While the Gold Coast has remained at somewhat of a standstill, works have been slowly but surely progressing on a new state-of-the-art brewhouse in the heart of Surfers Paradise. Bobs Beer (stands for 'best of beer') is a new brewery, taproom and restaurant, which – if the city transitions to post-pandemic times as planned – is set to come to life in late 2020. more
Whatever genius invented the pie deserves to be showered with eternal praise – seriously. Close your eyes and conjure the mental image of a flaky and buttery exterior encasing the mouth-watering ingredients within. It’s enough to have us levitating with serene joy and the aroma of a pie fresh out of the oven is like an intoxicating perfume. Sorry, were we drooling? Forget about that. Pie is what we are here to discuss and with the winter months approaching (and most of us locked inside with plenty of time on our hands) there’s no better time to have a crack at making one. What’s your flavour? Do you prefer sweet or savoury? No matter your preference, we’ve rounded up five easy pie recipes here for you to try. more
If we've learnt anything from this isolation period, it’s that one of our main hobbies is eating out – and boy, do we miss it. But with our favourite restaurants closed for dine-in (don't worry, that's changing very soon) and more time spent at home, a lot of us delved into a new hobby – quarantine cooking. To help us channel our inner Masterchef, everyone's favourite Naked Chef and cookbook hawker, Jamie Oliver – along with his extremely cute clan of little ones – is sharing dozens of easy-to-make delicious recipes from his home during the lockdown. more
Do you remember the unbridled joy you felt as a kid when you had free rein over the snacks table at a birthday party? The fairy-bread-induced sugar high hit hard and life was beautiful – even if it was just for a sweet moment until your parents caught you and made you eat the healthy carrot sticks instead. Well, sugar fiends and chocoholics, get ready to feel it all over again because San Churro is taking you back to your childhood with a delightful new Throwback menu featuring some of your all-time fave sweet treats. more
In excellent news for our sanity, the state government lifted restrictions on public gatherings ever-so-slightly allowing pairs to enjoy a picnic together – hurrah! In response, a few Gold Coast cafes, delis and eateries have put together a range of mouth-watering picnic hampers for your eating pleasure – here are some of our faves. more
The world is pretty crazy right now but there are a few things keeping us sane – one of them (okay, the main one) is coffee. While it's still a nice treat to grab a cup of joe to-go, it's also the perfect time to master the art of a quality coffee at home. Whether it's a smooth pour-over, a creamy latte or somewhere in between – it all starts with a good quality bean. We've rounded up a few local roasters and suppliers who can hook you up with everything you need to get pouring. more
Please sit down before reading this. Are you seated? Okay, good. Gold Coast residents can now get Cinnabon's hot, sweet, soul-warming cinnamon rolls – and tubs of its signature frosting – delivered to their door. Though, there's a catch. This magical moment only occurs once a week. Here's what you need to know. more
With most of us figuring out how to occupy an isolation-induced abundance of free time and the days bringing a noticeably cooler change, conditions have never been better to learn how to make focaccia. If you’re anything like us, your Instagram feed is filled with folks making their own bread while stuck at home, but we guarantee making a focaccia is way easier, just as fulfilling and far tastier depending on the ingredients you want to include. If the sound of a slightly puffed focaccia – dotted with salt and rosemary, with small pools of liberally spread olive oil resting in its pitted surface – sounds absolutely divine right now, have a crack at making some using these five recipes. You’ve got time, so why the foc not? more
A bold move by the flavoured-milk barons at OAK to immortalise three confectionary-aisle mainstays into drinkable form is sending (most) sweet tooths into a nostalgic, sugar-coated frenzy. Legendary lollies Allen's Fantales and Pineapples, along with Nestlé's humble chocolate Peppermint Crisp bar, can now be guzzled straight from the carton. Are you game to have a swig? more
There are some that believe you can't mess with a classic – the purists, the OGs – if that's you then you may want to click away now because there's nothing for you here. If, however, you believe that recipes are merely guidelines and you enjoy a little culinary creativity – allow us to introduce you, dear reader, to two delectable new flavours of KitKat – Gooey Caramel and Mint Cookie Fudge. more
Authentic ricotta-filled cannoli is right up there with some of the finest foods to come out of Sicily. It's a truly memorable experience when you take that first bite from one end of the crunchy, tubular shell of fried pastry, quickly flipping it around to catch that slow ooze of ricotta coming out of the other end. For those of you with an undying love for traditional Sicilian cannoli (hello, that's us) here's a treat to sweeten your self-iso days – you can now get DIY cannoli kits delivered straight to your door. more
In case you haven’t heard, some of Queensland’s stay-at-home-restrictions are easing as of this Saturday May 2, just in time for the long weekend. This new freedom is still heavily in line with social-distancing measures, however you are now permitted to venture outdoors for a picnic with members of the same household, or one other person if you live alone. The weather forecast for the weekend is looking pretty darn perfect for a (safely distanced) outdoor spread, so we’ve found five delectable picnic recipes to help you celebrate this little taste of freedom. more
In case you've forgotten what day it is today let alone what's ahead, here's a gentle reminder that Mother's Day is fast approaching (Sunday May 10) and although things look a little different this year – it's still important to take a moment to appreciate all the mamas and mum-figures in your life. If cash is tight, remember it's never about the present because a card or letter with some heartfelt words will always make her heart happy but if you did want to treat your mum to a little something special – here are a few ideas to make Mother's Day 2020 memorable for all the right reasons. more
If you've noticed your Insta feed flooded with slightly burnt loaves, you're not alone. For reasons that are not abundantly clear, the humble banana bread has experienced a resurgence in popularity of late. Perhaps it's the relative ease of the recipe or the prevalence of slightly browning bananas on bench tops around the country but either way, it's undoubtedly a sign of the times. If you're keen to up your iso-snack game, step away from the bananas and say hello to Baller Blends. more
If you had visions of using this time in isolation to shred with home-based workouts and clean eating, we suggest you click away now. If, however, you've come to the conclusion that life is short and isolation is made inherently better with delectable baked goods then we have some excellent news – Arnott's has released a home-inspired version of its lauded Monte Carlo biscuit recipe. Delicious on its own or dunked in a cup of tea, the Monte Carlo is a culinary icon and for good reason. If you're keen to give it a crack, don your apron, crank the oven to 170°C and let's bake, baby! more
What was once a thoughtless chore that had to be done once or twice a week has transformed into an Indiana Jones-like expedition – dodging fellow adventurers, trying your best to track down much-coveted items and attempting to escape as quickly as possible. Yep, we are referring to your weekly grocery shop. To help limit unnecessary (and frantic) supermarket trips, we recommend planning ahead and meal prepping. That's where fuss-free recipe manual The Plan, Buy, Cook Book comes in. This kitchen counter must-have, written by Jen Petrovic and Gaby Chapman, follows the no-nonsense ethos of 'plan once, eat well all week' and trust us, it's waaaaaaay easier doing it this way. Originally starting out as a meal-prepping app, the cook book combines the idea of planning ahead for future meals and the 4+2+1 formula, which advises you to "double-up" on two recipes per week, cooking twice as much… more
We've talked self-iso snacks, quarantinis and all your favourite spots that have pivoted to takeaway, but we're yet to touch on one of the most iconic drinks sipped both here and in lands afar – the glorious creation that is bubble tea. With a lot of our favourite boba-making cafes temporarily closed or strictly serving takeaway, sourcing this much-beloved beverage is proving to be a more difficult task than usual. Luckily for us, the boba-loving team behind Bubble Tea Club have come up with a DIY bubble tea making kit, so you never have to miss out on sipping this sweet treat again! more
Social distancing, slathering your mitts in hand sanitiser and shelves emptied of stock – a trip to your local bottle-o just isn't the same as it used to be. "But where will I stock up on my favourite grape juice?", you ask. Well, we have the answer. Brought to us from the team behind Lo-Fi Wines and Das Juice, The Borough Box is a new natural-wine delivery service dropping the goods straight to your door. more
With border restrictions in place, we've been cut off from some of our favourite Northern New South Wales restaurants. Though, for one day only, Gold Coasters will be able to get a taste of renowned Pottsville restaurant Pipit, with owner and chef Ben Devlin joining forces with Tim Stewart from Mermaid's The North Room for a very delicious cross-border collab. more
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and if you choose to make your morning meal a stack of fluffy, good old-fashioned pancakes – then it's all the more better. The kings of cultured butter over at Pepe Saya know this age-old saying all too well and are set to take your Sunday breakfast in bed to the next level. Introducing Pepe Saya's buttermilk pancake packs – breakfast bites so good they will have you exclaiming "holy crepe!". more
