• 4
• Truly amazing for a special dinner

Vivo Bar and Grill was a favourite of ours when we travelled to Palm Cove, but when we went vegan we were concerned we'd no longer be able to eat there. After contacting the owner, we were assured we'd be catered for and as long as we gave a few days notice, they could make a three-course vegan meal. As requested, we gave them about a week's notice and they customised a three-course meal. We asked them to do an entree and dessert expecting sorbet and bruschetta, but they went way above and beyond with a tomato and avocado gazpacho and a side of basil rice paper that was incredible, and dessert was a tofu brulee caramelised with palm sugar and drenched in dragon fruit consomme. It was simply amazing. We had thai green curry for the main, but the standouts were truly the rice paper and the brulee. It was astonishingly superb and exceeded our expectations. We made another booking and our meal was put together by a different chef. Our second meal was another triumph. This time our entree was leek cannelloni filled with curried orange israeli cous cous, the main was quinoa and field mushroom stuffed peppers with an amazing stir fry and teriyaki glaze, dessert was a trio of coconut and kaffir lime blancmange, strawberry cheesecake and chocolate brownie. OH MY GOODNESS! We later discovered several staff had sampled the cheesecake and they loved it! The waiting staff at Vivo are fantastic. They're attentive and they all were aware we were vegan before we arrived, so it was no issue and we didn't need to ask a million questions. The manager is so lovely. She came and chatted to us regularly and is just a warm and friendly person who is very attentive and considerate of her customers. We always feel very welcomed to Vivo, even if we can't order off the menu. These awesome experiences are not isolated. Vivo's head chef Russell Molina made us an entire week's menu a few years ago. It was absolutely incredible and we ate there for nearly every meal. This time we were equally impressed by the executive chefs Tim and Steph. Everyone at Vivo is very welcoming and highly attentive. They appreciate it when you are grateful for the meals they serve and I always try to make the effort to thank the chef personally, because in all honesty, they don't have to go the effort they do and could simply do the standard vegan fare. But they always manage to take it that next level and create something that is not only beautiful looking, but also artistic, original and delectable