The Dish: Gold Coast food news you might have missed this week
A lot is happening on the Gold Coast (and surrounds) these days, it’s almost too much to keep up with. The Dish is a rapid-fire rundown of the coast’s food news – quick taster-sized tidbits to keep you in the know and, perhaps, tickle your taste buds. This week we’ve got word of a new chapter for Panchos, bottomless brunches and saucy sandos.
Kirra Beach House rolls out new dates for its popular bottomless brunch
Sundays were made for rosé – preferably flowing, perfectly chilled and enjoyed with an ocean view. If you concur, get acquainted with Kirra Beach House’s Rosé Bottomless Brunch. The monthly long lunch leans all the way into coastal glamour, good food and even better company. Held on select Sundays, this chic daytime affair unfolds across Kirra Beach House’s Sunset Terrace, Restaurant and Beachside Terrace, inviting guests to settle in and stay awhile. For $99 per person, you’ll enjoy a two-hour free-flowing drinks package (from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm) featuring Minuty Rosé, rosé spritzes, wine and beer, paired with a generous shared-style entree and main menu designed for relaxed, lingering dining. On the food front, expect a polished yet playful spread featuring stracciatella with hot honey and grilled peaches, tuna tostadas with avocado and crispy chilli, harissa-rubbed grilled chicken with labneh, fettuccine alla vodka, skin-on fries and fresh salads, all built for passing, picking and pouring another glass. The rosé doesn’t stop once the clock runs out either, with Minuty continuing to flow as resident DJs soundtrack the afternoon from brunch through to sunset. Head here for upcoming dates.
Mudgeeraba’s iconic Panchos restaurant is set to enter a new chapter
A Gold Coast institution is entering a new chapter, with Hotel Pancho’s (formerly known as Pancho’s Mexican Restaurant) now under the stewardship of the team behind The Henchman Miami. Although the team have some big plans for the space, the approach so far has been intentionally measured, with early changes focused largely behind the scenes including a kitchen renovation in the works. Once completed, we’re told diners can expect a refreshed menu that will lean more traditional, farewelling things like garlic bread and ribs in favour of classic Mexican flavours and nostalgic favourites – including the much-loved baked enchilada (those who know, know). Pancho’s family-first spirit remains firmly intact, with plans to spruce up the playground and introduce a small petting zoo, reinforcing its role as a go-to for birthdays, long lunches and multi-generational celebrations. Think less reinvention, more restoration – a familiar favourite being carefully brought back to its former glory, one thoughtful update at a time.
Game, set, sandos! Motto Motto has dropped a new line-up of Japanese sando sets
It’s no secret that we’re partial to a good sando and Motto Motto Japanese Kitchen is fuelling our obsession even harder with a fresh new line-up of Japanese sando sets landing just in time to ease those post holiday blues. Built on cloud-soft milk bread and paired with the venue’s cult seaweed-salt fries, the new offerings include a next-level chicken katsu layered with tonkatsu sauce, an orange-yuzu crispy fish sando that hits all the sweet-sour notes, and a curry prawn number that leans unapologetically into comfort-food territory. To sweeten the deal (literally and figuratively), all sando sets will be $15 on January 10 and 11, making this a limited-time serve worth shuffling your lunch plans for. Available across Queensland locations while stocks last, it’s an easy, crunchy win for anyone who likes their summer eating fast, flavour-packed and sandwich-forward.
Krispy Kreme goes green with a new Matcha Moment collection
Matcha lovers, this one’s for you. Krispy Kreme has officially jumped on the green-tea train, launching its first-ever Matcha Moment collection in Australia. Available for a limited time, the drop pairs two new doughnuts – a matcha-glazed remix of the Original Glazed® ring and a strawberry-filled number finished with matcha icing – with three specialty drinks, including iced matcha latte and iced strawberry matcha latte. Sweet, creamy and unapologetically on trend, it’s designed for sharing (or not, no judgement). The Matcha Moment range lands in-store and online from 7 January to 3 February, so consider this your cue to sip, snack and get in before it disappears.
Seoul Garden unveils a flavour-packed new menu
With more than a century of culinary heritage behind it, pantry staple Lee Kum Kee has long been a quiet constant in professional and home kitchens alike. Now, the global icon is stepping into the spotlight at Seoul Garden at Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, partnering with the popular Korean dining group to launch a new national signature menu that champions bold, modern Korean flavours. The permanent menu has been co-created by Lee Kum Kee brand ambassador and MasterChef Australia favourite Declan Cleary, who brings a modern, produce-driven sensibility shaped by his background in contemporary Australian kitchens and his reputation for flavour-first cooking. The collaboration reimagines Korean classics through the depth and umami of Lee Kum Kee’s most-loved sauces, with standout dishes including kimchi fried rice topped with a fried egg and chilli crisp, soy-and-oyster bulgogi beef with pickled radish, and sticky soy chicken paired with apple and cabbage slaw. Designed to feel familiar yet elevated, the menu highlights how thoughtfully used pantry staples can transform everyday dining, making a compelling case for Korean comfort food that’s approachable, crave-worthy and backed by serious culinary pedigree.
Sip and swan around the pool at Sheraton Grand Mirage’s Summer of Champagne pop-up
If summer on the Gold Coast had a dress code, it would almost certainly involve linen, bare feet and a glass of something French by the pool. If this sounds like your ideal way to spend an afternoon, consider this your invitation to book a staycay at Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort. The Main Beach icon is leaning all the way into holiday mode with its Summer of Champagne pop-up at the Oasis Pool Bar. Running until late January, the Moët & Chandon-fuelled affair transforms the resort’s poolside into a Mediterranean-inspired escape, complete with a live chargrill and a menu that reads like a greatest-hits reel of sunshine eating – we’re talking za’atar-spiced lamb ribs, grilled haloumi with sumac, marinated calamari and souvlaki chicken, all served with charred flatbreads and a parade of salads and dips. Add chilled glasses of Moët (or a spritz if you’re pacing yourself), and suddenly lunch turns into an all-afternoon affair. Consider this your cue to cancel plans, claim a sun lounger and let summer do the rest.
Your sign to take a Sunday drive south with Pipit Restaurant’s new Sunday service and BYO wine
If there’s ever been an excuse for a Sunday drive south, this is it. Pipit Restaurant is welcoming Gold Coast diners to linger a little longer this January, extending its Sunday dinner service and introducing a new BYO Night built on good food, good wine and backing local. On these summer Sundays, Pipit’s entire wine list is priced at retail with dine-in corkage – $15 per person for Pipit bottles, $25 per person for any BYO, or $20 per person if your bottle comes courtesy of friends Bottle & Hoop (Brunswick Heads) and Salty Grapes (Cabarita). And the love goes both ways. Show a Pipit booking at Bottle & Hoop for 5-percent off your bottle, or flash a Pipit receipt at Salty Grapes for 5-percent off when you spend $100 (January only). Wine may set the tone, but the food seals the deal – think seasonal snacks, house-made jersey milk cheeses, crumbed bay-lobster schnitzel with macadamia miso, grilled swordfish with roasted-bone sauce and a black sapote mousse worth staying late for. Clear Sunday night, cue the playlist and head south for supper.
Got a hot tip for us? Shoot us an email at [email protected], we’d love to hear it!