Winter at Tarte, warm things to eat and drink

Gold Coast winter is gentle, but the mornings have a bite to them, and the menu leans into it. Here's what we'd be ordering at both venues while it's cool.

Drinks that do the work

The Parisian Hot Chocolate is the winter hero, triple melted mixed chocolate under a house torched marshmallow, made in house. If coffee's your thing, the Mont Blanc with its vanilla foam cloud and hint of orange is a good cold-morning order, and there's always the house blend roasted for us by Parallel Roasters.

Brunch with some weight

At Burleigh the Creamy Porridge comes with slow-baked rhubarb and whipped ricotta, and the Tiramisu French Toast is brunch pretending to be dessert. The Tomato Soup lands with a triple cheese toasted bagel. Over at the Beach House restaurant, the French Onion Soup is the proper version, made on a rich house beef stock with gruyere and sourdough.

Winter on a plate

The salads turn hearty in the cold months. The Leek Winter Salad at Burleigh pulls together charred leeks, crispy potato, toasted hazelnuts and goat's curd. At the Beach House the Warm Winter Salad roasts sweet potato, beetroot and eggplant through a brown butter and sage vinaigrette. Neither feels like a compromise.

Two ways to do it

Burleigh for the bakery warmth from 6:30am, or the Beach House in Currumbin where you can watch the creek with a hot chocolate in hand. Whale season is on offshore too, so the view earns its keep.

[See the full menu]