Local restaurants dish up global cuisine

(By Natasha Cruz and Rhania Farah - Bond University journalism students)

Varsity Lakes restaurant owners have adapted their menus in response to their multicultural customers.

Cuisines ranged from Chinese, Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Indian, modern Australian and Italian. 

A recent survey showed 19 out of 25 Varsity Lakes residents enjoyed the variety of cuisine choices close to hand.

Varsity Lakes resident Khalid El Ghobashy said his friends were all different nationalities so the more options that were available the better.

“There’s food from so many cultures in such a tiny space, it's perfect for eating out,” he said.

The Bond University website said students came from 79 different countries, which added to the multicultural mix of the Varsity Lakes community.

Bond administrative support officer Lisa Clare said out of around 4500 students, roughly 35 percent were from other countries.

Signature Dish owner Joe Jackson said she catered for a diverse range of cultures and religions when designing her menu.

“We serve halal meat … we had a halal curry today,” she said.

“We always have a vegetarian [option] … and sometimes serve Mediterranean dishes.”

The market update on Delfin’s website showed an 8.9 percent increase in population to 8,000 in Varsity Lakes.

Mecca owner Andrew Maison said he chose Varsity Lakes due to high demand and growth in the area.

“[I saw] an opportunity… it’s a developing and growing area on the gold coast,” he said.