Okay, the tree might not be real, but it sure did catch your eye.
The fourth addition to the Gennari Group’s stronghold on Broadbeach is Maggie Choo—a ‘next-level Asian fusion restaurant’. (Featured image: @maggiechoo.gc)
The pink neon-drenched interior, the faux cherry blossoms hanging from the ceiling, and the dark mood lighting will have you second-guessing if you really did just step off Surf Parade. And this is precisely the intention. If you’ve ever wandered around the street food and hawker markets of south-east Asia, in cities like Bangkok, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong, then you’ll understand where the inspiration has come from.
But the inspiration doesn’t stop with the interior design—keep looking up and you’ll also see upside-down hanging umbrellas—because it also carries over into the food. Start off your night with the Raw Bar options, like fresh oysters, sashimi tacos, Thai beef tataki, or go big with the sashimi platter that’s busting with tuna, kingfish, scallops, salmon and oysters.
Move onto Indonesian fritters, prawn & crab dumplings, pork & prawn dim sum, honey chicken wings, or tempura king prawns among a heap of other options that, honestly, are probably going to have you umming and ahhing over what you pick to eat. Like, seriously, I still haven’t decided between the black mussel stir fry or the grilled snapper with sambal matah, watermelon, cucumber, mint and coriander. To help you decide, or help you try a bit of everything, Maggie Choo has also put together two tasting platters that are aptly named Maggie Tease.
Animal lovers haven’t been forgotten about either with dedicated vegan items on the menu too. Apparently, the eggplant katsu is a must regardless of your diet choice. And when it comes to the drinks menu, everybody has been taken care of but the real winners are the fans of a damn-good cocktail. All classic cocktails are available on request but there are seven stunning options on the menu, including one made with bubble tea, another that packs a punch with jalapeño-infused tequila, and, our favourite, the Lady Luck where one in every ten wins a free cocktail. They’re some good odds.