You know those places you suggest to friends when you want to catch up, but you also secretly hope they’ll suggest staying for another drink?
That’s Room81.
Tucked inside Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach on Surf Parade, Room81 has the sort of easy-going appeal that makes sense whether you’re settling in for lunch, meeting friends for cocktails or starting with a few plates and seeing where the afternoon takes you. The idea is simple: good food, good drinks and plenty of reasons not to rush.
And really, isn’t that what a good catch-up should be?
The menu is built around sharing, so there’s no need for the usual debate over what everyone is ordering. Start with something small for the table, perhaps Coffin Bay Pacific oysters with lemongrass, kaffir lime and chilli dressing, marinated olives with citrus and rosemary, or those dangerously snackable spiced edamame with togarashi and nori.
Then things get a little more serious.
The slow-braised pork belly sliders arrive with Asian slaw and hoisin glaze tucked into soft brioche, while the crispy ocean prawn cutlets come with garlic, chilli and citrus mayo. There are also market fish sliders with wakame and sriracha mayo, tapioca-crusted chicken bites with your choice of blue cheese buffalo or Sichuan-style sweet and sour glaze, and grilled mortadella skewers finished with tamarind glaze and fine herbs.
The trick, of course, is ordering more than you think you need and putting everything in the middle.
That’s where Room81 works particularly well. It isn’t trying to make dinner feel like a formal occasion. Instead, the food encourages conversation, another bite and the inevitable, "Should we get one more thing?”
And you’ll probably want to leave room for the cocktails.
The signature list is where Room81 gets particularly playful. The Chili Pisco Spice puts a fiery spin on a Pisco Sour with lime, chilli and aquafaba, while the Sunrise Petal takes the lychee martini in a more floral direction with gin, jasmine and rose. For something that feels almost like dessert, there’s the Yuzu Meringue, made with Grey Goose, yuzu and pineapple and topped with torched meringue.
Then there’s the 81 Surf Parade, a French 75-inspired creation combining pepper gin, red wine, citrus, cardamom and champagne.
Basically, if your idea of a good afternoon involves saying, "I’ll just have one,” you may want to reconsider your strategy.
There’s also no need for everyone at the table to be drinking. Room81’s non-alcoholic cocktails include the Fraise Fizz, a strawberry, lime and Lyre’s Classico Grande number, as well as the Tropical Blossom Spritz with passionfruit, elderflower, lemon and soda.
And this is where the whole Room81 experience starts to make sense.
Come for lunch. Stay for a cocktail. Order another plate. Let the afternoon drift into evening.
If you’re planning a Friday catch-up, there’s even more reason to linger. Room81 currently runs Oysters & Champagne every Friday from 4pm to 6pm, with prices starting from $45 per person. There’s also Social Hour from Saturday to Thursday between 4pm and 6pm, with cocktails priced at $18.
It’s the sort of setup that works equally well for a long-overdue catch-up, a pre-dinner drink, a date that doesn’t need to feel overly serious or simply an afternoon when you have nowhere else you need to be.
And perhaps that’s the best reason to put Room81 on your list. Not because it demands a special occasion, but because it gives you a very good excuse to make an ordinary one last a little longer.
