spirit house

siblime. my wife and i attended spirit house for a special night out on friday 28/2/14. on arrival we were impressed by the ambience, surrounds and gardens leading past the renowned cooking school to the restaurant. we were seated at a lovely table which afforded a picturesque view of the water and offered a tranquil place to relax and soak in all this special venue has to offer. we started with cocktails and were impressed by their unique flavours. upon listening to our waitress explain the menu, we selected the banquet to savour as many flavours as possible. the salmon soup for starters was fragrant and delicious. we then enjoyed scallops and the famous pork belly for entre. it's almost impossible to find better flavours and textures than the pork belly! we enjoyed the whole fish and beef ribs for mains - to see the fish presented on its platter was unforgettable, and the beef fell apart and melted in our mouths. we finished our evening with a chocolate raspberry sweet and a mango parfait. the flavours in each portion of our meal were sublime - from chilli, to ginger, to lemongrass, the banquet was well thought out and linked each course with scrumptious flavours. our waitress was courteous, friendly and a lot of fun. for a truly special experience and to take a few hours out of life, you cannot go wrong with the spirit house restaurant at yandina.

didn't quite deliver. visited spirit house for the first time last week as part of a big group for a celebratory dinner. being such a large group, we had the banquet and i'm afraid to report that it failed to deliver. the salmon in coconut broth was lovely, the scallops delish. unfortunately the pork belly was dry and a bit stringy (although lovely flavours). the crispy fish was nice, the chang mai chicken curry wasn't. was looking forward to the papaya salad as i developed an obsession with this while in thailand and i'm sorry to say it failed to live up to its potential. a beautiful venue, nice staff, but sadly i'm not sure i'd be back and failed to live up to the hype.

what an amazing restaurant, the setting was absolutely fantastic and was enhanced by a great menu, staff were lovely and even the water dragons gave it a unique (if a bit cheeky) feel!! will certainly go back!!

kittykat. i have been to spirit house a number of times and always enjoyed the food and atmosphere. i was very excited to take my sister there for her birthday but we ended up disappointed. the pork belly entrée was gorgeous but we found the mains, thought some tasty, very below average including their signature whole fish dish, nice but not worth going back anymore considering the $$$. i had a deconstructed lamb masaman but it was basically cold lamb patties and lettuce.....an average burger without the bun! i also found that they overdo the chilli, yes i know thai food has chilli but for me good thai food, depending on the dish, has layers of flavour, sweet, sour, salty, chilli, but i find their use of chilli overrides the other flavours. this is my review and my taste buds, based on one bad experience, it is a gorgeous restaurant and i just hope they don't get too creative with thai food when i don't think it is necessary, refine it and perfect it as the location is perfect and will keep people coming back.

expensive and disappointing. will not be back. tiny portions, very expensive food.

entrees rule. the pork belly was the best i have ever had and the other entree (rare beef) was not far behind. mains were nice but not outstanding. love to go back and overdose on the entrees.

incredible. we enjoyed an afternoon in the cooking school at this amazing restaurant and felt we had visited thailand for this short time. what an insight into cooking this fragrant food and a cultural experience we will never forget. the time to prepare these sauces is well worth tasting the end result of wonderful fresh local produce. recommend to all as a unique experience you must do if you travel to this area

a thai dream!. as always absolutely amazing. the salmon soup, scallops and pork belly starters were out of this world. the crispy fish is always a winner and definite must try. our whole evening was enjoyable and the service outstanding.

another excellent night in this magical setting ... food was also very good ... thank you

the place is a little way out but once you get there you feel like your in a different world! could not fault the service they were absolutely fantastic and so attentive all night. the food was amazing it was a bit of a different take on a few dishes but so worth it. i was told the crispy fish was a must to try and that did not disappoint it was like nothing i'd ever seen before, also the pork loin curry and the pork belly as well as the dumplings would have to be my favorite to name a few. all in all an amazing dining experience that i will never forget and hope to come back to one day if i'm ever back this way.

amazing ambience!. the venue is magical. the food and service to match. must try the fish.

one of the best meals i've had. this restaurant never fails to disappoint. phenomenal food, beautiful location, & amazing service. we'll worth the drive.

enjoyed our lunch, great balance of flavours in each dish - serves are pretty big too. a great atmosphere and worth the trip.

beautiful dinner - excellent service. on a wet and misty friday night after an afternoon movie we dined at the spirit house for the third time, each time, several years apart. we were not disappointed as we were warmly welcomed. the service from our host was professional, warm and engaging. although the prices are quite expensive by most standards we were happy to pay for it as a special occasion. the presentation of all of the meals were excellent and quite filling. we would recommend to anyone to experience the quality of the food and service in this very unusual and distinct location.

great sunday lunch. another great meal at spirit house. the dishes were all great with standouts the pork belly in caramel sauce and the beef shin curry - awesomely unctuous. slight downer was the need to hurry through the meal to meet the deadline for the next sitting - but couldn't have fitted in dessert anyway!