SOPO SIZZLES
Ramen, coffee, barbecue and pizza, the Southport food scene is heating up with four new arrivals
IF Southport locals from five years ago took a stroll through the central suburb now, they’d barely recognise it. There’s plenty going on, especially on the food front. Here are four new openings to get you hungry and excited.
1. Ramen Danbo
Open now at Mercato on Ferry, Ferry Rd, Southport
Andrew Hosaka-Zaniewski was born in Tokyo, but after 23 years in Australia he feels he’s qualified to represent both parties.
That’s why he’s opened Ramen Danbo, to bring an authentic piece of Japan to Australia for everyone to enjoy.
“I’m a ramen fanatic and I just couldn’t find an authentic tonkotsu ramen anywhere,” he says.
“The analogy I’ve been using is that at a Chinese restaurant, when you’re sitting next to a table of Chinese speaking diners, what they’re eating always looks a little better than what you’re eating and you don’t know why.
“It’s because they can ask to customise, order off a ‘hidden menu’, whereas we have less options.
“Here you can find ramen that suits you rather than just taking what you’re being given, over time you might find your perfect combination. “Nothing is off the table.”
You wouldn’t usually associate franchising with uniqueness, but this franchise is unique.
There are 24 Ramen Danbo stores in Japan, but this is the first to open in Australia.
“One thing is that you have to eat the noodles quickly, otherwise they soak up all the soup and get soggy,” he says.
“It’s not the kind of meal you sit around and have a chat, it’s quick food.
“In Japan ramen is like the kebab.
“So if you take a Japanese girl on a first date to a ramen place she’ll probably slap you, it’s like taking a girl to a kebab shop for a date.”
2. Minnie St
Opening soon corner of Minnie and Tweed St, Southport
Southport locals might have noticed the epic Day of the Dead mural on the corner of Minnie Street and Tweed Street, replacing a fairly decrepit corner store.
This cafe will simply be called Minnie St; cafe by day, licensed pizza bar by night.
The project of Marie and Bill Malandris, these two will be taking advantage of the outdoor space around the building and creating a beautiful alfresco area with turf-topped stools and a white fence encasing lush, green grass.
There’s some building and logistics to get through, but they’re tipped to open by the end of the month.
3. Paper Cup Coffee
Opening soon at 201 Ferry Rd, Southport
Zoe Scorgie and fiance Glen Hordern reinvented the bean with their fresh take on service station coffee at Labrador, and now they’re fixing to do the same at Southport.
“We’re sticking with the service station thing, it’ll be the same concept as Paper Cup Labrador but we will have a kitchen so eventually we’ll be able to offer a few more options,” Zoe says.
“We didn’t really seek out another service station location, but we do the coffee for a lot of events at The Southport School with our coffee cart so we knew the area and demographic.” As for open hours and the finer logistics... “Good question actually,” she laughs. “We’ll be open seven days, from 5am, and we’ll figure the rest out later.”
4. The Grill House
Opening soon on the Young St entrance of Australia Fair Metro
Something tells us it’ll be hard to miss this Brazilian hot spot once it’s up and running. Dedicated to all things Brazilian, The Grill House will feature 100 per cent Brazilian barbecue food, coffee, Brazilian chefs and staff and regular live entertainment. The mixture of colour, food and jubilation makes it feel like we’ll soon have a slice of Rio de Janeiro in the heart of Southport. It’s estimated The Grill House will open around midmonth, and for the first 90 days the owners are doing 50 per cent off all food.