It’s hard not to smile as you get your first glimpse of The Lume Coolangatta. A cascade of beautiful blooms captivates your gaze, each flower delicately hand-fixed into place one-by-one. A laborious task, no doubt, but the end result is breathtaking. No matter where you look around The Lume, there’s something interesting to see, from the floral-adorned feature wall, to the parasols and fire-topped shots emerging from the bar. The Lume Coolangatta is located at the southern end of Griffith Street and is the latest venture of Haowei Yang, who also owns Little Sweet Cafe in Surfers Paradise as well as a restaurant in China. Now in its third week, the interactive venue has certainly made an impression on the local Cooly crowd.

When it comes to the fare, the opening menu is described as Asian fusion, drawing inspiration from countries including China, Japan, Thailand and Korea. Yum cha lovers can enjoy a roving feast of steamed scallop and prawn dumplings, Shanghai-style soup dumplings and wontons in red-chilli sauce. Those who prefer a la carte can munch on crisp chicken-karaage bao buns, sizzling steaks, salt-and-pepper soft crab and roasted duck. The menu delivers a diverse selection of dishes that pay homage to the rich culinary heritage of each region with plans to extend the menu even further in coming weeks. There’s a pretty impressive dessert menu in the works that is inspired by some of the sweet morsels on offer at Little Sweet Cafe. As for the drinks, fire up your taste buds (literally) and knock back a B52 Bomber shot before tackling the rest of the menu, which meanders from bubble-topped cocktails to Asian beers, wines and spirits.

The Lume Coolangatta is now open! Check out our Stumble Guide for opening days and times.