Right on the beach at Burleigh Heads in the freshly revamped Burleigh Pavilion, The Tropic boasts a jaw-dropping view past surfers to the saw-toothed Surfers Paradise skyline.

The 200-seater opened in January with Guillaume Zika, former head chef of London’s Michelin-starred Hibiscus and Sydney’s Cottage Point Inn, at the helm.

The menu is as relaxed as the sunbaking locals pegged out on the nearby sand, and there’s an evident decision to take good produce and let it speak for itself.

Starters may include kingfish tartare with citrus dressing, dill oil and finger lime, or school prawns crisply encased in a light smear of batter and served with preserved garlic aioli.

Larger dishes include grilled lamb with coal-roasted pumpkin, goat’s curd and onion juice, and king prawns with dry vermouth butter, shellfish oil and basil.

The decor offers a pastel-hued Florida-meets-Mexico feel and the global wine list has more than two dozen choices available by the glass.

Finish with roasted pineapple oozing sweet caramelised juice into a puddle of whipped vanilla rice pudding scattered with lemon thyme.

On a blue-sky day with the waves providing the soundtrack, it’s hard to imagine a better lunch spot than here.

Exceptional dish: School prawns