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RESTAURANT REVIEW TASTE

IF you’re expecting a standard honey chicken or a Singapore noodle from Mr Hizola’s, you’re in for a surprise. What you will find at the newest Burleigh Heads restaurant is authentic Chinese cuisine and a menu bursting with traditional dumplings and share-style food.

Set to open on Thursday, Mr Hizola’s is venue number five for Gold Coast hospitality figure Scott Imlach and it’s his most up-market yet.

His haunts are known for delivering on good food, good drinks and good times to a loyal local following, so the expectations for Mr Hizola’s are understandably high.

Named after incoming head chef and business partner Jon Hizola, it focuses on Cantonese cooking, a region which takes in provinces including Hong Kong and Macau.

“Chinese is one of those types of food that’s known as cheap, so we thought we’d go the next level with Cantonese and bring the really good side out of it,” Scott says.

“It’s great quality food — you can add a lot of flavours to it. Hong Kong is really one of the leaders in food at the moment.”

Expect to see whole fish cooked in spices, clay pot with black bean sauce, pork belly and roast duck, as well as tofu, cold salads and salmon, plus an extensive list of dumplings, dim sums and steamed buns, and much more.

Traditional sauces and seasonings like hoisin, sesame, ginger, xinjiang, char sui and szechuan accompany the sophisticated cuts of meat, beans and vegetables.

As for the setting, the dining room will be dimly lit with warm, moody lighting, cascading vines, indoor plants, graffiti art and a host of Chinese lanterns. Scott says the oriental ambience will feel as if you’ve just stepped into an eclectic Hong Kong restaurant down a dark side street. “We’ve got one passageway that’s done up like a street in Hong Kong. It’s got a bit of graffiti art, the neon light flashes on to the floor,” Scott says. “It’s like you’re in Hong Kong and you’ve stumbled across this cool little restaurant called Mr Hizola’s down an alleyway.”

Scott’s fingers are dipped in many Gold Coast pies, owning restaurants Hideaway Kitchen and Bar and Bine Dining, as well as bars Nightjar and Soho Place. Although Hideaway Kitchen and Mr Hizola’s both take influence from Asia, he says the venues have a distinct flavour and atmosphere.

“Mr Hizola’s is nearly all Chinese inspired,” Scott says. “Hideaway is more Thai (cuisine).”

While dive bar Nightjar is right out the back of Mr Hizola’s, Scott says it’s unlikely the clientele will crossover — but he wouldn’t discourage it.

“Mr Hizola’s is purely a restaurant with good quality food and good quality wines,” he says.

“The service will be a lot more intimate than what we’ve got at other venues.

“Every one of my restaurants is completely different — I keep it completely separate.

“They all have completely different staff, different rules and regulations, different dress codes. We hand pick our staff for each venue because we want to get the image across of what we’re doing.”

While most couldn’t cope with the demands of running one fast-paced hospitality venue, Scott says he feeds off the energy of his diners and staff when the success is palpable.

“There’s nothing like one of your venues on a Friday and Saturday night, seeing everyone together, enjoying the food and being happy.

“It’s about being able to create that atmosphere. The passion of making something from nothing and seeing it evolve.”

Mr Hizola’s, 1730 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads. Opens Thursday from 7pm, then lunch and dinner from July 2.