The Star Gold Coast’s new must-try buffet no longer a Fantasy.
The Star Gold Coast’s new must-try buffet no longer a Fantasy.
The eating season (aka the festive season) is well and truly upon us and we Aussies certainly know how to make the most of it. Dining out, picnics by the water, afternoon cheese platters, all of the above; we’ve got this eating business covered.
Which is why buffets are a handy invention. Maximum eating opportunities combined with exceptional things to eat and you’ve got yourself a time. There can never be enough buffets.
Excitingly, a new one is arriving on Thursday 13th December and it comes to your favourite drinking, dining and good time destination, The Star Gold Coast (who are changing things up at warp speed of late).
Harvest Buffet is the brand new piece of the upgrade puzzle and it is one buffet you are going to want to sample at the earliest available opportunity.
The space, previously Food Fantasy, has undergone a major renovation in keeping with The Star Gold Coast’s fancy new aesthetic. It’s people-holding capacity will increase from 100 to 500 (yay, more friends) and the design now boasts more of a light, airy feel reminiscent of the laidback Gold Coast vibes we know and love.
Abundant greenery is offset by washed timber and natural stone with accents of mint, blush and brass (our absolute favourite colours) completing the pretty picture. There’ll be floor to ceiling windows with views of the venues next-level pool, stunning indoor and outdoor spaces with the whole vibe sleek and modern, right up our alley.
A private dining room is available if you’ve got a party going on, otherwise pull up a seat and get acquainted with the other 499 people sure to constantly indulge in the eats.
Speaking of eats, let’s discuss.
As you know, a buffet is a magical place filled with an array of food choices to which you can return time and time again until you can no longer walk and/or keep your pants buttoned. So it’s heaven.
At Harvest Buffet said food comprises of an absolutely incredible seafood selection filled with the freshest of oceany goodies (including plenty of locally caught treats), a super stacked carvery station, a Chinese BBQ and Asian stations, a house-made pizza and pasta station and of course, one of the very best decadent dessert buffets you’ve ever laid eyes upon.
Including a custom-designed chocolate fountain, which is where you’ll find us, obviously.
It’s an eclectic fusion of buffet classics and the Chef’s unique take on some interactive styles of dining.
Go check it out for yourself, the team at The Star Gold Coast have outdone themselves.
LOCATION: The Star Gold Coast, Casino Drive, Broadbeach
HOURS: Open 7 days a week for breakfast (6.30am-10am), lunch (11.30am-2.30pm) and dinner (Sunday-Friday 5.30pm-late and Saturday 5pm-late).
Words by Kirra Smith
Sports lovers and fans of comfy chairs and views for days get excited, The Star Gold Coast’s new Sports Bar is set to open tomorrow (Thursday the 8th) and it will be THE place to be to watch ALL the sports (because it’s a sports bar, yes).
Particularly if you’re into super-sized LED screens and lots of mini screens perfectly placed to ensure you don’t miss any of the sporting action.
The Sports Bar is The Star’s tenth venue and things are certainly getting fancy in there folks. With floor to ceiling windows showcasing 180-degree views of the city and beach beyond, a plant-filled outdoor area (with heaters for winter) and specialised private booths, it’s unlike any sports bar you’ve ever seen before.
Greys, navy and burnt orange make up the colour palette giving the indoor space a contemporary feel while the deck is all nautical blues and whites to enhance the salty ocean vibes wafting across the highway.
The 10 metre wide mega screen has the magical ability to broadcast multiple events on one screen at the same time and there are 22 additional screen so maybe say goodbye to your husbands ladies.
Three private, VIP booths are available front and centre offering exclusive viewing positions and ice buckets built into the tables so there’s no actual need to ever leave.
If you haven’t nabbed any tickets to the upcoming Commonwealth Games, Sports Bar will be the best place to catch all the action outside the venues themselves.
As it is a bar purely created for sport watching, beer and wine are the beverages of choice. If you’re in the mood for a cocktail, walk a little to your left and check out the delightful selection at Cherry.
With The Darling set to open in a few short weeks, including the extremely fancy Nineteen at The Star rooftop bar, our casino is rapidly morphing into THE place to be.
Go them.
LOCATION: The Star Gold Coast, Casino Drive, Broadbeach
HOURS: Always open
Words and photos by Kirra Smith
Picture this: you’re 19 floors up nestled into a plush velvet booth overlooking the Broadbeach cityscape with the ocean sparkling invitingly in the background. At your back is a low-lit kitchen, the length of the restaurant, where you can watch some of the best chefs in the world working their magic.
With a glass of Ruinart champagne fizzing softly in front of you, you’d be forgiven for thinking you had stepped off the elevator and into one of New York’s finest establishments.
Not so. Nineteen at The Star is the epitome of understated sophistication and the restaurant slash bar slash nightclub has taken the Gold Coast’s dining scene to a whole new level (the nineteenth in fact) since its recent unveiling.
The food, of course, is what we’re here to discuss and should you feel like treating yourself to an unrivalled dining experience, this is the place to do just that.
Begin with caviar because a. if you’ve never tried it before, why not start with the best and b. if you have, why not start with the best. Nineteen source their Russian Beluga Caviar sustainably through the Caviar Ambassador for Australia.
Head Chef Kelvin Andrews suggests spooning the caviar onto the back of your hand and allowing it to warm to room temperature before tasting to bring out the flavours (of which there are many). It’s a difficult experience to explain but one that you must try for both deliciousness and eating-from-your-hand-in-a fancy-restaurant purposes.
Foie Gras is a dish some of us had not had the pleasure of sampling but what a pleasure it was. Kelvin and the team serve their corn-fed, Roast Highland Duck with a hint of wasabi, sprayed with organic soy sauce and topped with an onion ghost (yes, that’s as fun as it sounds). There are snack and main options so choose your own adventure.
The Tasmanian Rock Lobster Bolognese entree has quickly become a popular dish because it’s all the good things in the world. The shell is roasted over fire for up to four days to create some incredible smoky flavours (among other techniques that ensure the utmost deliciousness). It’s a game changer, you won’t want to go past that one.
A Peking and White Duck dish is served with golden hazelnuts and while we do love all of the foods, this one was a favourite. Particularly because you can add the creamiest, tastiest mashed potato there has ever been. No exaggeration. It’s called fifty-fifty because it’s half butter and half potato. Yes. It. Is. Feed us that every day for the rest of our lives please and thank you.
Dessert lovers aren’t left out with White Chocolate and Caviar the must-try dish. Yes you read that correctly (don’t forget salted caramel was once a foreign concept too). Single origin white chocolate from Ecuador is transformed into ice cream and topped with Caviar smoked with applewood and drizzled with gold flake-infused olive oil made right here in Burleigh. Nineteen at The Star are the first venue in Queensland to boast this magical elixir and the only one on the Gold Coast. Eat it.
Sustainability and minimal wastage are the name of the game here and the team work closely with local farmers to ensure the highest quality produce is available at all times.
The bar menu is equally impressive with, of course, only the highest quality ingredients on offer.
Nineteen have also carefully selected creative cocktails with equally thought-provoking names. One of which pays homage to the Gold Coast’s Aboriginal heritage using the original name of Broadbeach Island, Loch Door. Who knew?
That’s a lot of words to describe an experience that is, quite simply, indescribable. Nineteen at The Star is elegant and refined with every single detail perfectly executed.
World-class dining, right here on the Gold Coast, what’ll they think of next.
(Love you fifty-fifty).
LOCATION: Level 19, The Darling at The Star Gold Coast, Casino Dr, Broadbeach
HOURS: From 12pm Wednesday to Sunday
Words and photos by Kirra Smith
