The sky is heavy and grey, piercing winds have passers-by pushing their hands deeper into their pockets, while the rain is as cold as condensation from a freshly popped bottle of champagne.

It is a miserable day outside, but inside at the recently opened Palm Beach Avenue it’s like an endless summer. The large restaurant, a block back from the beach, is the work of hospitality veterans Daniel and Ruggie Ridgeway (Little Truffle and BIN restaurants) and it glistens with green and gold.

At least eight styles of chandelier hang from the blackened industrial ceiling, while the building’s structural poles have been turned into works of art, wrapped in pink and green palm print wallpaper. Enforcing that tropical vibe are pots filled with faux palms, while a timber deck spills off the main dining room anchored by a stunning, curved, baby pink-backed bar.

It’s a fit-out that walks a fine line between classy and kitsch, but it works, and the restaurant attracts a varied clientele of families, friends and couples. No doubt also bringing in the families is its child-friendly approach where children are given a colouring-in kit, alongside a cheekily titled menu of sayings like the “I don’t want that” AKA cheeseburger and chips, “I don’t care” (fish and chips) and “I’m not hungry” (ham and cheese pizza).

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Fur babies are equally welcome here – arguably more so – and the restaurant boasts an extravagant “doggy menu” encompassing gourmet dishes befitting the late Queen’s corgis, such as baked salmon and barramundi with steamed rice and peas ($13.90), or roast chicken breast with steamed veg ($12.90) served in a special picnic area outside.

For adult humans, the lunch and dinner menu is an accessible affair of pub favourites and ubiquitous contemporary restaurant inclusions, such as kingfish sashimi and tuna tartare, alongside steak and chips, pastas, pizza and fish of the day. The young staff are well-versed on the offerings, helping diners negotiate any allergies or dislikes, while food arrives with admirable pace. From the entree section comes the sticky pork salad ($19) featuring prisms of tender, glazed belly meat tossed through a fine mix of carrot, cucumber, cabbage, spring onion, Chang’s fried noodles and crispy shallots dressed with an Asian-style, sesame-heavy dressing. “Now this is a salad I actually like,” declares my meat-loving, male dining companion. Next up is a prawn and bug roll ($21) – a dish that has almost become omnipresent on Gold Coast menus since Burleigh’s Rick Shores restaurant introduced its signature bug version in 2016.

This one takes a lighter, less fussy approach, with mayonnaise-dressed fresh crustacean jammed in a small hot dog-shaped roll with a whisper of lettuce. Simple and homely.

Showing more technique with the same seafood duo is the agnolotti ($32). Well made and cooked until tender, the seven generously filled pasta parcels swim in the shallows of lemon butter sauce executed to textbook standards. While more classic French technique is shown with the beef cheek ($38), the wagyu meat fall-apart tender alongside delicate layers of potato gratin and a creamy bacon and mushroom sauce. While the food is clearly designed to be approachable, the restaurant could afford to push the boat out a little further with the wine list, a collection of underwhelming, mainstream, major retailer varieties. More interest is found in the cocktail offering however, which combines classics with signature shakes and a quintet of margaritas – the yuzu version a slightly sweeter play on the traditional tequila blend.

Palm Beach Avenue is an easygoing restaurant – a step up from a pub or surf club, but with a similar offering that will appeal when diverse groups need to be catered for.

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