SERVING THE BEST
NEW TASTE AT EATERY:
A CAIRNS hotel has taken a bold step to make its flagship eatery stand apart from the rest of the city’s restaurants.
The official opening of Holiday Inn Harbourside’s Harbourside Bar & Kitchen on April 6 was marked with interactive food stations where customers could chat with local suppliers as well as enjoy fireworks.
Formerly Teshi’s Restaurant and Blue Mango Café Wine Bar, the Harbourside Bar & Kitchen will serve Tablelands lamb with Davidson Plum jam, barramundi with Wondaree Macadamias among its main courses.
Refreshments come in the form of beer from Coral Sea Brewing, cocktails made from Mt Uncle gin and coffee from Sipping Duck.
There are also tropical interpretations of world street foods like steamed buns and healthy poke bowls.
General manager Nick Henderson said considerable money had been invested in the bar refurbishment and also the rebranding and stocking of the new concept.
“We have created a new dining concept that is sure to create waves in the Cairns dining scene,” he said.
“Executive chef Marcel Stammeier is passionate about all the delicious produce from Cairns’ regional food bowl and loves wowing guests with innovative culinary creations combining fresh local ingredients with exquisite Australian native flavour,” he said.
“The previous concepts of Teshis and Blue Mango had been in place for many years, and although we have an amazing team that delivers a wonderful guest experience time and time again and the best views of the natural harbour in town, there are over 400 restaurants in the Cairns market and you need to stand apart.
“We spent a long time looking at the local market and Australian and global markets and trends. What stood out to us was the opportunity for a casual dining restaurant that offers the fantastic local produce and suppliers that our region has to offer combined with the flavours of Australia.”
Asset management director Elizabeth Jacques, from Taisei Kanko Australia Pty Limited, which owns the hotel, said: “The paddock to plate ethos, using high-quality produce from our food bowl on the Atherton Tablelands and beyond, will be offering a fresh interpretation of Cairns cuisine to the market”.
“Sourcing locally also contributes to reducing our carbon footprint, as does our ‘vineyard to glass’ wine philosophy focusing on organic, biodynamic, sustainable and natural wines. We look forward to many fruitful years ahead collaborating with local producers and offering a world-class food and wine experience to the market,” she said.
The restaurant is open from 6am-10pm daily. The bar is open from 10.30am to late.