Dive into life on the coast

GOURMET

Fit for a King

WORDS: PHOTOGRAPHY

Arakawa Restaurant at RACV Royal Pines offers the very best in Japanese cuisine.

 

 

Get to know Arakawa’s Chef Yoshi

Yoshi hails from the small snowy town of Saroma, Hokkaido, Japan. Growing up on the family farm, one of five siblings, Yoshi found his love of Japanese cuisine and impressive knife skills in junior high school. Securing a placement as apprentice chef at the famous Sapporo City Sushi Restaurant in 1972 saw Yoshi expand his skills over 
20 years before being asked to join the sister restaurant Donto Sapporo on the Gold Coast.

 

After many years at thriving Japanese restaurants, Yoshi has many a story to tell about his favourite ingredients and sushi and sashimi recipes, which he is only too happy to share over the sushi counter Wednesday to Sunday evenings in Arakawa.

Yoshi’s Special: Humpty Doo Barramundi Sashimi, sourced from the majestic Adelaide River, halfway between Darwin and Kakadu National Park, paired with a Junmai Daiginjo sake (see recipe opposite).

 

 

HUMPTY DOO BARRAMUNDI WITH 
Chilli RADISH AND MISO

Ingredients

300g         sashimi grade Humpty Doo barramundi

100ml       ponzu sauce

60g           chilli radish

60ml        miso dressing

julienne of daikon radish

Shiso leaves

Julienne green onion

Method

•  Thinly slice the barramundi and arrange on a plate

•  Spoon alternate drops of miso dressing and chilli radish

•  Garnish with daikon, shiso and green onions

•  Serve ponzu on the side for dipping

 

 

CHILLI RADISH

Ingredients

40g            grated daikon radish

5g              fukutoku chilli sauce

Method

•  Combine radish and chilli sauce

PONZU SAUCE

Ingredients

50ml         soy sauce

50ml         rice vinegar

10ml         mirin

5ml            lemon juice

5ml            lime juice

Method

•  Combine all ingredients

MISO DRESSING

Ingredients

50g            white miso

10ml         mirin

10ml        sake

2gm           mustard

15ml        rice vinegar

Method

•  Combine all ingredients

Serves 4

 

Arakawa Japanese Restaurant is open from 6pm until late, Wednesday to Sunday. 
For reservations phone 07 5597 8700. Located at RACV Royal Pines Resort, Level 2, between the Reflecting Pond and Royal Benowa Foyer, Ross Street, Benowa QLD 4217.

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GOURMET

Fit for a king

WORDS: PHOTOGRAPHY

Since the new Thai Mudgee venue opened in February, there’s been an increasing buzz. The aroma and reputation have been attracting new local customers as well as old-time regulars who have followed their move.

On the menu you’ll find a range of Thai favourites, including Tom Ka Gai (Chicken Coconut Soup), Drunken noodle, curries and heaven-sent oven grilled wok fried dishes.

 

Head chef and part owner Firanee Hocheuay, who’s known by the nickname “Boo” tells ORM, “We’re the only Thai restaurant on the Gold Coast with our own hot room herb garden. We grow all our own herbs here – so we never run out!”

Boo grew up in central Thailand, around 45 minutes outside Bangkok. She owns the restaurant with sister Rungnata and their third business partner Peter Walker.

 

“I grew up watching my mother and grandmother cook. When I was a teenager my grandmother, who’s very fussy, used to say, ‘You can go and play with your friends when we’ve finished cooking.’ I’d find a paste or sauce at the supermarket and say, ‘Look, we can save time.” She’d reply, ‘No, we make everything fresh, from scratch.’ And so, I learnt to cook that way and I’ll always cook that way because it’s the best. If a customer has an allergy I can guarantee exactly what’s in all of our food because I’ve cooked everything from scratch.

 

“Also, my partner’s mum used to cook in the palace in Thailand for the king and his family – I learnt from her too.”

No wonder the food here is so beautifully cooked; it’s literally fit for a king. Moving to a larger venue is also testament to the quality of the mouthwatering menu at Thai Mudgee.

 

Increasing local demand meant they were turning customers away because they couldn’t fit them into the old venue, which could only seat around 80. Now they can cater for around 200, larger parties are no problem.

Mayor Tom Tate attended the grand opening with his wife. “We had a chat in Thai together,” Boo says. “He told me what food he misses because you can’t find it in Australia – like perfect sticky rice or a particular delicious BBQ pork. Of course I can cook that for him!

“If customers come on quiet nights, I’m happy to cook to order. If you want to try more chilli you need to build up a tolerance so it doesn’t unsettle your stomach. Sometimes customers who’ve been to Thailand on holiday come in and ask me to cook a specific dish, I enjoy doing that.

 

“I’ve lived in Australia for 20 years. I firstly owned medium sized restaurants in Sydney, then moved to the Gold Coast ten years ago. This is home now and I’m doing what I love!”

Spend five minutes here and you understand what all the fuss is about.

Where: 69 Railway Street, Mudgeeraba.

Open: 7 nights from 5pm. Dine-in and takeaways. Please call to arrange large bookings and parties.

Phone: (07) 5525 1655.

http://www.thaimudgeegoldcoast.com.au

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Ocean Road Magazine

From humble beginnings, Ocean Road Magazine has become the premier Lifestyle Magazine in the region with its primary distribution stretching from Ballina/Byron Bay in the south to Sanctuary Cove in the north - and everywhere in between.

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