Nonna's Italian, Seafood and Steakhouse, Harbour Town Outlet Shopping Centre, Biggera Waters, Gold Coast

If you go down to Harbour Town and you spot a restaurant by the same name covering most of the dining area, that would be Nonna's. Although, now it isn't as big as how it used to be, their menu is still the same serving a wide range of dishes from Italian to Steak and the list goes on.. Generally, their portion for their dishes is quite big so do bear that in mind when you're wanting to order.

'Original Parmigiana' (AUD$25.95) was a hand crumbed Chicken Schnitzel with Napoli sauce, ham and melted mozarella cheese served with fries and a garnish salad. A classic dish that everyone loves to have but some places just don't do it right and some just do. The garnish salad was simply a garden salad with salad green mix, sprouts, slices of red onion and carrot with cherry tomatoes. The fries was crispy on the outside and placed underneath the Chicken Schnitzel. The napoli sauce tasted more of a chunky tomato paste sauce with the mozarella cheese on top melting over it. Sadly, there was only one slice of ham for the whole schnitzel. The schnitzel was thinly crumbed allowing the chicken breast to be the star of the dish. The plus side was that it was big in portion but it was just okay, it wasn't great but it wasn't bad either, reminded me of Pub Parmys..

Nonna's offers 6 different types of salads in which you can choose from and add any choice of meat for extra or just stick with a plain salad. I really felt like a Caesar so I decided to order their 'Chef's Salad w Salt and Pepper Calamari' (AUD$24.95) which consisted of Mesculin lettuce, avocado, egg, mozarella cheese, tomato, cucumber, spanish onion with a strip of bacon and their Caesar dressing with an addition of Salt and Pepper Calamari in which you get about 6 pieces.

Their salad portion is great and that's no doubting it, served on a crispy tortilla shell is definitely something unique but being able to have something freshly made and healthy but at the same time being able to have something fried like a crispy tortilla which is a great accompaniment and a base to the salad. I wonder if more restaurants should serve their salads this way instead of just the norm..

After seeing the salad arrive on the table, I realised that I had forgotten the portion of it and if I had known earlier, maybe I would have omitted the Salt and Pepper Calamari since in the end, I struggled to finish it even with the help of the Mr.. Fresh lettuce with a combination of various elements which made it a great salad to have especially on a warm sunny day.

Springbrook Cafe and Bar, Springbrook, Queensland

The Springbrook Cafe and Bar is located in Springbrook at the Springbrook General Store and Cafe. A humble setting but the general store has your grocery essentials if you need to grab some things as well as a cafe offering your a variety of burgers, mixed deep fried food as well as fish and chips an so on. Oh, and did I mention they also have a bar? If you aren't sure of where to go and grab a bite to eat while you visit Springbrook National Park, then have a try here especially if you like burgers and fried food.

'Mountains Best Burger' ($15) is the whole deal if you love your burgers and want the whole shaa-zang in one bite. All burgers are served with chips too which is great. Home made beef patty, lettuce, tomato, beetroot, carrot, cheese, onion, egg, bacon and pineapple on a toasted buttered bun.. Really? All of that? Yes! Though it was too big for me to hold and even take a bite out of it fully, I did manage to take a number of bites to be able to get all of the elements in.

The chips were fried nicely and was not too oily nor salty which is just perfect. As for the burger, it was quite tall I have to say and it does get messy while eating. But remember that delicious food will always leave you messy and with sauce on your lips so don't worry too much. The buttered bun was toasted lightly and having the butter on the bun didn't seem to have much of an effect on the burger since it had a lot going on already.

As you can see, even the burger on the plate seems already a heavy little thang but imagine how will you be able to pick it up nicely and try and bite it without having those elements spill out. Remember to pair it with a nice cold beer on the side to give you the whole meal deal.

The home made patty was juicy and quite thick and by combining your typical bacon, egg and various salads such as lettuce, tomato, beetroot and carrot, you kind of feel healthy in a way eating a burger that has a salad in it but then, yes... it does have bacon and cheese. But who can say no to bacon and cheese? You can see the amount of carrots, onion and so on carefully placed into the burger. Even your local burger store may not be as neat in preparing and serving burgers on your table.

'Steak Burger' ($12.50) is a simple but yet delicious burger alternative to have if you like a meat fillet more rather than a meat patty in your buns. Steak, lettuce, tomato, onion, bacon and cheese on a toasted buttered bun served with chips. Although it is smaller in size than the previous burger, but it has the same size bun so it's just the fillings that's different. The toasted burger bun allowed the burger to have a slight crispyness allowing you to have that slight crunch when you bite through it.

When eating a burger, remember to squeeze it with two hands and if you are planning on sharing, just grab a steak knife and cut it in half right through the middle. What seemed to be missing may have been bbq sauce for some reason, although I love mayonnaise and it was a nice dressing for the steak burger but I feel that by having mayo, it does take the steak burger down a level being a subtle burger.

Le Jandin, Palazzo Versace, Main Beach, Gold Coast

Coming to Palazzo Versace always brightens you up, either by the ambience or just by having high tea or even having tea or coffee. We decided to enjoy a cuppa or two and nibble at Le Jandin, which is the cafe you would see right in front of you as soon as you enter Palazzo.

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Hurricane's Grill, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast

Hurricane's Grill on Surfers Paradise do win you without having to drive too far off the Surfers precinct plus you do get your beach view if you dine in near the balcony area. However, since my bad experience of hard meat, meat not being off the bone in Sydney's Darling Harbour branch, I still preferred my favourite ribs place to go which yes, does require a further driving to do but is definitely worth it. Of course, we are here to talk about Hurricane's and not that... Located in a perfect location, entrance may get confusing if you're not used to your way around, but signs are there to guide you. Bookings are essential but sometimes if they are quite empty, seatings are available and you won't have to wait for long. It was quite packed when we came in, it was the weekend anyway, but for lunchtime, it shouldn't be as packed as dinner time, so for those wanting to come down during dinner, do book..

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Blackboard Specialty Coffee, Varsity Lakes, Queensland

When I started seeing those oozy-plumpy-syringed cronuts, I knew I had to go down and have one, or maybe two.. Blackboard Specialty Coffee is located in the suburbs of Varsity Lakes, humbly located near the Bond University campus serving their specialty coffee with their famous cronuts, also a few food items on their menu. A simple interior, a relaxed atmosphere, a bakery is there too for any takeaways on any sweets or sandwiches, wooden tables, white tiled walls, even their waiters were laid-back.

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