Bang Bang Noosa

Noosa’s balmy nights are a match for the punchy Asian flavours at Bang Bang. Tucked off Hastings Street, this smart diner is a sibling to the popular Byron Bay restaurant of the same name, where influences from across the Asian continent come together in a breezy, inside/out space decked out in marble and greenery.

Share plates (“Little Bangs” and “Big Bangs”) join fiery hits from the wok, familiar curries and soups. Thailand is the biggest touch point here, with riffs on pad kra pao (stir-fried pork, holy basil, chilli) and khao soi, a lesser-seen dish from the country’s north featuring chicken and crunchy egg noodles bathed in coconut curry. But you’ll also see nods to other nations, like Korean crispy fried chicken and Chinese masterstock duck.

Cocktails are mandatory ordering here, and the house creations (“Bang Bang Bangers”) are light and zingy affairs featuring Asian ingredients including lemongrass, fragrant herbs and loads of lime. For something stiffer, go for bolder drinks like the barrel-aged Negroni or the house Old Fashioned, which comes with a flaming orange rind and a plume of cherrywood smoke.