Giving the old music shop on the Gold Coast Highway in Mermaid Beach a new lease on life, L’Viet Palais Restaurant has swung open its doors to bring authentic Vietnamese fare with a modern twist to the Gold Coast. The sizeable and elaborately decorated new venue is the work of Tina Truong and Josh Vo, with Tina’s husband Trien Nguyen heading up the kitchen. Open for lunch and dinner, the menu represents generations of homestyle Vietnamese cooking with recipes that have been passed down through Tina’s family. For lunch, think traditional pho noodle soups and vermicelli rice salads and for dinner, it’s all about sharing the love and ordering a bunch of dishes to fill the table for a true feast. The boneless roasted duck smothered in L’Viet special sauce is a crowd favourite as are the king prawns caramalised in fish sauce, spring onion and black pepper but if you’re up for a challenge, try your hand at rolling your own rice paper rolls but be warned, they make it look deceptively easy! Finish your feast with a serve of logic-defying fried ice-cream because life’s too short to skip dessert.  L’Viet Palais Restaurant is family friendly and perfect for big groups.