Brisbane restaurants: Noosa Beach House Peter Kuruvita, review

QUEENSLAND seafood has been paired with the flavours and laidback beach vibes of Sri Lanka but does this restaurant overcome the potential pitfalls of a sometimes absent celebrity chef at the helm?

The ­signature Sri Lankan snapper curry, with aloo chop (potato croquettes), is a fine dish, the fish flesh firm and fresh and the sauce served separately. Picture: Lachie Millard

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NOOSA Beach House is neither on the beach nor in a house but it is in Noosa Heads. The crashing waves of Laguna Bay are across Hastings St behind the prime ocean-facing real estate and the “house” is the second level of the Sofitel Noosa Resort. But let’s not be too literal.

The resort bar that opens out onto the passing street parade rocks the full holiday vibe (try a mood-setting coconut and chilli margarita), and through the glass wall on the mezzanine level above the busy bartenders can be seen the calm oasis of the restaurant, with its bleached blonde wooden chairs, cosy egg lights on the white-clothed tables and the welcome, cool embrace of airconditioning.

Also in the restaurant’s arsenal is Peter Kuruvita, whose name appears as a subtitle on restaurant livery and signage. Despite his many projects, the chef, author and SBS food show presenter (his most recent Coastal Kitchen series screened just before Christmas) is often in-house now he and his family have moved to Noosa.

We’re glad to escape the heat and settle in to leaf through a menu replete with ­oceanic fare, including wild-caught north Queensland crayfish, Mooloolaba prawns and Moreton Bay bugs, slow-cooked cuttle­fish, fried octopus, local yellowfin tuna, seafood tapas and oysters, although there’s plenty for carnivores too.

The resort bar opens out onto the street, creating a full holiday vibe.

Kuruvita, who was born in England, spent his early years in Sri Lanka and moved to Australia aged 11, sprinkles echoes of his heritage through several dishes. Prawns are teamed with paneer cheese, blackened corn and spiced coconut; black pork rib curry comes with smoked yoghurt, cucumber and crackling; and yellowfin tuna is accompanied by water spinach, kara boondi (a spicy snack made from chickpea flour) and chilli oil.

Entrees are $22-25 and mains are in the $39-$46 range, so those with a powerful hunger fuelled by a day battling the waves or charging around Noosa National Park may choose to tuck into the $100 degustation comprising six well-sized courses. If so, then bug tail delicately poached in butter and accessorised by labneh (Middle Eastern cream cheese), toasted pine nuts, gremolata and chickpeas is a standout start.

Next it’s roast pork belly with yellowfin tuna, pickled beetroot and chilli salt, ­followed by chicken with eggplant, sprouts, onion rings and hollandaise sauce. The ­signature Sri Lankan snapper curry, with aloo chop (potato croquettes), is a fine dish, the fish flesh firm and fresh and the sauce served separately. Wagyu sirloin arrives cooked as requested with a ­combination of braised fennel, pea ­croquettes and a rich, red wine jus. A mash-up of strawberry frangine tart, meringue and lemon sorbet is a pretty decent finale.

While this is a hotel restaurant overseen by a sometimes absent celebrity chef, it ­easily overcomes these potential pitfalls, with quality produce morphing into characterful dishes. The wine list is expansive (although it would have been good to ­discuss it with a sommelier) and service is adept and polite rather than genuinely ­engaging but manages to cover all the bases.

Worth getting out of the surf for.

With its bleached blonde wooden chairs and cosy egg lights, the interior is calming.

SNAPSHOT

NOOSA BEACH HOUSE
PETER KURUVITA

16 Hastings St, Noosa Heads
noosabeachhousepk.com.au

BOOK

[phone]

OPEN

Breakfast 6.30-10.30 daily; five-pot curry lunch Sat and Sun, 12-2.30pm; dinner nightly from 5.30pm

SCORE OUT OF 10

Food: 8

Ambience: 7

Service: 7

VERDICT: Currying favour