Rock Salt, Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Australia

House wine – NZ sav blanc.

Scallops on prosciutto, thinly sliced apple, sesame sauce and relish.

Jewfish and pea risotto.

Prawn and pork belly salad with cashews coriander mint and a touch of chili.

Saffron linguini with spanner crab, tomato, garlic, chili, lemon, herbs and EVOO.

Of all the happy food times we had on this trip to the Gold Coast, Rock Salt was the one place that truly wowed us. Awards for best chef for three years running and best maitre d’ of 2011 had to be a good sign. Besides all of the prizes it was at the top of our local foodie friends’ lists too. As you might imagine, with all of this prestige, it is pricey but in my opinion worth every cent. If watching your dollars, trying the lunch menu won’t break the piggy bank but still allow you a sampling of their dynamic menu. For lunch you can choose two entre size plates and a glass of wine or beer for $40AUD. This is just what we did with the delicious results shown above. All of our selections involved seafood – perfect choice for an island nation. Although at first glance the servings look small on those oversized plates, in reality the food was so rich and bursting with flavour that the portions were more than satiating. Presentation, quality, variety and service were unbeaten on this trip. Rock Salt will again make it to my Gold Coast hit list.