‘Book a month in advance’: Stylish new Sunshine Coast eatery the place to be seen

A new Noosa hinterland family friendly venue with a plentiful selection of fine food and drinks is well worth the drive.

What looks like a plant nursery, acts like a pub and dishes up restaurant-worthy food? The Doonan. The what, you may well ask?

The Doonan, named for the locality in which it’s situated just off the Noosaville-Eumundi Rd in the northern Sunshine Coast hinterland, is a sprawling $6m hospitality enterprise developed by The Comiskey Group, adding to a portfolio that includes the Moreton Bay region’s Sandstone Point Hotel and Eatons Hill Hotel.

The Doonan in the Noosa hinterland.

Built on a 2ha site just off the highway and designed around a building that had originally operated as a German restaurant, this spectacular venue opened earlier this year.

A garden centre-like ambience has been created with potplants flourishing all around, and garden beds, brick walls and arches creating a variety of spaces, with a long bar and cafe at one end and the kitchen, a gelato bar and pizzeria at the other. Lawn flows away on one side and adjoins a children’s playground and there’s a large bottleshop is next door. Lounges and a television offer a haven for coffee drinkers at one end of the bar, with cookies, slices and cakes available, as well as toasted focaccia.

The Doonan in the Noosa hinterland.

It’s busy on a Saturday lunchtime – and as we’re greeted and seated we’re told that diners are having to book about a month in advance to secure a spot on weekends. We’re led to a table topped with a metal container of cutlery, paper serviettes and salt and pepper grinders, and advised to order at the pizzeria. Dishes are then promptly delivered to your table.

The wine list offers about two dozen choices of mainly major producer New Zealand and Australian options, many available by the glass. Cocktails choices are plentiful, as are jugs of gin mixes, mango and raspberry sangria and a watermelon margarita, which seem to be going down a treat with the multi-generational party getting under way next to us.

The massive Marana Forni oven in the pizzeria is put to good use making a variety of breads ($8-$10) – olive oil and balsamic, mozzarella and parmesan, or garlic and rosemary (a minor sensation that arrives like a bloated puffer fish until torn into) as well as eight pizzas including fig and zucchini flower, and prawn and scamorza (smoked mozzarella).

Local crab and zucchini fritters at The Doonan.

The menu offers oysters, ceviche and carpaccio to appease raw fiends, several salads which are fairly conventional such as a caesar and a caprese to show off a bounty of Noosa red tomatoes, as well as a more elevated choice starring seared spiced tuna with Italian grains.

Starters include grilled Mooloolaba prawns, roasted hinterland mushrooms with truffle pecorino or fresh local figs with goats cheese, lavender honey and Yandina macadamias. Soft orbs of local crab and zucchini fritters ($20) are subtly flavoured and team well with herb salad, that sits over a puddle of aoili. Calamari marinated in buttermilk and clad in panko crumbs ($17) is tender and delicious.

Barramundi with panzanella salad at The Doonan.

Main courses run to three steaks or barbecued whole snapper ($52) with caper burnt butter and two sides, which a guy behind the bar informed me was terrific and enough for two to share. Coral Coast barramundi ($37), is a lovely super-fresh fillet with a crisp skin that works with panzanella salad with crunchy croutons and wedges of Noosa red tomatoes. A fresh hot-dog shaped roll stuffed with Mooloolaba prawns, avocado mousse, cos lettuce and sriracha marie-rose sauce ($21) is a winner and, while it’s not mentioned on the menu, arrives with a serve of chips on the side.

Prawn roll at The Doonan

Sweet tooths may finish with a banana split, macadamia baklava cigars or a nutella pizza. Or you could do as we did, and visit the gelato shop, where a shared scoop ($5) of The Doonan, a white chocolate, cinnamon and caramel mix, proves a creamy finale to a quality lunch at a venue that’s well worth the less than 20-minute drive from the sands of Noosa’s Main Beach.

The Doonan

6 Beddington Rd, Doonan

5319 3799

thedoonan.com.au

Open

Restaurant
Mon-Fri 11am-2.30pm, 5pm-8.30pm;
Sat-Sun 11am-8.30pm

Must try

Coral Coast barramundi

Verdict
Food

3.5 stars

Ambience

4 stars

Service

3.5 stars

Value

3.5 stars

Overall

3.5/5 stars

delicious.com.au/eatout