ASIAN STREET FOOD TO SPICE UP SURFERS: TASTE,

This slice of Surfers is set to transform into a Shanghai laneway, creating a mini China Town sure to seduce the senses of foodies, writes Sally Coates

SURFERS really will be paradise for the palate when an authentic Asian street food alleyway opens in December.

8 Street by David Wu, the owner of the Brisbane project of the same name, will see a prime piece of real estate transformed by the sights, smells and tastes of street food.

Chief operating officer of property development partner Denwol Harold Kopelowitz says the aim is to thoroughly transport visistors to famous Asian food alleys.

“What we’ve done is taken a mall that was underperforming, if you like, and we’re trying to change it into something that emulates food laneways in Shanghai,” he says.

“It’s going to be a little mini China Town with 30 food vendors, along the lines of what you see in Singapore or Hong Kong.

“Rather than just being a food mall there’s a real feeling of being in Asia.

“The facades of the little shops will mimic a laneway in Shanghai and it will have that look and feel of being in Asia.”

Harold says there are three distinct customer groups they want to attract.

“We will attract Asian customers because these are bonafide Asian food vendors,” he says.

“We’re only taking the best master dim sim maker. There will only one pad Thai guy and he’ll make the best pad Thai in town.

“Two and three is the tourist market and the local Gold Coast market because we want 8 Street to become an attraction in itself.”

Asian street food precincts could best be described as pleasant chaos, a buzzing hive of food and togetherness that feels like a living, breathing organism. “If you’re on the Gold Coast and it’s a rainy day what do you do?” Harold says. “We will offer an experience as well as food. “There will be a lot of theatre – Asian woks, sizzling chicken and an amalgam of smells. “It’ll have a great energy, lively and warm.” The vendors will be chosen to provide a wide array of authentic Asian cuisine at (almost) authentic prices.

“Being Asian food really widens the scope of what we can offer, from Japan to Southeast and Northern Asian to different Indian cuisines from North India to Sri Lanka,” Harold says.

“We want people to come back multiple times. If you come with a group of four the seating allows for share-style food.

“The price point is going to be very reasonable – we’re looking at $10 – $12 for really good food.”

It’s not only customers who are excited to eat the food – there are a lot of vendors equally excited to make it.

The successful applicants will be hand-picked by Harold, David and their team.

“We’ve asked for expressions of interest and we’re going through them now,” Harold says. “We’ve had a dozen in five days.

“Some will come from interstate, some of them will be mum-and-dad operations that are currently cooking out of their garage.

“For us it’s bringing those people out into the mainstream. We offer marketing support as well. We’re not just landlords, we’ll be holding their hand throughout the entire process.”

8 Street, opening December at Cavill Lane, 3113 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise