Eating well in the hot spots of the South Coast has long been a challenge, which makes Thunderbird a great find. It has the whole holiday eating and drinking caper down pat. Open day and night, it is as flexible as a yoga instructor and strikes the right balance between appealing informality and the professional rigour that can so often go missing elsewhere when the pressure is on.

Set in a purpose-built structure attached to the post-office-turned-gallery on The Strand, Thunderbird captures the historic charm of the original building with tall walls of reclaimed red bricks, while a deck at the front is prime space for soaking up the sun and people watching.

A succinct menu still has the sense of adventure to slip in dishes such as miso baked eggplant with wakame – and serve slow cooked beef cheeks rather than a steak.

Even good old salt and pepper squid is smartened up with a subtle hit of szechuan pepper in the coating, and squid ink mayo and Asian-dressed salad on the side. Scallops are seared until they develop a Gold Coast (as opposed to South Coast) tan and plopped on to a vivid yellow corn puree, with a relish of whole kernels to the side.

In the larger plates, red duck curry offers a crisp-skinned confit leg propped up in a shallow pool of coconut-based sauce. Rice and assorted greenery fill in the gaps. Gurnard, a deep sea catch often compared with flathead, makes for some A-grade battered fish.

Dessert? A crepe filled with citrus curd and drizzled in a perfect bittersweet burnt orange caramel is worth any discomfort caused by overindulgence.