Gelataria Dolce Follia

Gelataria Dolce Follia
1726 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads, QLD

After our lunch at Burleigh Heads Hotel, I was itching for ice-cream. I've mentioned before but there's something about sun and surf that makes ice-cream not just desirable but an outright necessity. We wandered towards the water and spotted Gelataria Dolce Follia across the road.

Burleigh Heads Hotel

Burleigh Heads Hotel
http://www.burleighheadshotel.com.au/

In what could only be described as a fit of very temporary life motivation, I thought it would be a great idea to take advantage of the peak summer weather and head to the coast. I picked Burleigh heads for its hiking trail and figured that even on a weekend, it should be less busy than Surfer's. Oh how wrong I was.

We went as a small group via two vehicles and navigated through tremendous traffic pains. Car number 2 was involved in a slight vehicular incident. None of us could find parking and this added another half hour or so to the journey. We ended up at our destination 3hrs past the original speculated time.

Brunch at The Duck's Nuts, Bundall

The Duck's Nuts
Sorrento Shopping Village, 23 Bundall Road, Bundall

A couple of weeks ago, Marc and I found the perfect opportunity to head down to the Gold Coast. It was mixing business with pleasure but since the 'business' part was all to do with him, I went there purely to have a good time. My day started with breakfast at The Duck's Nuts, a cafe a friend recommended. After half an hour of coffee leisure time, Marc joined and ordered lunch. I'm averaging out our meals to be 'brunch'.

I haven't had much prior experience with Bundall. Geographically it's somewhere between Surfer's Paradise and Broadbeach but slightly more inland. The Duck's Nuts is located along the Bundall Road edge of Sorrento Shopping Village. It's small so you need to be looking for it. I quite liked the courtyard seating especially the tables that backed onto the street.

Gold Coast - Grocer and Grind for Breakfast

Grocer and Grind
Shop 1, 1 Sunshine Boulevard, Gold Coast

Last Friday I went on a wonderful excursion. There's nothing quite like getting up at 5am on a freezing winter morning to drive your fiancé to the Gold Coast for a breakfast meeting. The thought that I could've have been in bed instead was like a knife through my heart. I perked myself up with the bribe of having breakfast out once we got to the coast.

Blossom used to live at the Gold Coast and I remember her recommending Grocer and Grind as one of her favourite cafes. I looked it up and it was walking distance from Marc's meeting venue so I parked my car and made my way there.

Amimoto, Gold Coast for Dinner

Amimoto
24 Orchid Avenue, Surfer's Paradise

My favourite unexpected find during our trip to the Gold Coast last weekend was the little Japanese eatery, Amimoto. Marc and I had lunch at Boom Boom Burgers earlier that day and when we were brainstorming what to eat for dinner, we decided that sushi/sashimi would be light and contrasting.

After a quick look on Zomato to figure out which Japanese eateries were close to us and had a decent reputation, we settled on Amimoto which was only a short stroll away. Amimoto is a tiny 'hole in the wall' eatery located in one of the off-street shopping alleys in Surfer's Paradise. We found it by luck because the sign at the front of the alley entrance only says 'Japanese Restaurant' and we went in on a hunch. Even the actual restaurant itself is plain and unlabelled. I didn't know we were at the correct place until I read 'Amimoto' on the menu.

Boom Boom Burgers, Gold Coast for Lunch

Boom Boom Burgers
http://boomboomburgers.com.au/

Marc and I spent the past weekend at the Gold Coast, our favourite spot for short trips away. Although the weather was less than desirable, we still had a merry time filling our bellies with food and drink. One of the activities we had scheduled was a visit to newly opened burger joint Boom Boom Burgers.

I recently received an invite to try the menu at Boom Boom Burgers and because burgers are one of our most loved food types, we were eager to jump on board. Boom Boom Burgers is located on Chevron Island just off the main thoroughfare street. It was easy to find and there was plenty of public parking available around.

Lunch at La Ferme Provencale, Tamborine Mountain

La Ferme Provencale
http://www.lafermeprovencale.com/

My paternal grandparents love food in all forms. I'm pretty sure I inherited my food enthusiasm direct from my grandpa. I'll often think of nice new restaurants or interesting types of cuisines that I think they'd like. It's rare for my grandparents to find something they want to try on their own so when my dad told me they really wanted to visit this French restaurant in Tamborine Mountain, I was intrigued.

My grandparents found out about La Ferme Provencale through a local free Chinese-language newspaper. This deterred me because I couldn't imagine why a really good and confident French restaurant would find it necessary to advertise to Chinese locals/tourists. I did a bit of Googling and discovered La Ferme had reasonable reviews. Some good, some bad, but good enough that we decided it was worth trying.

Breakfast at Delikatessen (Surfer's Paradise)

Delikatessen Surfer's Paradise
2 Elkhorn Avenue, Surfer's Paradise

It's a sign that I'm running behind on blog posts when there are things I haven't written about that I experienced nearly a month ago. Jenny and I visited the Gold Coast for a weekend for a friend's hens celebration. The next morning, we were hung over and hungry and craving something hearty yet nourishing for breakfast.

Gold Coast Fling 5 - Breakfast at Base

Base Espresso
75 Surf Parade, Broadbeach

I've decided that I hate 10am check outs. Marc and I left our hotel on Broadbeach at 10 and found that the only food options available were of the bacon and egg variety. That's all good on most days but on this particular day I was really in the mood for proper lunch food. Noodles. Burgers. Nachos. None of those places were open and we were too hungry to wait until lunch trading so we gave up and found a cafe instead.

Gold Coast Fling 4 - Dinner at Goha

Goha Korean Restaurant
160 Nerang Street, Southport

Anyone who's followed this blog at all this year would know that whilst the main cuisine of Brisbane 2014 is Southern American, the main food of Cora 2014 is most definitely Korean. My interest in Korean cuisine has exploded this year and I will never say no to the offer of a Korean meal. While we were staying at the Gold Coast recently, we met up with Blossom and a couple of her friends. She is Korean and knew just the place to take me for Korean BBQ. Best of all, it was all-you-can-eat at a very reasonable price.

After some thinking, I realised that this premise sounded very familiar. It turns out that my highschool friend Bee mentioned her parents owned an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ at the coast and when I inquired, it turned out to be the same place.

Gold Coast Fling 3 - Lunch at Cheng's China Bistro

Cheng's China Bistro
http://www.chengschina.com.au/

Being OCD about food blogging means that I don't always write about the trendiest or most gourmet places to eat. I can't help but write about everything new that I try. This was a quick lunch stop during our stay in Broadbeach. We actually walked all the way to Surfers Paradise and I started regretting it because I felt like there were better food options back at Broadbeach. I started craving cheap Asian food and we stumbled upon Cheng's Chinese Bistro and basically said "this will do".

It was Saturday lunch and the restaurant had maybe 2 other tables of diners. We were given a one page menu of lunch specials and a large book of a la carte dish options. Marc and I weren't looking for a full on sit down feast so we both ordered lunch specials.

Gold Coast Fling 2 - Dinner at Hurricane's Grill

Hurricane's Grill and Bar, Surfers Paradise
https://surfers.hurricanesgrill.com.au/

I'd been to Hurricanes at Darling Harbour in Sydney once before in my life but that was a hazy affair because high volumes of alcohol had been consumed earlier that night. All I could remember was that the ribs were really, really, really good. Imagine my excitement over Hurricane's bring their delicious creations to Queensland with a store at Surfers Paradise.

Marc and I had been wanting to go for a while but areas like Surfers where parking is always a challenge can be a heavy deterrent. A couple of weekends ago, I got to experience the convenience of the new light rail service. We were staying opposite Jupiter's in Broadbeach and from there it was a quick 5 minute walk and short tram ride from Cavill Mall. After that, however, we managed to misread Google Maps and walk in the complete opposite direction to where we were supposed to be going.

Gold Coast Fling 1 - Lunch at No Name Lane

No Name Lane
Elizabeth Avenue, Oracle Boulevard, Broadbeach

Ever since I was a little girl, I loved staying at hotels. There's something about the thrill of checking into an unfamiliar location, unlocking your temporary home for the first time and then heading out to explore the new neighbourhood. I just love it!

Last weekend, there was a dental conference at the Gold Coast so I arranged a mini holiday at Broadbeach. Hungry Kittens isn't meant to be an accommodation blog so I won't carry on too much about where we stayed, but suffice to say I highly recommend Meriton on Broadbeach. Our apartment was clean, spacious and modern with gorgeous views from both sides. I found the location perfect for heading out for groceries, restaurants, cafes, even getting a mani/pedi. Everything was so close by. With Jupiters Casino just across the road and the beach a ten minute walk away, you have all interests covered.

Itoshin for Dinner

Itoshin Japanese Restaurant
2484 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach

I now bring you a post that's a couple months old. Marc and I dined at Itoshin on our way to Pottsville, at an inconvenient time when we were moving house and didn't have internet. After that, I forgot all about the trip until I started rummaging through my old photos. I'm pleased to say that Itoshin recalls fond memories and it's very much worth covering even if my experience is outdated.

As I mentioned above, we were driving to Pottsville from Brisbane one night with the intention of having dinner at the Gold Coast. Some may beg to differ but Marc and I have never had a good experience trying to find parking at the coast. I'm sure it's a similar situation for outsiders trying to have dinner out in Brisbane CBD but because we've always lived locally, it was never a problem for us. The GC on the other hand...

Gold Coast - Breakfast at Beach Cafe

The Surfers Paradise Beach Cafe
4 The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise

In Brisbane, Marc never wakes up early enough to get breakfast with me. I usually get bored/fed up and head out on my own. When we're away for the weekend though, we can compromise and meet in the middle.

We went for a stroll along Surfers. It was another gorgeous day but it still felt quite cold so I really wanted a spot in the sun. Unfortunately, everyone else seemed to have the same idea because all the spots in direct sunlight were taken up. We ended up at Beach Cafe because it looked nice and not too busy.

Gold Coast - Icecream on the water with Ben and Jerry

Ben and Jerry's Surfers Paradise
Shop 1, Centro, Surfers Paradise

There are two things that for me, are synonymous with the coast. Sun and ice-cream. Without either of those things, I deem a coast trip to be a failure. I have no control over the weather but last weekend, Marc and I were blessed with clear skies and glorious sunshine. I always feel a bit piggish requesting ice-cream in the middle of the day but this time, I didn't have to. We checked into our hotel and Marc was the one who suggested we stroll out for an ice-cream hunt.

I had my mind set on Gelatissimo but as we were walking over to their Cavill Mall store, I spotted a Ben and Jerry sign out of the corner of my eye. I have a slight bit of history with Ben and Jerry. Well... ok, not really. In my early uni days, when I was unemployed and spent my non-study hours being domestic, I bought an ice-cream machine and several ice-cream recipe books. Ben and Jerry's was one of them. I don't think I actually used any of their ice-cream recipes but some of their other recipes for ice-cream 'accessories' e.g. cookies, fudge sauce and brownies are great.

Ben and Jerry ice-cream then started making an appearance in various Australian stores. I tried a tub here and there but I had never seen an actual Ben and Jerry ice-cream store before. Naturally, I had to check it out.

Dinner and Drinks at Helm Bar

Helm Bar and Bistro at Surfers Paradise
http://www.helmbar.com.au/

Last Saturday, I was invited to try the dinner menu at the brand new Helm Bar and Bistro. Drawing influences from its sister bar in Darling Harbour, Helm replaced the old Titanium Bar with a more modern fitout and stronger gourmet focus.

We took the opportunity to stay a night at the Gold Coast and for once, the weather gods were smiling down. The days were beautiful, albeit just a wee bit frisky. Winter is drawing near. It was a short stroll from our hotel to Helm Bar and Bistro. As we headed inland, Marc started assuming that the venue couldn't possibly be that good because we were walking away from the ocean. Contrary to his expectations, Helm was perched right over Nerang River, which provides lovely water views without the heavy beach crowds.

Lunch at Chill on Tedder

Chill Dining and Wine Bar
http://www.chillontedder.com.au/

A trip to the Gold Coast is always a great opportunity to catch up with Blossom and Matt. We went over the Australia day break and the weather was near cyclonic by the Sunday of our 3 night stay. Without the options of beach or pool, all we really had to look forward to that day was lunch at Chill. It was a restaurant that Blossom recommended and she has superb taste in everything so I was excited to try it.

Marc and I parked in a side-street off Tedder Avenue on Main Beach. We then literally sprinted to the shelter of the restaurant, getting drenched at a point where we ran in opposite directions, unsure of exactly which block Chill was located (Marc turned out to be correct, resulting in me getting more drenched than he).

Teppanyaki Dinner at Murasaki

Murasaki Japanese Restaurant
11/91 Surf Parade, Broadbeach

There's no greater sense of disappointment than spending months looking forward to a weekend retreat at the coast, fantasizing about sunshine, sand and warm waves and arriving to find yourself stuck in a hotel from relentless rain and wind of cyclonic proportions. I had booked 3 nights at the Gold Coast over the Australia Day long weekend. Whilst my hometown of Toowoomba was being drenched, Brisbane was threatened with floods and the coast was being visiblly blown apart in the storm. The 'Big Wet' ruined any chance we had of enjoying the beach but we made the most of the weekend with good company, lots of booze and a couple of food excursions.

Yatala Pie Stop

Yatala Pies
http://www.yatalapies.com.au/

Marc and I spent a weekend in Pottsville towards the end of last year and made a pie pitstop on the way back. Everyone's heard of Yatala Pies. They're famous. Despite that, in my 20ish years of living in Queensland, I had never once tried them before. Marc was keen to amend that fact.

Yatala Pies is located just off the Pacific Motorway. It's hard to miss because there are signs pointing it out along the way and there's a huge pie mounted on their roof indicating what they have in store. We were heading back towards Brisbane and it was easy as anything to exit at Yatala Pies, order and eat before progressing back onto the Pacific.