Delight in a decadent chocolate dragon egg and whisky pairing at Yamagen
At Yamagen, indulgence is best paired with whisky and chocolate. If you’re in the mood for something a little bit (a lot) extra, consider this your cordial invitation to embark on a sensory journey with its limited edition dessert and whisky pairings. The showstopper is a daringly indulgent chocolate Dragon Egg, served with a rare Japanese Hibiki 21 whisky. This extraordinary chocolate creation is crafted in house, combining coffee-gianduja sabayon and black-sesame crunch with 68% Li Chu chocolate. The signature dessert is priced at a cool $200. If your dessert budget doesn’t quite stretch that far, you can still enjoy chocolate and Japanese whisky-tasting flights from $45 per person. The chocolate and whisky pairing experiences are available now until June 30. Book a table at Yamagen here.

Winner winner, Bird Royale’s catering boxes are now available
Everybody’s fave chook nook has dropped some cluckin’ excellent news – Bird Royale now does catering! That’s right, you can now enjoy the venue’s signature charcoal-rotisserie chickens, vibrant salads, sandwiches and wraps alongside grazing and burger boxes at your next event. Due to many (many) requests, Dave Galvin, the owner of Bird Royale, has unveiled a full catering menu that will be cooked fresh daily from the Brickworks location on Ferry Road. The catering selection, which includes gluten-free options, suits private events as well as corporate functions with packages from 10 to 300 people. 

Wet your whistle at Las Palmas Bar & Restaurant’s new bottomless brunch
Brunch is an excellent way to welcome the weekend, even better if it involves a couple of cheeky bevs. Palm Beach purveyors of Latin-American share plates Las Palmas has recently rolled out a bottomless brunch package. Available every Saturday and Sunday, from midday, the brunch spread includes four signature dishes plus a two-hour drinks package for $79 per person. Hot tip, for an extra $20 you can upgrade to bottomless margs. As a table it’s one in all in, so rally some pals and book a spot.

Discover Citrique’s new secret dish
JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa’s signature restaurant, Citrique, has launched a new a la carte menu that invites guests on an odyssey through modern-Australian cuisine. In an fun twist, diners can unlock a hidden menu item by uttering the secret word to their server. Rotating seasonally, the secret dish will be a decadent and theatrical culmination of Citrique’s dining philosophy designed to ignite the senses. The codeword to unlock the first dish is ‘ignite’ (that’s all we’ll be revealing). Diners who follow JW Marriott Gold Coast’s Instagram will be the first to stay updated when the next codeword is revealed.

Neighbourhood noshery Bar Leo drops a delicious new autumn menu
Nestled on Panitz Street in Sorrento, Bar Leo is, without a doubt, one of the Gold Coast’s best hidden gems. The neighbourhood noshery, which is approaching its first birthday, has been gaining some serious momentum of late, spurred by a tasty new Mediterranean-inspired menu. Start with a serve of the venue’s freshly made focaccia while you pick at a plate of charcuterie and peruse the expertly curated wine list. You’ll find some familiar faves such as the wagyu rump cap alongside some exciting new dishes including a seriously pretty sashimi, a new take on the venue’s octopus with potato and steak tartare. If you’re yet to discover Bar Leo or it’s been a minute in between wines, we reckon this is the sign you’ve been waiting for to book a table.

Experience La Bella Cellar’s elevated new autumn menu
In case you missed the memo, Burleigh’s beautiful La Bella Cellar has reopened with a fresh focus on fine dining. Although the term ‘fine dining’ can conjure notions of stuffiness, let’s get one thing clear – La Bella Cellar is the opposite of that. Spirited and lively, the tiny space reverberates with music and animated conversations. Led by hatted-chef Raffaele, the new autumn iteration has said goodbye to some of our favourites (gone but never forgotten), but welcomed a whole new selection to try. Diners can expect dishes such as lobster bisque, spicy jerk chicken and beef tartare among the new selections. Keep your peepers peeled for details of an upcoming supper club, or jump over here to book a table.

Feast on a fried-chicken Benny and Japanese omelettes at Double Barrel Kitchen in Mermaid
It’s officially sayonara summer and konnichiwa to autumn. Checking out all of the new seasonal spreads is undoubtedly one of our favourite things about the turn of the season, and Double Barrel Kitchen in Mermaid is never one to disappoint. This autumn, Jess and the team have upped the ante with a delightfully decadent southern fried-chicken benne slathered with chipotle hollandaise, a Japanese omelette stuffed with noodles and drizzled with yakisoba sauce, and the ever-popular poached-pear porridge.

Treat your taste buds to carrot-cake oats and hot-honey chicken at Elk Espresso
When it comes to seasonal spreads, Elk Espresso never ceases to amaze with their inventive (and utterly delicious) creations. This time around, the culinary wizards have created some naughty-but-nice carrot-cake oats, an almost-too-pretty-to-eat rhubarb vanilla panna cotta with pandan yoghurt, but the real show-stopper this season is undoubtedly the hot-honey chicken on corn bread with Sriracha butter. If you’re drooling already (same), get your keister to Elk Espresso, stat!