Rickys River Bar
and Restaurant
Nowhere conjures riverside chic more
effortlessly than Noosa stalwart, Rickys.
Interiors channel an upscale houseboat
vibe, with boards underfoot, a mix of
louvres and floor-to-ceiling bi-folds angled
to capture every riparian ripple, reflection
and breeze. There’s a “source local” ethos
here, and the menu leans Mediterranean
with a focus on pristine seafood: spanner
crab tossed through spaghettini, say, or
pepper-cured swordfish with finger lime
and cucumber salt.2 Quamby Pl, Noosa
Heads, (07) 5447 2455, rickys.com.auStokehouse Q
Opt for an icy glass and a chilli prawn
sanga at the bar, or fish and triple-cooked
chips with seaweed salt on the deck –
either way those impressive widescreen
panoramas of the Brisbane River and city’s
skyline are omnipresent at Stokehouse
Q. Like its Melbourne counterpart, this
northern outpost is famous for its long
lunches, but the slide from sunset into
early evening is when the real magic
happens.Sidon St, South Bank, Brisbane,
(07) 3020 0600, stokehouseq.com.auHellenika at The Calile
If your idea of poolside dining is more
on the casual side, recalibrate here. The
Brisbane sibling of the Gold Coast’s best
Greek will see you settled in one of its
seven glam waterfront cabanas forkinglobster pasta like an Athenian before you
can say pass the horiatiki. The cabanas fit
eight to 10 – all the better, you’ll need
friends to help tackle the salty pork belly,
dolmades and everything else that comes
in the banquet.The Calile, Level 1/48 James St,
Fortitude Valley, (07) 3252 2060, hellenika.com.auRick Shores
Rhythmic white-tipped breakers, the
colourful clash of surfers – all the ocean
action unfolds under your nose at Ricks,
and, cleverly, there are views from each
of its three levels. “Feed me” options from
the pan-Asian menu are a chance to get
an overview of the food – anything from
coal-grilled Chinese black chicken with
fermented chilli, to roasted cauliflower
with pepita satay and cauliflower-leaf
kimchi – without thinking about it too
much, leaving ample opportunity to drink
in the beach vistas.43 Goodwin Tce, Burleigh
Heads, (07) 5630 6611, rickshores.com.auWasabi
Nab a table by the floor-to-ceiling
windows and relish the broad Noosa
River views and a menu that brings local
flair toJapanese dishes. Buckwheat soba
paired with strands of Noosa sand crab
and herbs from Wasabi’s Honeysuckle Hill
farm and shot through with Sunshine
Coast bunya nut, perhaps, or Mooloolaba
prawns cured in house-made mirin. A
Japanese dining experience like no other.
2 Quamby Pl, Noosa, (07) 5449 2443, wasabisb.comQUEENSLAND
From top: Rick Shores; painted crayfish
with head-coral miso and tempura lime
verbena at Wasabi; Noosa River views
from Wasabi. PREVIOUS PAGE View of
Port Willunga Beach from Star of Greece
(background);saganaki,taramasalata,
Greek salad, grilled octopus with broad
beans, and zucchini chips at Hellenika.64 GOURMET TRAVELLER