Chef’s Choice

DINING MECCA

WORDS MARJ OSBORNE

FROM A QUICK LUNCH of dumplings at Mei Wei, coffee and cake at M & G Bar or a family celebration at Harvest Buffet, through to a three-course meal at one of the complex’s award-winning restaurants, The Star Gold Coast offers dining experiences to suit every occasion.

Uncle Su

The Star Gold Coast’s flagship Cantonese restaurant, Uncle Su, is located at the entryway to The Dorsett Gold Coast Hotel.

With sumptuous décor and beautifully appointed private dining rooms, the restaurant’s name is inspired by the respected term of ‘Uncle’ in Chinese tradition, extending to guests an invitation to dine at Chef Song’s own family table.

Fun, vibrant, and embracing the spirit of family, Uncle Su offers classic Cantonese cuisine with a selection of signature Beijing and Szechuan dishes, created with local Australian ingredients from our seaside locale.

Executive Chef Song Yao Su has worked in some of the world’s finest restaurants, including at The Mansions, Las Vegas, where he honed his skills working with revered Hong Kong chef Pui Wing Hui.

Chef Song’s delicious menu brings together his heritage and experience, featuring secret family recipes and signature dishes.

It incorporates an abundance of live sustainably sourced seafood, handmade dim sum, an extensive tea menu, and Chef Song’s specialty Peking duck that is carved at the table.

“Uncle Su is a restaurant for any occasion, to be enjoyed by family and friends of all generations; a place of warmth and laughter, good times and even better food,” says The Star Gold Coast’s COO, Jessica Mellor.

Kiyomi

There are few restaurants on the Gold Coast more lauded than Kiyomi at The Star, for good reason.

Kiyomi is important for what it achieves: the finesse of traditional Japanese cuisine brought to new life by Executive Chef Chase Kojima’s modern menu.

Kiyomi’s name itself (a rare Japanese citrus fruit) is our first clue to intent, reminding us of the balance which is an integral part of Japanese-inspired cuisine.

Our second clue lies in its décor.

With its muted buff tones, the privacy of booth seating, Japanese murals and layered wood features, Kiyomi references traditional Japanese dining culture.

Yet it’s overtly modern as well, with a fabulous cocktail bar on entry, moody lighting and the fluorescent UV-lit artwork of Japanese street artist Houxo Que.

In Kiyomi, it is the balance between old and new, the visionary translation of tradition into modernity that achieves greatness.

Mouth-watering sashimi sit side by side with indulgent seared scampi served with foie gras and tart apple, while freshly shaken cocktails counter the richness of toothfish.

It’s an intriguing balance, a perfectly elegant mix of East and West on a plate.

Cucina Vivo

Inspired by the cliff-top restaurants along the Amalfi Coast, Cucina Vivo looks across the hotel’s pool to the lights of the Gold Coast.

Fresh and bright, there’s a distinct seaside feel to the spacious 250-seat venue, a breath of fresh air and a flood of natural light.

In Cucina Vivo, the huge imported pizza oven which forms the centrepiece of the décor, action and cuisine of this kitchen is the restaurant’s fiery, beating heart.

It’s the tool which cooks not only the pizzas but also the seafood and meat for the restaurant’s dishes, leaving in its wake the lingering textured flavours of wood smoke.

Italian food comes from the generosity of spirit that has flowed through generations of cooks; handmade favourites that each family makes in their own way, inspiring new classics.

Dishes roll out in a neat procession from the kitchen: platters laden with beautifully arranged antipasti, steaming pots of mussels, pizza dotted with prosciutto San Daniele and rocket, and ribbons of pasta laden with seafood still smoky from the pizza oven.

They’re rustic dishes to share, hands in, chins dripping, deliciously similar to the way they’ve been cooked for centuries.

Nineteen at The Star

A stunning rooftop restaurant and lounge bar, Nineteen at The Star offers sweeping views of the Gold Coast skyline from its position on the nineteenth floor.

Just as Nineteen at the Star’s décor takes its inspiration from the surrounding landscape, its hues of powder green from the forest, the teal blue ocean and gold glimmers of sun skimming over the water to cream sandy shores, so the menu reflects not only the Gold Coast landscape but also the journey and background of Chef Uday Huja.

An internationally renowned chef who has catered for presidents and princes, identities and film stars, Chef Uday’s pinnacle experience as a first generation American was cooking for the first White House State Dinner for newly elected President Barack Obama.

On his signature a la carte and set menus, Chef Uday’s culinary philosophy is: ‘Great ingredients simply prepared with finesse’.

To him, the best produce is the driver, his special love being great Australian produce.

“Each dish has one main voice, that is the natural attributes of the main ingredient. All the other ingredients are supporting players,” he says as he visits our table.

“A great restaurant is about a complete dining experience, above and beyond just the food.

“It has to be an experience, a relationship with the guest, a personalised touch.”

Garden Kitchen & Bar

Outdoors comes inside at Garden Kitchen & Bar, The Star’s ‘all occasion’ venue that offers a fresh take on all day dining.

With bar and pergola areas bathed in natural light and a large back deck opening onto a vast expanse of lawn, Garden Kitchen & Bar gives us the sense of a giant garden party for the whole extended family.

From drinks at the Garden Bar to an intimate date in the pergola area overlooking the open kitchen, afternoon tea in the conservatory, a family dinner on The Deck or soaking up some sunshine with friends on The Lawn, there is an area for every purpose.

Facing outwards, Garden Kitchen & Bar offers a mix of the world’s favourite comfort food and on-trend dishes, showcasing some of our best local ingredients.

With an emphasis on fresh and inviting, there is something to suit every palate, price range and purpose on this menu, holding interest for foodies and family alike.

“Welcome,” it says, “to our own Gold Coast garden kitchen and bar.”

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