We would venture to say Burleigh Heads is one of the most-loved places on Earth and for (very) good reason. A stunning coastline, world-class surf break, a breathtaking national park and, to top it all off, five star eateries. Plus, every single person there is wandering around with a big old smile on their face at all times – obviously.

And just when you thought it couldn’t possibly get any better, up pops a brand new venue to take the Gold Coast dining scene to a whole new level. Yes friends, Burleigh Pavilion is open and it is even more delightful than we could have imagined.

As of late December, the much-anticipated venue threw open their doors to hordes of absolutely thrilled locals (and many visitors) who it seems have been waiting for this moment their entire lives and same to be honest.

You can find the Pavilion at the base of Burleigh Hill, right on the sand and overlooking not only Burleigh beach but also the entire northern Gold Coast coastline. It’s the epitome of beachfront good times and perfectly at home in our beloved Burleigh.

You’ll enter up a set of stairs and, once inside, come face to face with the Chefs doing their thing for the good of hungry people everywhere. To your left is The Tropic, the sit down dining section of the establishment and, to your right, The Terrace, a more casual, walk-in-off-the-beach-with-sandy-feet style of venue. What a treat.

The Tropic is all pastel pinks, mustards and greens with stunning stone tables with plants popping out of rattan baskets a pink tiled bar that’ll see you taking Insta-snaps for days. Of course, a deck juts out over the ocean and, with fairy lights strung overhead and the calming lull of the ocean right below; you probably won’t ever want to leave.

Across the way, another open-air section backs onto the kitchen so you can either watch the Chefs at work or gaze out over the ocean through the big old windows while occasionally popping over to the Pavilion Bar for a refreshing tipple.

To the right, The Terrace is exactly that, an outdoor area (yes you can still go there if it’s raining) with big white umbrellas, stunning stone high tables and striped seating yep, all overlooking the ocean and with the Beach Bar at your back.

Each section boasts its own unique vibe but they all come together to create a vintage look that is also modern and sophisticated but relaxed and understated and pretty much pure perfection if you ask us. Big love.

Food-wise The Tropic is where you want to be for an à la carte, Mediterranean style feast with standouts like the Seafood Platter, Giant Octopus and Wood Fired Pig Doughnut (just try it) the absolute must-trys. In terms of cocktails, The Tropic are the masters of creative concoctions and we recommend The Palms and The Pineapple Plantation.

At The Terrace, you’ll indulge in more of a casual eating situation with burgers, wood-fired pizzas, nachos, fish and chips and the like the name of the game. Perfect for a feast after a day of salt water and sunshine, washed down with an icy cold beer of course. Oh and you can also get to The Terrace via a set of stairs on the Burleigh Hill side of the building so that’s useful if you can’t wait a second longer for said feast and icy cold beer. That’ll be us.

So there you have it, Burleigh Pavilion has graced us with its’ presence and we are absolutely here for it.

Long live summer on the Gold Coast, what a time to be alive.

The Tropic is taking bookings now so get on in there.

LOCATION: Goodwin Tce, Burleigh Heads (you won’t miss it)
HOURS: 12pm to 12am daily

Words and photos by Kirra Smith

Speaking of early Christmas gifts (roll with it), here’s one everyone can share. A decadent, French patisserie opened in Burleigh Heads just a little while ago and we have never been graced with anything quite like this Gold Coasters.

Aux Fines Bouches is the work of husband and wife team Richard and Sophie Le Deunff, who relocated from Adelaide not long ago to bring our city the goodies they’ve been delighting southerners with for the past 12 years.

Richard is the man behind the sweet treats, a Pastry Chef from northern France since he was 15 years old, he has won a slew of awards including Pastry Chef of the Year from prestigious Gault and Millau.

The reason for the awards is quite obvious as soon as you step inside the Taree Street space. Simply decked out with a few chairs, Aux Fines Bouches is really just about showcasing the absolute magic within the cabinets. The best part though, is watching Richard and his team at work through the window whilst choosing your goodies, so mesmerizing.

So what is the magic we speak of? Well friends, it comes in the form of tarts, cakes and pastries so decadent you almost feel bad putting them in your mouth. Almost.

The attention to detail that goes into each and every dessert is mind-blowing, how do you have so much patience, how do you not eat everything as you go, how do your fingers make such incredible things, you get the point.

For example, there is an apple shaped treat (fancily called a Pomme d’Eva) that looks exactly like an apple but instead of actual boring apple inside, it has a blackcurrant mousse and a crunchy outer shell. What.

That little guy went through five different phases of creation before it was perfected and it is indeed perfect.

There’s a Merveilleux – a traditional French dessert made up of two light meringues held together with whipped cream, covered in more whipped cream and dusted with chocolate shavings and so very yummy.

As people who LOVE a citrus dessert, we were very big fans of the Coucher de Soleil a lemon and raspberry tart with the perfect amount of punch that we absolutely did not share.

Richard comes up with one new dessert a fortnight and how he manages it, we will never know. He also makes incredible cakes for special occasions and we saw a pink one that we will order for every single person we know for the rest of time.

The point is, everything at Aux Fines Bouches is sweet and perfectly balanced and the array of stunning flavours on offer is going to knock your socks off.

Do yourself a favour the next time you’re in need of a sweet treat (so now).

LOCATION: 2/43 Taree Street, Burleigh Heads
HOURS: 7am until 3pm daily

Words and photos by Kirra Smith

Lots of ramen-related news across the Gold Coast right now isn’t there? The latest of which comes fresh out of Burleigh Heads and is that of Goukai Ramen.

The newbie opened just last week in the space Bondi Grill’e once occupied and they’re bringing authentic ramen dishes and tasty Japanese tipples to the people.

Found underneath Ambience on Burleigh Beach, just down the way from Oh My, Waffle, Goukai Ramen is the work of Hiroshi Takeyama and Noriyuki Sato who wanted to bring their dream of owning a restaurant to life.

It’s a spacious venue, decked out in dark wood and a few interesting little arty accents with the smell of spicy goodness wafting through the air.

The menu is simple and filled with tasty bites including ramen in a variety of flavours. From the Goukai Original to Red Hot Spicy, Tasty Miso, Black Garlic, Meat Lovers, Vegetarian and Goukai Prawn and they’re all absolutely bursting with flavour.

You may also indulge in rice bowls along the lines of a Karaage Bowl, a Sweet Chilli Karaage Bowl and a Chopped Pork Bowl and there’s Karaage Chicken bites, edamame and Gyoza for sides too.

The kiddies aren’t forgotten either, there are little people options to keep them happy too.

Drinks-wise you can wash all that down with Japanese beers like Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin and two types of sake are on offer. There’s a plum liquor and of course, Japanese whiskey and soft drinks.

If you’re in the market for a tasty, authentic ramen feast (and we know you are), look no further than Burleigh’s latest Goukai Ramen.

They’ll cure what ails ya.

LOCATION: 3/1837 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads
HOURS: 11am until 3pm and 5pm until 9pm Wednesday to Monday

Words and photos by Kirra Smith