Fresh, local produce is the star of JW Marriott Resort & Spa’s marvellous breakfast, lunch and dinner menus

WORDS: JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa executive chef Paul Smart PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied - JW Marriott Hotel

COMPETITION

THE JW Marriott Resort & Spa is one of the Gold Coast – and Australia’s _ most popular resort and dining destinations and Ocean Road Magazine is giving you the chance to enjoy a degustation escape to the beautifully refurbished showpiece. Scan the barcode below to win a night’s stay in a Hinterland king room with breakfast for two, self-parking and a five-course degustation dinner for two in Citrique, including a glass of Moet & Chandon on arrival. Total prize valued at $1068. T&Cs are valid Monday through Thursday.

JW Marriott Resort & Spa’s dining destination Citrique serves locals and guests a rich atmosphere with active, open kitchens, interactive live stations and fresh, local ingredients that combine to deliver a culinary discovery they’ll remember for a lifetime.

BUILT on the reputation of delivering consistently chic dining experiences,  The JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa’s dining destination Citrique is famous for its breakfast, weekend-long lunch and seafood market experiences.

The restaurant has forged a stellar reputation for delivering high brand food and beverage venues that champion their local environment.

JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa executive chef Paul Smart says the restaurant attracts both locals and hotel guests with its fresh, contemporary cuisine.

Paul, who joined JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa in October 2020 after two decades working for well-established and respected restaurants across the globe, sources and works with local producers from across the Sunshine State to create natural and nourishing yet sophisticated menu options.

His passion for sourcing sustainable produce from local suppliers makes him a perfect fit for the JW Marriott Gold Coast team.

“The local range of produce in South East Queensland is endless, with fresh seafood from the Moreton Bay region to ingredients harvested locally from the Gold Coast Hinterland,” he says.

Paul’s culinary expertise, creativity and connections help bring to life the resort’s vision in the kitchen and across its six food and beverage venues. His international reputation in luxury venues, combined with his commitment to source the freshest local produce, ensures JW Marriott Gold Coast delivers something truly exceptional, like nothing else on the Gold Coast.

“Showcasing fresh produce and new ingredients to our dishes is important for me in allowing excitement of new flavours and dining experiences for our patrons,” Paul says.

An iconic, perfectly positioned drawcard which offers panoramic views of both the Hinterland and ocean, The JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa has been a firm favourite with locals, families, tourists, business people and dignitaries since it opened in 1992.

The resort enjoys a stellar reputation for 5-star hospitality in a warm and relaxed atmosphere, with 223 rooms and suites, sparkling lagoons, white sandy beaches, cascading waterfalls, quiet pool zones and unique aquatic experiences.

Guests can also walk through the refurbished property’s farm-to-table program JW Garden to see the sustainable way JW’s chefs elevate the resort menus with seasonal herbs, edible flowers, fruits and vegetables.

“The introduction of our sustainable on-property JW Garden allows our culinary team to introduce a paddock to plate dining experience for our guests,” Paul says.

Born in Adelaide, Paul has worked in some of the world’s top kitchens across three continents since he launched his career at Stamford Plaza Hotel in Australia more than two decades ago.

After eight years with the Stamford group, Paul moved to the UK in 2005 to earn his chef stripes at The Ritz London, where he worked alongside Michelin-starred executive chef John Williams and head chef Fred Forrester. During his time in the UK, Paul cooked for HRH Queen Elizabeth II, won UK Commis Chef of the Year at the Academy of Culinary Arts in 2007 and served with the acclaimed chefs of El Bulli, voted Best Restaurant in the World from 2006 to 2009.

Paul moved back to Australia in 2007 to work as chef de cuisine at Sofitel Gold Coast, where he played a pivotal role in the multi-award-winning restaurant Room 81 and won gold in the Gold Box Restaurant Challenge in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

In 2012, he relocated to Asia to command the kitchens at SO Sofitel Bangkok and featured twice as a winning challenger on the popular Iron Chef Thailand TV series in 2012 and 2013.

Paul also served as Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi executive chef, overseeing operations at the French restaurant, Le Beaulieu; Vietnamese restaurant, Spices Garden; Italian eatery, Angelina; and the hotel’s three bars, Bamboo Bar, La Terrasse and Le Club.

While Citrique is renowned for its succulent seafood buffet, it also boasts a superb ocean-paddock to plate a la carte dining menu. It’s Monday to Thursday a la carte menu, combined with Friday to Sunday interactive seafood buffet experiences, has cemented its reputation for delivering consistently chic, all-day dining experiences.

Citrique re-imagines seafood, turning expected staples into elevated surprises based on local produce showcasing locally caught seafood and produce for the ultimate sea to table experience.

Dining is enriched with curated selections of the best local produce and the people behind it – matching wine and food stories and layering place, education and interactive provenance –  while Citrique’s talented mixologist uses locally sourced beverages and ingredients grown within the Resort’s JW Garden to design cocktails with purpose.