WHAT A CATCH

AFTER 20 years as the Gold Coast’s premier seafood restaurant, Omeros Bros director John Omeros shares the not-so-secret recipe to its success.

Taking over from father Nick and his late uncle Angelo, John Omeros is charged with the job of continuing the family tradition of delivering the best in seafood cuisine – Gold Coast style.

The Marina Mirage restaurant has been the Gold Coast’s most awarded seafood restaurant for two decades and while it boasts a prime location overlooking the pristine Broadwater, Omeros is quick to highlight that location alone can’t win over discerning palates.

“The most important thing that I’ve inherited from my father and uncle is the systems and processes that make Omeros Brothers successful,” he says.

“We were in this very location from 1991-1998 before taking the restaurant to Brisbane. In the three years we weren’t on the Gold Coast, three restaurants tenanted this space and went bust. Yet when we moved back in, Omeros Brothers was even more successful than before. Our history disproves the theory that location is everything.”

So if not the glistening water views, luxury fit-out and beautiful Gold Coast surroundings, what keeps customers flocking back to the famous restaurant? The answer is simply in the food says Omeros.

The restaurant has become an institution. Every step from sourcing the produce through to serving the customer follows the stringent processes put in place by Nick and Angelo years ago.

Omeros highlights that a minimalistic approach is the key for creating award-winning seafood.

“When you’re dealing with the freshest seafood available that’s been pulled out of the ocean the night before, you don’t have to do too much to create a top quality meal,” he says.

“Many chefs fall into the trap of doing too much with fresh seafood like adding a heavy sauce. You don’t have to mask any flavours, just prepare, season and serve the dish in the best possible way.”

The philosophy behind Omeros Brothers culinary excursion is the reason the menu has rarely changed since the restaurant’s founding. In fact, the only surprise for loyal regulars is what special the tide has brought in that day.

“Every morning I go down to the trawlers to see what they’ve caught and what our specials for the day will be,” says Omeros.

“Our menu has been successful for a very long time so there is no need for us to alter it. People return to the Gold Coast for regular holidays and know that they can get the same favourite dish here they did the previous year.

“We have a product that’s stood the test of time. Our customers expect that when they dine we will serve them only the highest quality product. And that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

Omeros Brothers Marina Mirage has been awarded ‘Best Seafood Restaurant’ by the Gold Coast Restaurants and Caterers Association eight times since 1992.