The Seafood Freshtival, which also runs across The Star Sydney and Treasury Brisbane, is being held from April 18 to May 31, and will feature events and experiences driven by world-class chefs across the three properties. The Gold Coast festivities see Nineteen at The Star‘s Kelvin Andrews and Kiyomi’s famed mastermind Chase Kojima armed with some of the best local and Australian seafood to take diners on a journey under the sea. As for events, there’s the exclusive 20-course (yes, 20) omakase experience at Kiyomi, which will be held on three nights only – Thursday May 30, Friday May 31 and Saturday June 1. Limited to just six diners, this bucket-list-worthy Japanese degustation will see you take front-row seats at Kiyomi‘s sushi counter where the chefs will be exclusively yours for the evening – they will curate each of the 20 courses depending on what’s fresh that day, and will expertly match their creations with a selection of sake and wine. There’s also the Sustainable Seafood Dinner at Nineteen at The Star on Thursday May 16 – an unmissable night that will shine light on the environmental and social importance of sustainable fishing. There will also be a seafood pop-up at Garden Kitchen & Bar on Saturdays, serving tasty prawn po’boys and Furphy-battered flat head with chips, while inside at The Sports Bar you can indulge in fresh Australian prawn rolls.

A range of limited-edition crustacean dishes will also be offered across The Star’s dining venues until May 31. At Kiyomi, this is your chance to experience festival-only dishes like seared scampi with foie gras and apple shiso leaf, tempura Moreton Bay bug with grapefruit salad and sambal aioli, and tempura lobster tail with sakura matcha. Nineteen’s festival specials will include the must-try rock-lobster bolognese and the Patagonian toothfish, while decadent fresh-prawn rolls will be served in Nineteen’s spectacular bar with a glass of Moet & Chandon Imperial Rose. At Italian dining spot Cucina Vivo, you can experience a whole flounder, a herb maltagliati pasta with bug tail in a bisque sauce or kick back with a garlic-prawn pizza. Those into crab will want to make a beeline for sophisticated Chinese eating house Imperial at The Star to experience the crispy soft-shell crab and the Singapore-style Queensland mud crab – prepare to lick thy fingers at the end. Oh, and don’t worry if you’re not that into seafood because The Star has taken the liberty of hand picking a bunch of dishes being offered during the festival (check them out here) that are less intimidating – perfect for those that don’t love seafood, but just want to dip their toes in.

For more information on the Seafood Freshtival happenings, head to The Star website.