Kin in Burleigh Heads has transformed the space formerly occupied by Iku, along the Gold Coast Highway (next door to Mr Hilzola’s). An ode to family in all of its forms, Kin is all about coming together and enjoying good food, cocktails and spirited conversation. The fare is loosely categorised as Pan-Asian and meanders from raw bar selections such as freshly shucked oysters, delicate sashimi with your choice of salmon, tuna or kingfish, and Hamachi carpaccio (sliced kingfish with ume sauce, red radish served with a sake-mirin dressing). Delightfully pillowy baos stuffed with crisp pork belly or fried tofu vie for your attention next to pan-seared gyoza pot stickers, which provide the perfect precursor to the venue’s signature robata grill. If you’ve never had prawns chargrilled over coals, you need to rectify that ASAP. The robata section also features perfectly cooked salmon alongside tender octopus, kingfish and melt-in-your-mouth lamb cutlets. For many, sushi is a daytime food that comes on a train. Kin is the opposite of that. Here, sushi is a work of edible art, lovingly hand-rolled from the open kitchen by the venue’s culinary team. There are five different flavour combinations to choose from including salmon and avocado, but for those with an appetite for adventure, the Dynamite roll delivers a flavour bomb of eel, salmon and shrimp loaded with wasabi – but be warned, it’s not for the faint-hearted. Love a late-night bite? Kin also offers a supper club menu, which features easy-to-devour bites such as steamy pork buns and chicken karaage. As for the drinks, diners are greeted with an extensive selection ranging from signature Asian-inspired cocktails such as the Golden Child (Umeshu, Midori, sake, lemon juice, green tea, liquid nitrogen and apple), which is served in a smoking teapot, through to nips of Japanese whiskey, sake and umeshu.
It isn’t all cocktails and fun times, Kin is also giving back donating $1 from every bill to Destiny Rescue, an organisation that aims to put an end to child exploitation and human trafficking. Ready to book? Jump over here for a reservation.
