‘Booked out weeks in advance’: Reopened restaurant lures top chef
A tragic death, Covid and then a bizarre vandalism incident have all impacted the operation of this beloved Queensland institution. But now it’s back open and has a new chef at the helm.
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Thai curries, whole crispy fish, Asian-inspired desserts; over many years, dining at Spirit House on the Sunshine Coast has become as much a part of a visit to the tourist region as a day at the beach.
Helen and Peter Brierty bought an almost denuded cattle farm on the outskirts of Yandina, a small town about 20km west of Coolum, in the early 1990s and set about planting tropical trees and plants and establishing large ponds before building and opening a largely Thai-inspired restaurant set amid the lush foliage in 1995. A cooking school and an adjacent Hong Sa bar and private dining room followed.
However, a series of blows, with Helen passing away in 2019, the onslaught of Covid and then, in August last year, a bizarre vandalism incident that led to a months-long closure, have all impacted the operation, which eventually reopened in April.
Now it’s run by Helen and Peter’s sons Acland and Blake, who have overseen the repairs, enlarged the kitchen, established a drinks lounge and substantially rebuilt one wing of the 80-seat restaurant.
The April reopening also saw a change from share plate menu to fixed-price offering of three courses for $95 a person, or four courses for
$115 a person, with a choice of five small plates, entrees, mains and four desserts.
In a further change, as of last week there’s a new head chef, Tom Hitchcock, most recently at The Long Apron in Montville. The 28-year-old, who won Queensland Chef of the Year at a competition in May, will launch a new menu in coming weeks.
On a recent visit, the gardens are as beautiful as ever, with stone paths leading through bamboo groves, the central pond glistening in the winter sunlight, with well-placed heaters and roll-down, transparent blinds to regulate temperature in the quasi-outdoor setting.
Of the small plates, banana leaf grilled kingfish with peanuts, ginger and lime is a fresh beginning; an entree of battered sand whiting with fish sauce caramel and papaya salad is a little lacklustre, while Mooloolaba baby squid noodle salad is a more successful combination with accents of nutmeg and chilli.
Main courses up the ante, with seared shio koji-cured tender pork collar with a “fiery” (it’s not that hot) southern style curry sauce; grilled, marinated Penang half chicken with peanuts and shredded cabbage; tempeh in a deeply flavoured yellow curry sauce; and slices of WA lobster with chunks of fat rice-stick noodles lolling in a basil and roast chilli paste is also unusual and appealing. Diners wanting the long-time Spirit House favourite of crispy fried whole fish with tamarind chilli sauce will need to pay $10 extra.
The drinks list includes local craft beers and cocktails with an Asian slant such as a cucumber and mint margherita or a lemongrass and Thai basil mojito. A global array of wines is divided into sections such as crisp and aromatic or textural and wooded whites.
Our waitress is knowledgeable and chatty and the meal proceeds at a leisurely pace. There are no set lengths of time for sittings, which is attractive in an era when
two-hour bookings have become the norm and perhaps a lengthy meal feels a little too long because it’s rather unusual.
A Thai donut with duck egg custard and a spiced coconut crisp is an appealing dessert, as is a bar of strawberry parfait parked on brown butter lime crumbs, with Malibu-infused coconut, green Szechuan pepper, star anise and blobs of strawberry jam.
Change looms with the new menu and if you want to try it, you’d best get in now, with the place booked out weeks in advance, diners keen to revisit a long-time favourite.
Spirit House
20 Ninderry Rd, Yandina
5446 8994
spirithouse.com.au
Open
Tue-Sun for lunch from 11.45am; dinner Wed-Sat from 5.45pm
Must try
Koji-cured pork collar
Verdict
Food
Service
Ambience
Value
Overall
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