Bin 12

Slick little James St bar and diner Bin 12 is a local Burleigh mecca for cocktails, wine and casual fine dining that is up there with the coast’s best.

The cosy interior is a charming blend of contemporary and retro – polished concrete floors, designer tables set with boxes of chopsticks, vintage movie posters, dark wood and mirrored bar, gilt framed mirror and a projector that screens excerpts of old commercials and movies on the wall.

Cocktails here are a stand-out, especially Bin 12’s signature fruity infusions: try the Kiwi with Energy – lemongrass, kiwi fruit, cucumber-infused gin and lime; or A Little Bit Nutty – vodka, frangelica, lychees, mint, lime and cranberry. For something late night zippy it’s hard to beat the Espresso MANtini –espresso, Kahlua, Jamiesons rum and white crème de cacao.

As well as the cocktails Bin 12 offers a boutique wine list, top shelf spirits and liqueurs, International beers and champagne.

But drinks aren’t the only star here – the food, which is of the calibre served at owner and chef Daniel Ridgway’s hatted Mermaid Beach restaurant Little Truffle, is nothing short of divine.

A Japanese flavour permeates many of the tapas style dishes, thanks to head chef Adam Lane who hails from Sake in Sydney. Highly recommended are the Seared Tuna with truffled Sicilian olive tapenade and sweet soy vinegar, Sticky Soy Pork Belly with mustard apple pickle and, for something simple, the Cured Meat Board featuring the finest Jamon, salami and terrine with bread.

Meantime on the sweet side, it’s hard to go past the Chocolate and Hazelnut mousse with raspberry puree.