Alexandra Headland

Juan Fifty

One cuisine the Sunshine Coast does really well is Mexican – and not just the all in together sort of slop that Mexican food used to be (remember those office parties?). We’re talking new Mexican, tasty Mexican, amazing burrito bowls and soft shell tacos with fillings that haven’t seen the inside of an El Paso packet. Food that goes incredibly well with blue skies, bright colours, vibey vibes, and beer and tequila in an Instagram worthy setting.

Juan Fifty at 150 (get it?) Alexandra Parade – right across the road from the Alex Surf Club – is that sort of Mexican.

The decor has even more colour than the beach across the road, and the drinks menu has enough beers, tequilas and cocktails to make it worth making a night of – or whiling away a Sunday afternoon…not that I’d ever advocate a lack of moderation…no siree…drink responsibly people. There are even a few local faves on the craft beer list – like Your Mate’s Larry (a pale ale) and Donnie ( a dark ale) brewed right here on the Sunshine Coast.

And the food? We shared:

Chickpea Battered Brocollini ($8)
Battered cod fingers with a harissa bell pepper sauce ($9)
Pulled pork tacos with blackened Pineapple & Jalapeno Salsa Coriander, Cucumber, Slaw, Housemade Rainbow Corn Tortillas (2 for $16) and
Build your own burrito bowl with pulled pork and street corn and black bean salsa ($18)

The verdict? I think we might have found a new Mexican fave…

For more information, check out their website.

Details, menu and prices valid as at November 2018

Mooloolaba Mornings

It was over the hill to Alexandra Headland this morning. It won’t be long before sunrise will be stupidly early, so I’m making the most of these days.

Back in Mooloolaba, today’s cruise ship was coming in. The barman at the Surf Club yesterday told me that they’ve estimated that the cruise ships coming into Mooloolaba – and people coming down to gawk at the ships – will bring about $1 million into the region. It’s easy to believe. There are markets set up beside the Wharf especially for cruise passengers.

Located between Mooloolaba and Maroochydore, Alex (as the locals call it) is a long sweeping stretch of sand with great surf and fabulous views up to Old Woman Island of Mudjimba and, further up, Mount Coolum.

Popular with surfers – especially around the Headland at at the northern end of the beach – there’s also good swimming for families in the patrolled section near the surf club.

Alex lies at the midway point on the Mooloolaba to Cotton Tree coastal path, and is a great spot to grab a coffee and get some Vitamin Sea.

Anyways, no more words, just check out the pics…

Elliott’s Bistro

There’s something seriously surreal about having breakfast with your family on your 50^th birthday and then heading straight to the airport to fly home to Sydney. Alone.

On the upside, I knew that in just 10 days time I’d be flying back up to join them for good, but on the down-side? As I said, surreal. But we’re not here to talk about that. Instead we’re talking about the fabulous breakfast before the surreal and solo birthday flight. And fabulous it was.

Elliott’s Bistro at Alexandra Headland – just across the road from the beach.

Ok, right here I’ll back-track just a little. Melbourne has mastered the smashed avo thing. Some would say they invented it. Whatever. Sydney, for whatever reason, with a few exceptions, does not do it at all well.

You start off with high hopes and get a piece of toasted average quality sourdough with a squint-worthy smear of avocado. Or, worse, you pay $5 extra for a miserly amount as a “side” when everyone knows that smashed avo should be piled generously onto excellent sourdough.

From the minute we walked in I knew that Elliott’s would know how to do smashed avo the way it’s meant to be done. It wasn’t just the soundtrack – Bob Dylan and This Wheels On Fire – it was the service, the cute beach-side shopfront, the whole package.

We weren’t disappointed. Miss 19 was well impressed with her avo smash – which she declared up to Melbourne standards. It came with perfectly poached eggs and sharp, salty feta perched on top for the perfect avo. Hubby made his version even more perfect by adding bacon and tomato.

Elliott’s also know that anyone can do the basic bacon and eggs, but a great breakfast place should do that plus something a little more interesting. Something like, say, potato and gruyere croquettes. Served with fried eggs, bacon, a dollop of relish and a dab of blue cheese, this was bacon and eggs with hash browns taken to a much higher level.

And the coffee? Yeah. It was good. Excellent even.

Where: Shop 102, 102 Alexandra Parade, Alexandra Headland

More info: www.elliottsfinefoods.com

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/elliottsbistro/