You know the saying, when the time is right, it will find you? Well, you must be ripe for some sleek Mediterranean-style dining because, evidently, your time is now! Bar Leo Food & Wine has been quietly thriving under your radar, so we’re glad we finally get to make your acquaintance. Welcome to your new neighbourhood rendezvous.

Bar Leo is the thrumming heart of Sorrento, a local frequent and a top recommendation for visitors. You can hear the hum of patron chatter as you pass by. The warm ambience allures as you gaze from afar, making you wish you, too, had made a reservation. Not to worry! You can make a reservation right now!

Picture this, it’s 4pm on a Friday afternoon, the week is done and happy hour has begun. There’s a light summer-esque dew in the air, so you opt for the Balmy Nights ‘Fizz’ Petillant Natural on recommendation from the waiter, “It’s a perfect wine for these humid days”.

The refined wine list and seafood-inspired share plates, small and large, leave you with that wonderful conundrum; what to try first? Then, your dining buddy chimes in, “I think this is going to be our new local”. You nod in agreeance and take a heavenly sip of the Vermentino & Grenache blend (recommendation approved), chilled red you have all the time to try everything on the menu more than once. You’re on cloud wine.

Bar Leo is every bit as fantastic as this musing. The venue has a contemporary feel, with Mediterranean details that make you feel like you’re on a Santorini sojourn. It’s no surprise patrons want to linger a bit longer when visiting. The seafood is fresh and delicious and the wine list is impressive. And don’t get us started on the hospitality. There are many reasons locals keep coming back, but their stellar personalised service is one of them.

Let us entice you with a few menu standouts. The menu is partitioned into three sections; ‘snacks’, ‘small plates & share plates’ and ‘vegetables and salads’. Shared eats would have to be one of life’s most simple pleasures. For the love of all things gluten, we must put forth the snack plate focaccia with rosemary, sea salt & EVOO. Our next snack plate proposal is the half shell scallop, cauliflower puree with chorizo crumb.

It would be a sin not to endorse the cooked-to-perfection, market fresh fish, lemon & olive oil from the small plates & share plates section. What can we tell you? Simplicity slays. And excuse us, but a black angus sirloin, soubise, sauce bordelaise & fried kale? Tell the waiter we’ll take two with the fried Brussel sprouts, pancetta, honey & hazelnuts. While at it, we’ll take some shoestring fries with rosemary, sea salt and garlic confit aioli.

Bar Leo is perfect for the whole family, with a children’s playground and lawn only a few steps away. Considering the venue is owned by a local family and operated by industry veterans, we can’t say we’re surprised that this venue ticks all the boxes.

Where: 7/4 Panitz St, Bundall
When: Wednesday and Thursday – 4pm till late
Friday – 12pm till late (all day dining)
Saturday – 12pm till late (all day dining)
Sunday – 12pm till 6pm

Words by Chelsea Ipsen

STORY SPONSORED BY BAR LEO

Who can go past a good lunch deal? Not us. It’s the closest we can get to a mini-vaycay during the work week. Meal prep? Not here. Because nothing says treat yo’ self like ghosting the soggy 3-day old leftovers in the fridge in favour of a feast for one – because who doesn’t want a reason to escape their desk jail for just an hour – or two.

And we don’t know what it is but for some reason a cheap feed just tastes better… Maybe it’s the cost of living talking or maybe, we’re just a sucker for a bargain. Whether you’ve given up the will to meal prep (guilty) or you’re looking for a boozy long lunch to kick the weekend off (Friday counts as the weekend, right?) we’ve discovered that the Gold Coast is not afraid of a sweet deal – thanks a lunch for that!

The thing is, long lunches and us go together like cheese and pizza so we’ve done the hard – and hungry – work to find the most irresistible lunch deals to get you through every single day. We got you!

BLOWFISH Ocean Grill + Bar
If you have already checked out one of the Oracle’s newest kids on the block then let us give you a reason to. Blowfish has launched their new midday dining experience with two delicious courses for $69. Get your pick of an entrée and main, or main and dessert if you’re guilty of being a sweet tooth like us. You’ll find a bunch of Blowfish faves like fresh oysters, Moreton Bay Bug rolls and Whole Black Sole gracing the menu from the sea, and for the land lovers the steak tasting board has your name written all over it.
Where: 3 Oracle Blvd, Broadbeach

El Ranchero
El Ranchero has the perfect offering to ring in the weekend. And yes, lunchtime Friday is the start of the weekend as far as we’re concerned, because all emails received on a Friday afternoon, are absolutely next week’s problem. The aptly named Frothy Friday’s include $5 beers and $1 wings specials from midday, with a DJ spinning tunes from 5pm so you can get that good times rolling. El Ranchero has welcomed brand spanking new truck ‘Let’s Get Toasted’ by experienced local foodie Marc Nickalls. This fun little van is full of delicious one handed bites, perfect for kicking off the weekend.
Where: 6/36 Central Drive, Burleigh Heads

Kin
Spice up the ol’ sushi lunch date with a Pan-Asian moment at Kin, giving you a fresh twist of classic Japanese cuisine. Get the chargrilled salmon, bug bao, salmon sashimi or some other goodies for $25pp, along with a complimentary glass of beer, wine, bubbles or a Grey Goose Spritzer and at this point you’re just losing money not going. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, they’ve got happy hour for not just one hour, but five, with specials running from 12-5pm. We’ll cheers to that.
Where: 5/1730 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads

Mozza Mozza
Experts agree the Weekend Bottomless Disco Brunch at Mozza Mozza is one surefire way to bring that weekend vibes (it’s us, we’re the experts). $75 gets you a tasting-style menu with the best Italian bites like Focaccia, Warmed Olives, Arancini Balls, Margherita Pizza and Calamari Fritti, perfectly paired with bottomless Mimosas and Spritz selections. And let the good times really Aperol with a $15pp upgrade to bottomless Boozy Slushies #bottomyesplease.
Where: Cnr Olsen Ave &, Musgrave Ave, Southport

The Island
Okay so the weekend has arrived but the indulgent (read: boozy) long lunches are just getting started. Touted as a long, leisurely lunch for weekends, when it’s time to get your graze and goss on the only way is up – go the Island’s rooftop of course. We have two words for you: cocktail. carafes. For $79 pp you’ll get a decadent share style feed from flatbreads to pork belly bao and fried halloumi, sip back on the 2 hour bottomless cocktail package with fresh flavours in the form of a spritz and of course, wines and beer on tap.
Where: 3128 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise

Hail Mary
A list of the GC’s finest midday offerings would not be complete without a taco ‘bout the holy grail lunch deal that awaits at Hail Mary. $19 gets you two tacos + your choice of beer, wine, spirit or soft drink – all for less than a lobster. The $5 upgrade to a classic marg also feels like a no-brainer – albeit sadly there’s no currency slang equivalent for a $24 lunch bargain. If a Sunday session is more your vibe then you’re in luck because Sangria Sunday is serving up jugs of our favourite nectar for just $20. Let’s just say lunch and a cocktail for halfa pineapple is a pretty sweet deal.
Where: 26 James St, Burleigh Heads

Osteria Del Mare
Fridays were made for long lunching and avoiding the rest of your work responsibilities and apparently, Osteria Del Mare understood the assignment when they decided to bring out the big guns for a $45 lunch deal. Fill up with two courses of authentic Italian fare (there’s even oysters on the menu) and of course a wine, the hardest decision will be whether to get the Tiramisu or Italian Donuts with Nutella.
Where: 2/1718 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads

Maggie Choo
She’s the girl everybody wants to know, bright and cool, serving up tasty eats, some of the most unique cocktails around and, of course, bulk good vibes. Grab the girls and head in on Friday to Sunday from 12pm – 3pm to enjoy the Express Lunch. Just $38pp gets you an XO Prawn Spring Roll, Wonton Soup, Satay Chicken, Vietnamese Salad and Sorbet. Colour us impressed!

If you’re feeling more than a little peckish then Let’s Yum Cha is for you. $65 for an empress feast banquet of seven share plates and a lychee martini!
Where: 89 Surf Parade, Broadbeach

La Calabrese at Ocean
We’re starting to see a theme here – the Gold Coast is spoilt for choice when it comes to a bottomless brunch and quite frankly, lucky us. And clearly La Calabrese at Ocean heard that Paradise was calling and they needed a bottomless lunch – stat! With ocean views, a three-course lunch and a two-hour beverage pack from $89pp, it’s officially not just a Surfers Paradise – it’s a foodie’s paradise, too.
Where: 86 Esplanade, Surfers Paradise

Zephyr Kitchen & Bar
We want to fly away into this Zephyr – every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, thanks. With a schmick new look, the dreamy pink hues have our name written all over it – bonus points for the top notch people watching while you stuff yourself silly on the delicious eats. From $99 you can get your pick from two set menus with a mix of Mediterranean and Italian inspired dishes, plus two hours of unlimited margaritas because sometimes (always) more is more.
Where: 2215 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach

Mermaid Beach Tavern
They’re one of the best loved pubs on the Gold Coast, so it’s no wonder they know the way to our hearts is through a good feed. To ward off the mid-week scaries Mermaid Tavern have been brewing up a selection of $18 lunch specials that’ll make the week more beerable.  Our pick is the Crispy Skin Salmon Bowl or of course you can’t go past the classic Beer Batter Snapper and Chips combo, it’s o-fish-ially one of the best deals we’ve found.
Where: 2500 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach

TGI Friday
The legends at TGI Fridays are making it feel like Friday every day with lunch specials fit for a king, take your pick from their burger, chicken and salad (if you’re #fitspo) or go all out with a half rack of pork ribs – slow cooked and with your name all over it, we hear. All that eating’s got to be thirsty work, so wash it down with your choice of a soft drink, beer or wine – prices start from $19.90 and walking home with change from a twenty sounds like a money win if you ask us.
Where: Robina Town Centre, 19 Robina Town Centre Drive, Robina & Level 1 Paradise Centre, 2 Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise

Tropic Vice
There’s something about a rooftop and a bottomless lunch that just makes our heart skip a beat. Luckily for us, Tropic Vice has one of the most epic offers with two hours of Bottomless Bliss dishing up a five-course set menu with their best bites, plus two hours of all-you-can-drink margs, beer and wine for $99 per person. On your marg, get set, go!
Where: 2215 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach

Gold Coast Tavern
Sometimes you just need a cheeky mid-weeky to get you going and no one knows that better than Gold Coast Tavern. Their weekday lunch menu gives your favourite pub feeds their time to shine, with everything from salt and pepper squid to your classic schnitty just $18. Lunch with enough left over to sneak a schooner? You had us at schnitty.
Where: 150 Bundall Rd, Bundall

Words by Jacqueline Bojanowski

After spending the better part of two decades winning the hearts of carnivores near and far, the owners of highly acclaimed steakery Moo Moo, have set their sights on the sea – sinking a cool $3m on their quest to bring a ‘world-class’ seafood venue to our shores.

There’s little doubt that BLOWFISH Ocean Grill + Bar – the newest venture from Steven & Autumn Adams – has some dauntingly big shoes to fill. Though as you might have gleaned from both the eye-watering project cost and its culinary lineage, this little sib newcomer is a just little bit extra. The lofty, double-story venue which formerly housed The Bavarian, is wooing up to 150 diners at one time – complete with a lush 24 seat private dining room up on the upper floor.

The BLOWFISH ethos revolves around exquisite seafood, bringing glistening, salt-kissed Caviar Bumps, Moreton Bay bug stuffed Milk Buns, and signature Seafood Towers to Broadbeach’s surging premier dining scene.

The jaw-dropping new space lies merely a stone’s throw from Moo Moo, and some familiar faves from its iconic grill make a cameo on the menu (huzzah, now we can drag those seafood-dodging downers of ours along without complaint).

Steven and Autumn spent several months looking all over the Gold Coast for the right location and they believe they’ve got the perfect venue in Broadbeach. The mind-blowing fit-out was brought to us by local design gurus Space Cubed – with a brief we can only assume went something along the lines of ‘exquisite space for exquisite seafood’.

The materials and details have all been selected to convey a coastal inspired sense of grandeur – with luxury details like architecturally sculpted ceilings that blend seamlessly into an expansive, feature lit void, along with chic, seafoam-green wraparound booths as far as the eye can ‘sea’ (sorry, we’ll sea ourselves out).

When it comes to the kitchen, Steven and Autumn have gone ‘against the grain’, opting instead for the twice as nice approach – jointly appointing Bradley Davis and Lee Huckstep as Head Chefs. Adding “both Brad and Leigh have a strong history with us… Together these guys have the talent to bring our unique menu to life.”

And if dishes such as Western Australian Rock Lobster w. Congac + Gruyere’ are anything to go by, we’d say this dynamic duo is has already come out ‘swimming’. As you’d expect, the seafood-centric menu is a total knockout – with a curated selection of premium steaks and sides such as Blowfish Signature Banana Blossom Salad + Noc Chum featured alongside Iceberg Caesar and Charred Sugar Loaf, Pistachio + Sesame in Wagyu Fat that further elevate their selection of ocean specialties.

The BLOWFISH seafood showcase is mainly split between a delectable mix of hot, such as the spectacular Black Lip Mussels w. Rega Rogue Rose, alongside cold delicacies like Sashimi and Nigiri and a pearler of a range of Oysters – all backed up by some very delightful creations from beyond the bar.

Our pick? The Blowfish Bubble, made with Ketel one Vodka Infused with Chamomile, Fresh Pear, Orgeat, Thyme, Orange, Chamomile Tinson, Yuzu Pearls + Citrus Smoke…

We’re fairly sure diners will be blown away at first sip, lick, slurp and nibble of each and every delectable morsel BLOWFISH is sending our way.

Where: 3 Oracle Boulevard, Broadbeach
When: Monday – Sunday 11.30am – 10.00pm

Words by Kellie Leader.
Images by Mathilde Bouby.