The Spirit House - Yandina, QLD

20 Ninderry Rd

Yandina, QLD

(07) 5446 8994

This restaurant is about 1 hour out of Brisbane, and is well worth the visit. The food is exceptional, and the setting is even better. The restaurant is nestled in an asian rainforest setting, with lizards and birds all around you. You'll be happy to know that none of them are dangerous and most don't eat your food. The restaurant has won many awards and is graced with the skills of some exceptional chefs. Amongst them is chef Katrina Ryan, former Head Chef in Neil Perry's Rock Pool restaurant and personal chef for such starts and Tom Cruis and Nicole Kidman.

On our visit to the Spirit House, we encountered some amazing food that truly displayed the restaurants claim of contemporary asian cuisine in a serene setting. Entrees of fried sweet potato and ginger noodle balls with an amazing tamarind dipping sauce along with a salad of ginger chilli caramel chicken with crispy noodles. While the chicken sald was cooked to perfection, the fried noodle balls were a little underdone, with the the sweet potato batter remaining a bit pasty and floury.

Main course we tasted were the signature dish, whole crispy fish and then wagu beef red curry. The fish was extraordinary. So crisp and beautifully presented. The beef was tender and braised to an amazing consistency, however it was almost too rich, with the combination of the wagu beef and the rich creamy sauce.

For dessert we ordered the tasting plate which included such flavours as gingerbread icecream, pineapple and palm sugar crumble and a pink peppercorn meringue topped with saffron fairy floss. Truly modern and truly delicious.

Overall the experience at the Spirit House was fantastic. A must do if you are in area, or even worth going up just to experience the setting. The best time is in summer with more wildlife about, but with Queenslands mild winters, any time of year is great for this outdoor eating experience.

Rating: 16/20