It was a case of ‘when one door closes’ for the Gold Coast’s newest Thai eatery. While it was indeed a shock for many to see the long-standing Greenhouse Canteen close its popular eatery (don’t worry, it just moved to Tallebudgera Valley), we knew the beautiful Gold Coast Highway-fronting restaurant wouldn’t be vacant for long. As luck would have it, locals Parada and Porramate were on the hunt to find a space to open a modern Thai concept – a long-shared dream they hoped to realise alongside their Melbourne-based business partner Esther. At the time, the couple were working for a nearby Thai restaurant and drove past the high-profile corner site every day, marvelling at how beautiful it was. When they saw the ‘for lease’ sign go up, they enthusiastically seized the opportunity.

With more than a decade of cheffing experience under his belt, Porramate has taken the lead on creating Tide Bar and Kitchen’s extensive seafood-focused menu. Having lived in Melbourne for a couple of years before moving to the Gold Coast, the pair were pretty surprised to find a gap in the market for elevated Thai-style cuisine. “We thought, one thing the Gold Coast should have is a lot of fresh seafood,” Parada says. And so, they took it upon themselves to fill the gap with king prawn-loaded hot pots, soft-shell crab papaya salads, seafood pancakes and even lobster. It isn’t all fare from the sea. There are plenty of plant-based options, including delightfully crisp spring rolls, drunken noodles and stir-frys alongside land-based proteins such as beef tataki and flavoursome curries with your choice of beef or lamb. Tide’s specialties are found on the Chef’s Recommend page of the menu, which features grilled king prawns with Thai dipping sauce, deep-fried barramundi, a mixed seafood selection and a seafood pancake. If you simply cannot decide, there’s three set menus that comfortably feed four-to-six people and promise to fill your table with a collection of classics – we’re talking chicken wings, barbecue beef, crispy pork belly, salt and pepper soft-shell crab, pork hock, Thai papaya salad, crab fried rice and Yum salmon salad. Tide Bar and Kitchen is putting the finishing touches on a cocktail and wine list, so you can soon wash it down with something delicious.

Tide Bar and Kitchen is now open. Head to our Stumble Guide for opening times.