It’s an understatement to describe the pool as simply a pool. It’s a lagoon. It’s a key feature with cabana’s surrounding it and it’s own pool beach.
Read MoreMECCA BAH - BROADBEACH, GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND
Mecca Bah3 Oracle Bvd
Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Queensland
Mecca Bah is such an exotic venue - in fact it's what you would probably be expecting from the name.It's a very spacious place with a variety of different areas - with seating inside, outside along the pretty boulevard or in their large covered inside/outside area at the rear of the restaurant.
We chose the inside/outside area as it was a beautiful sunny day and it just looked so nice there.
Mecca Bah is of course Middle Eastern food and their brand and group has grown to now have venues across a number of cities in Australia.
It's obviously providing food and venues that people like.
It was just so pleasant sitting there watching the world go by and eating delicious food.
It's open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner and stays open late so there are plenty of available times to visit.
Make sure you take a look around too - there are so many artifacts and ornaments there adding to the feel and experience - it's lovely.
It was midday and that meant it was time for a drink - actually it was opening time at 11:30am but near enough!
Sir had a tasty Casablanca martini which he thoroughly enjoyed and Mlady had the slightly sweeter Turkish delight martini which hit the spot for her!
We then started to eat - and boy was there a lot of food to try - we only got to a small portion of the extensive menu.
First up was the Moroccan potato cakes filled with goats cheese and pine nuts. These little beauties were a favourite of Mlady's - crunchy on the outside and soft and full of flavour inside.
Sir had a tasty Casablanca martini which he thoroughly enjoyed and Mlady had the slightly sweeter Turkish delight martini which hit the spot for her!
We then started to eat - and boy was there a lot of food to try - we only got to a small portion of the extensive menu.
First up was the Moroccan potato cakes filled with goats cheese and pine nuts. These little beauties were a favourite of Mlady's - crunchy on the outside and soft and full of flavour inside.
Pastry and meat are made for each other aren't they? The lamb sfiha was a winner with Sir - but he loves meat and he loves pastry. It was not a heavy starter - made from open pastry with spiced lamb, tomato and mint and lemon. Delicious!Next was some tangy and tasty hummus topped with spiced lamb, pine nuts and herbs served with Lebanese Za'atar bread. It was a bit more complex than your usual hummus - and the extras certainly went well.
We both like haloumi but we loved this variation - baked haloumi with pomegranate, mint salad and lemon. Of course lemon is a must with haloumi but this version had even more tang with the pomegranate and mint - the addition of the pomegranate and mint was great.
Next up was Mlady's highlight of the meal (she's the healthier one of us obviously).
It was a pretty and colourful salad of mixed quinoa, roasted pumpkin, snow pea tendrils, asparagus, fetta cheese with a spicy apple balsamic dressing.
Of course Middle Eastern food means meat on a skewer. This was not like any other presentation we'd had previously either. The Baharat spiced lamb shish came with bell peppers and onions and was served with Lebanese flat bread, tomato, cucumber, fresh herbs and fragrant pilaf rice.The meat was on a skewer hanging over a dish of hot coals with a mesh grill on top. You then simply slid the meat, onions and peppers onto the grill and slightly "toasted" them a bit more. There was also some fragrant wood chips and sawdust to sprinkle onto the coals - adding even more flavour and creating a lovely "show".
Dessert for some people is the best part of any meal. For us it is certainly important - almost essential in fact! We had a lovely platter with interspersed sections of cheesecake and ice cream. It was orange blossom cheesecake with pomegranate, raspberry and honey syrup served separated by scoops of vanilla ice cream.
We then finished everything off with some rich and thick Turkish coffee.
The showmanship of the serving process makes it all even more interesting - and lets not forget the sweet Turkish Delight that came with it!
We slowly sipped on a couple of "dessert martinis" to complete the feast! Mlady's slightly sweeter tooth was quenched with a marshmallowtini - garnished with petite marshmallows. Sir had the quaintly named baked apple pie - and yes it did taste exactly like this!!
Mecca Bah is an exotic escape right on the Gold Coast. The decor is of course Middle Eastern - and nicely done. Service is fast and friendly and the food and drinks are a treat. The biggest challenge is what to choose - the menu certainly has heaps of variety!
Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Mecca Bah and Platinum Restaurant Group. Special thanks to Mecca Bah Gold Coast Manager Stan for spending time with us. Thanks also to Caitlin, Cathy and Domenica for looking after us so well. A big thanks to Fallon Gomesz of the Platinum Restaurant Group for inviting us.
BETTY BLUE AND THE LEMON TART - TOWNSVILLE, QUEENSLAND
Betty Blue and The Lemon Tart8/95 Denham St
Townsville, Queensland
The food scene in Townsville has come a long way over the years. There's a decent variety of options and a number of places that would match many in Sydney and Melbourne.
Townsville is a lovely place so it was great to have a few days there and therefore an opportunity to sample some of their culinary offerings.
Breakfast at Betty Blue and The Lemon Tart seemed like a good idea - and it actually turned out to be a very good idea.
I had the baby peas, spiced avocado, Danish feta, caponata vinaigrette, soft poached on olive toast - and it was absolutely delicious with plenty of colour and bold flavours. I decent coffee was also served making it a great start to my day!
