STREET CRED

Ally Chow is the glorious phoenix that has risen from ashes at Nobby Beach, writes Sally Coates

HOW fabulous it must be to build a venue just ‘cause you want to.

Trent Scarr did; he wanted a moody, grungy, casual eatery that’s close to the beach and inspired by Asian cuisine, so that’s what he created in new Nobby Beach hotspot Ally Chow.

Manager Stan Karvchenko says the resulting modern Asian eatery is casual, quirky and a little bit different.

“It is an evolving menu but we will traverse the whole of Asian,” he says.

“It’s pan-Asian; flavours that hit you straight up and tend to stay with you.”

While the style is a first for Nobby Beach, Stan says it also stands out from Coast contenders in the category.

“There are cool Asian influenced venues on the Gold Coast, but a lot of them are focused on one cuisine — Etsu, Iku, Jimmy Wah’s,” he says.

“We are trying to cover the whole spectrum. A lot of eateries lean heavily towards Japanese cuisine, yet Asia offers a variety of flavours that are a little bit different and we try to marry them all together.”

The menu is playful yet simple, with three banquet options on offer showcasing the Ally Chow team’s favourites to take the guesswork out of ordering. For those who prefer to choose their own adventure, there are plenty of tempting options, including kingfish sashimi with coconut cream and nam prik — a chilli based Thai sauce — or perhaps the spiced curry of quail with charred chilli, or for the hot nights, crab, mandarin and mango salad with watercress and a spicy sour dressing.

If all that spice has you sweating, there’s plenty behind the bar to cool you down.

“The beverage menu really reflects who we are as well,” Sam says. “The beer list is all Asian — there are no Coronas, no Peronis, no XXXX Gold.

“The cocktail list is based on Asian flavours with a heavy use of Japanese and Chinese spirits and flavours. We have the Dragon Colada, then we have a cocktail called a G & Tea, which uses Japanese gin infused with fresh tea.

“Our espresso martini we’re serving as a Vietnamese cold-drip coffee with condensed milk, which is what coffee is in Vietnam.

“Or you can have a non-alcoholic Vietnamese iced coffee too.” Some seriously cool artistry brings the fresh fitout to life.

The whole joint, built by OJ Thompson Constructions, is overflowing with textures, art, detail and one very special tribute.

“We came up with the idea of the burnt wood feature because we wanted it dark and moody, but it’s also addressing the site itself and how we came to be here,” Trent says.

“It was a horrible thing that happened but it’s also part of our story now. We are obviously an Asian-inspired restaurant and the Japanese way of preserving timber is to scorch it, so it’s a nice way to tie it all together.”

There’s also a mural that gives Ally Chow a distinctly Melbourne feel, painted by Stan’s son, designer and artist Jordan Zaz.

“Part of the reason it’s Ally Chow is because of the alley adjacent to the restaurant. It’s a huge 9m wall that we’ve painted to portray an Asian alley with traditional buildings, people walking and things like that,” Stan says. “It’s a huge masterpiece with a range of high and low tables and I think once we’re in full swing it will really be a drawcard. Inside there is a lot of rough wood, a lot of greenery, hanging plants — you feel like you’re in the jungle or a magic garden.”

Ally Chow, 2215 Gold Coast Highway, Nobby Beach