Taste of tropical paradise
Life in the north full of flavour
ONE of the best things about living in Far North Queensland is the food.
Life in the tropics is full of flavours you are not likely to encounter anywhere else in the world and sometimes we take this for granted when selecting a meal.
If you have forgotten what gourmet wonders can be found across our region, here is a list of some of the best taste sensations you can encounter in our gloriously big backyard.
SWEET SLURP
Rusty’s Markets is a foodie paradise in its own right, but if you have never experienced a Lush Crush, you haven’t lived. The Vietnamese sugar cane juice stall on the Sheridan St side of the markets serves up this awesome thirst-quencher every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Lush Crush includes freshly squeezed sugar cane juice, blended with mint, ginger and lime. It’s an incredible drink and there are variations you can buy that include raspberries, cumquats, green apple and pineapple.
ONCE YOU POP, YOU CAN’T STOP
The Blue Moon Grill at Trinity Beach is a place of happiness. One of the most popular dishes is the quirky “crocodile popcorn”. Described as “not the sort you find at the movies”, they take succulent pieces of crocodile tail and lightly dust them in flour. The pieces are then shallow pan-fried until they are crisp and sweet and then drizzled with “the most amazing hollandaise sauce you have ever tasted in your life.” Served with cucumber, wakame, peanuts and soft herbs, this is a meal that has some real snap to it.
HOPPING OFF THE PLATE
If you have never sampled kangaroo, one of the best places to get stuck into this gamy meat is at Tjapukai. The Aboriginal culture park serves up a succulent roo pattie as part of a mighty-sized burger, with red onion, lettuce and tomato. The burger is accompanied with chips, and at a very nice price of $10.50, will have you hopping all over the place with happiness at every bite.
COCO LOCO
Thala Beach Nature Reserve near Port Douglas is the place for one of the best cocktails in the Far North. The bartender takes one large green coconut, drills a hole or two in it, and supplements the fresh milk with “secret” cocktail ingredients — although we were told it included two types of rums, mango and lychee liqueurs. This drink comes with its own container.
BUGGIN’ OUT
Nu Nu Restaurant at Palm Cove is well-known for its award-winning menu, but there is one item you may do a double-take when reading it. It is the reef bug schnitzel, which comes out as an entree. The schnitzel — yes, I know — comes with macadamia, hibiscus and apple.