Poké Poké
Morgan Walsh, the brains behind popular Mermaid Beach establishments Bonita Bonita and BonBon Bar, is adding another notch to her culinary belt in the form of an exciting new daytime eatery and juice bar called Poké Poké. As the name suggests, the new venue will specialise in Hawaiian poke bowls as well as Caribbean-style roti rolls, next-level smoothie bowls and healthy juices. A trip to Bali gave Morgan the inspiration to bring a specialty poke bowl venue to the Gold Coast, so expect to see authentic flavours on offer, as well as poke bowls with a twist for those that don’t dig the idea of raw fish. If you shed a tear when The Roti Hut in Mermaid Beach closed down, then you’ll be happy to know that Morgan is perfecting recipes for a delicious range of roti rolls, which will feature heavily on the menu. Poké Poké will open in Mermaid Beach around the end of May – the exact location hasn’t been disclosed yet, but, as always, we’ll keep you posted closer to the opening. We starting talking about the poke bowl trend last year, so we’re understandably pretty delighted to hear that the Gold Coast is about to get its first dedicated poke-bowl eatery!

Harajuku Gyoza
Dumpling lovers, put your chopsticks down and listen up – Brisbane’s ever-popular izakaya-style eatery Harajuku Gyoza is coming to the Gold Coast. After taking Brisbane by storm with locations in Fortitude Valley, South Bank, Brisbane City and Indooroopilly, Harajuku Gyoza is bringing its famous theatrical and fun dining experience to The Oasis Shopping Centre in Broadbeach, which is currently in the midst of a major facelift. The new Broadbeach digs, due to open around mid-May, will have a similar menu and food offering seen in the bustling Brisbane venues, so expect piping-hot dumplings and Japanese street food, plus the likes of beer slushies, Nutella gyozas, and the famous calorie-free raindrop cakes. Oh, by the way, we hear that the Broadbeach doors could be opening for a morning trade sooner rather than later … breakfast dumplings, anyone?

Joy Beans
Gold Coast-based organic coffee roasters Joy Beans is opening its flagship brew bar in Burleigh Heads. The new space, located on lower West Burleigh Road, will showcase the wholesaler’s own range of fair-trade, organic single-origin and specialty blends. The new brew bar will also retail its own beans and organic teas, alongside a swag of alternative brewing equipment like Chemex and V60. Whilst it’s all about the coffee, there will also be a range of raw cakes and vegan ice-cream, plus a selection of organic and gluten-free baked goods. The new Joy Beans brew bar is due to open at the end of March. Oh, and don’t bring your coin purse – it’s completely cashless.

Image credit: Kate Lesueur for Camille Styles.