Dim sum by the sea – Mr Hizola’s brings contemporary Cantonese to Burleigh
Burleigh locals, it’s time to raise your chopsticks – Mr Hizola is in town. For those wondering, Mr Hizola (first name Jon, FYI) is an actual human. He’s a talented chef and part owner in the coast’s newest dining space, Mr Hizola’s, which is set to give the southern end its first taste of contemporary Cantonese cuisine when it opens its doors this Thursday June 28.
The details
The arrival of Mr Hizola’s marks another notch in the belt of hospitality identity Scott Imlach (Hideaway Kitchen & Bar, Bine Bar & Dining and BYO-food bars Soho Place and Nightjar) who, along with business partners Simone Turnbridge and Michael Craighead, teamed up with chef Jon Hizola (Hideaway Kitchen & Bar and formerly Etsu) to create the coast’s newest Cantonese and Chinese eating house. Mr Hizola’s focuses on share-style dining, with a vibrant flavour-packed menu designed around everybody’s favourite pastime – feasting.
The food and drink
Mr Hizola’s menu is extensive, so ease into it with a bowl of house-made prawn crackers and a chilli-laced Hong Kong Spice cocktail before making any decisions. For simplicity, the dishes are split into categories – from the sea, from the land, from the coop, from the field, from the garden, and noodles and rice. There’s also a hefty dim sum selection, where you’ll find everything from pork potstickers and kale and mushroom wontons to delicate scallop and prawn shumai (traditional Cantonese dumplings). Seafood fiends will want to opt in to the whole fried fish with Szechuan chilli sauce, while the carnivores can turn to the Hunan-style beef short ribs or indulge in the Mongolian clay-pot beef in black-bean sauce. The whole roasted duck is a tasty centrepiece for the table, or you can dig your chopsticks into noodle dishes like the chicken lo mein or the beef chow fun (flat noodles) with XO sauce. You can sugar coat your experience with a chocolate custard bao with sesame ice-cream and a plateful of mochi. Mr Hizola’s toothsome menu is underlined by a tight collection of wines, a bunch of bottled and tapped Asian beers and a fun series of cocktails.
The rest
Mr Hizola’s, located in between Iku Yakitori Bar and Jimmy Wah’s, takes over a space that was originally occupied (for only a few weeks during December last year) by steakhouse Bondi Grill’e. Despite being a turnkey restaurant, the team behind Mr Hizola’s embarked on a five-week transformation to create an eclectic Chinese garden-themed fit-out. By day the 80-seat restaurant is bright and colourful, and by night it’s dim and moody, complete with a cabinet of hanging ducks, eye-popping lanterns and some very Instagram-friendly graffiti walls.
Time to feast? Head to our Stumble Guide for Mr Hizola’s opening hours, address and contact details.
The Stumble Guide is our comprehensive Gold Coast dining guide with more than 870 places to eat, drink, shop and play.
