entrée, served with pearl barley, carrots, apple purée and port wine jus. Make sure you leave room for the signature 1kg Tomahawk Steak from the wood-fire grill, 150-day grain-fed from Toowoomba, served with grilled broccolini and red wine poached shallot. Because a whole kilogram of moo just isn’t enough, why not add a mouth-watering accompaniment like the wood-fire Whole Moreton Bay Bug? Or, perhaps the Hiramasa Kingfish is more up your alley, with wood-fire baked kingfish, sweet potato purée, roasted capsicum, zucchini and sauce Vierge?

End on a sweet note with Roasted Coconut and White Chocolate Mousse, with pistachio sable, milk chocolate creameux and passionfruit gelee because….well, just because! It’s darn delish and didn’t your Gran teach you it wasn’t a proper meal without dessert?

Aside from new seasonal menus at The Fireplace, Hamish is also focusing on new innovative concepts for banqueting, and can someone we know please hurry up and get hitched at Sanctuary Cove so that we can taste-test please?

So next date night, special occasion or work event, it’s gotta be The Fireplace – or any of the other equally impressive offerings at InterContinental – for the unmissable Hamish Watt experience. Bring it on we say, spirit fingers and all.

Where: InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort, Manor Circle, Hope Island
When: 6pm – 9pm 7 days a week and from 5.30pm on Saturday.

Words by Bianca Trathen.

STORY SPONSORED BY INTERCONTINENTAL SANCTUARY COVE RESORT

The way we relax, spend our leisure time and holiday has changed a lot over the recent years. Attitudes have shifted from leaving our great country in search of a tropical oasis to rejuvenate, to instead exploring our backyard!

The staycation has become a staple form of escaping the stresses of modern life whilst not wasting any of your precious time hanging around airports or hours driving somewhere. And at the same time, you’ll experience something quite familiar — but with those elevated levels of luxury that you so need and crave.

Because let’s face it, folks: we live in a pretty impressive part of the world. So why would you go to great lengths to escape this paradise when you can stay here? One luxe location that has been captivating and helping Gold Coasters maximise their downtime is Intercontinental Sanctuary Cove Resort on the northern end of our great city.

There’s no better time to treat yourself to a staycation on our glorious golden Coast than right now, but what might you find at this leading world-class resort you may ask?

First off is the stunning and secluded location at Sanctuary Cove. Fringed by the Coomera River and with manicured lawns, blooming tropical gardens, abundance of grazing kangaroos and pristine water features at every turn; if this doesn’t set the scene for tranquillity, then we don’t know what will! For the budding golfer, there are not one but three immaculately presented golf courses to which guests will have exclusive access to if they wish to hit a few balls.

And for the ardent beach lover (let’s face it – that’s all of us), the 1-acre beach lagoon area will be the ultimate place for you to relax with a good book and wholly unwind with nearby sounds of native birds. No wayward frisbees or blasting bluetooth speakers here! The resort features over 250 recently refurbished rooms and suites, offering guests a selection of packages with every taste and budget in mind. You don’t have to wander far to start your day off with breakfast at the much-loved Cove Cafe, before taking in lunch at the Pool House, and then make grand plans for an evening of divine food and drinks at the resort’s signature dining destination, The Fireplace.

Explore a little further and you’ll find yourself aptly positioned within walking distance to Sanctuary Cove’s Marine Village. A brimming retail precinct with a superb selection of specialty shops of beautiful homewares and clothing boutiques, as well as some of the Gold Coast’s best places to enjoy brilliant food with amazing marina views. If you’re looking for cocktails and lighter bites in-between mealtimes, you’ll also discover a plethora of exciting venues to indulge yourself in. Because why not? You’re on holiday, right?!

Returning to the resort, the hallmark has to be the Great House, a colonial-style Queenslander that exudes the kind of charm you’ll be hard pushed to find elsewhere. Sign up for Club Intercontinental and savour the delights of their lauded High Coffee experience, the perfect way to round off an afternoon of taking things at a much-reduced pace.

Whether you’re a family with an inkling for a weekend away or a couple who simply wants to reconnect after a busy work period, leave the long airport queues and endless hours behind your driving wheel behind. Intercontinental Sanctuary Cove Resort is prime staycation material in our books!

Book your staycation now via: intercontinentalsanctuarycove.com

Where: Intercontinental Sanctuary Cove Resort, Manor Circuit, Hope Island

Words by Alex Mitcheson.

STORY SPONSORED BY THE MARINE VILLAGE SANCTUARY COVE