spirit house

delicious but a very rich banquet. we dined at spirithousefor mother's day lunch and it was amazing. we were seated at a lovely table by the pond, very quiet and relaxing ambiance (compared to a lot of restaurants these days, you couldn't here the table next to you which was fantastic) our waiter was nice and had good menu knowledge. we ordered a banquet which is an excellent way to sample the menu. all dishes were full of flavour and delicious! there was a lot of food, too much to finish, however most of the dishes were quiet sweet and rich which got to be too much in the end. i would definitely return, however wouldn't get the banquet as it left us feeling far to full and sick from rich the coconut salmon soup, pork, duck, crispy fish and chocolate dessert. (these were just some of the dishes!) it would be better mixing it up more with other options on their menu, such as the grilled lamb ribs or a chicken dish. something more fresh and less rich. the tamarind fish however was a definite highlight and we would highly recommend this to anyone, some of the nicest fish we have had!

simply the best. we had a large work party at the spirithousefor lunch yesterday and wow, it was simply amazing.

the food and service were both incredible. the coconut soup of salmon was an experience not to be missed. the pork belly was beyond description, just so juicy and tender and tasty. the desserts were out of this world too.

simon, our waiter, was attentive and well versed with the food and the appropriate wine selections for our dishes. he gets a 10/10 from me.

do yourself a favour and head to this amazing gem on the sunshine coast. you will not be disappointed.

my partner and i have dined at the spirithousea few times and each experience has been wonderful. the food is honestly some of the best we’ve ever had and the atmosphere and ambiance makes the perfect experience. my favourite dishes so far have been the coconut soup of salmon, massaman curry, moreton bay bug, rice ice cream and the whole fish. the food is pricey but it is definitely worth it.

we decided to visit spirithouseand were pleased to find only one available booking during our stay, showing the popularity of this spot. after ordering the $95 per person banquet we were pleased to report that the food was simply incredible! the smoked salmon and coconut soup was off the scale and i’d murder a puppy to know how to cook it. do not miss this! service was good and the view by the lake was very picturesque.

this was our third visit to the spirithouseand we thoroughly enjoyed it. the restaurant setting was beautiful and peaceful, and the wait staff were attentive and professional.

we had a coconut soup with smoked salmon and the mooloolaba prawn green curry which were both delicious.

spirithouseis a 30-minute drive from the heart of noosa but worth the commute. although make sure you book ahead – otherwise you’ll be doing the drive twice, like we did.

arriving in what feels like the middle of nowhere, you’ll walk through a rainforest to uncover a thai lakehouse that has tables bending around an ornamental lake, incense burning and is home to a colony of water dragons, which you’re warned not to feed.

given it was our last day in paradise the husband and i decided to add an extra couple of kilos to the damage and settled on the six-course banquet option, which consisted of a coconut soup of smoked salmon (amazing!); crispy bangalow pork belly with citrus caramel; wok-seared scallops with pickled green papaya, pomelo, peanuts and red nahm jim; a whole crispy fish with chilli tamarind sauce (and some beady eyeballs); green curry of coconut braised chicken with charred baby corn and thai eggplant; compressed cucumber and pineapple salad with lime and peanuts; steamed rice; and citrus cheesecake for dessert (doubly amazing!)

after doing a cooking class at the spirithousea few years ago and tasting the food we cooked, i knew i had to one day make it back there to try the food in the restaurant. it may have taken me a few years to get there, but it was worth the wait! the restaurant is set among stunning tropical gardens, so peaceful and beautiful. the food is outstanding, i enjoyed every last bite of what we ordered. one of the stand outs for me was the coconut soup with smoked salmon, i could have just drunk bowls and bowls of the broth. cant wait to go back and try some of the other dishes.

one word...sensational! we attended the spirithousecooking school for the "best of spirithousesummer" class. kelly was our chef/instructor for the day and covered everything from traditional thai customs through to knife skills, poaching techniques and how to best look after your wok. the night ran for around 5 hours (we had a group of 16 people) and included beer and wine with our meals.the first dish we prepared was seared scallops with pickled vegetables, chilli and tamarind sauce. i was honestly a bit timid of the pickled veges but they worked perfectly with the scallops...and that sauce! divine and very versatile.the first of the mains was glass noodle salad with chicken and prawns. sounds basic but the flavours in this combo makes this dish a summer staple for us in sunny queensland. the second main was the satay beef with pumpkin and kaffir lime leaf - this was our (and other guests') favourite of the night. again, it sounds relatively simple but the fresh kaffir shifts this dish from neutral to drive. the final main was five spice pork with chinese spiced plum sauce. all in all we didn't do too much prep for this dish as it has to be made ahead of time. i personally wouldn't go to this much effort for a main meal, but would use the stunning sauce with a standard cut of pork instead.the dessert - mangoes with sticky rice and coconut cream didn't call for much prep or skill and was actually a nice simple way to finish such a flavoursome night! i would highly recommend the cooking school (which also sells all the hard-to-find ingredients on site) or if you're short on time, a visit to the restaurant for the best thai food you will have in south east queensland.

came here over xmas holidays with high expectations. unfortunately we were let down by a few things...
1) we had heard great things about the banquet, but one of our guests was very fussy with food and preferred to order al a carte. it was very disappointing that spirithousewere not able to accommodate us by letting the other 3 people have the banquet.
2) the pork belly with dumplings was so salty that you couldn't taste much else
3) the tamarind fish was enjoyable, but did not live up to its hype.

aside from that, the setting is spectacular sitting alongside the lake. we would come back so we can try the banquet, and hopefully our experience is better next time.

we have heard about the spirithouseon a number of occasions while visiting the sunshine coast. now having been there, we can see why. the location, notwithstanding it is located in yandina, is like a tropical oasis. while it is not in a central location, the trip here is worth it. we went straight to mains, with the “jungle curry of tasmanian salmon”, “red curry of crispy duck” and “bbq pork belly”. the dishes tasted as good as one could have expected. the red curry was exactly as i would have wanted, with just enough heat to keep my interest. the bbq pork belly, was an explosion of bbq sensation, with the fat in the pork belly not dominating the meal as can often be the case with pork bellies. being a lover of tasmania salmon, i was happy to see they did it justice to it in the jungle curry. one of the diners in our group said the flavours took her back to a time when she travelled in rural vietnam, staying in local villages. if you are after a quick cheap feed of thai / asian, this is not the place, but if you are after good quality asia dining experience, then i would recommend spirithousein yandina.

went to spirithouseafter multiple recommendations from friends last time we visited the sunshine coast (from melbourne). i honestly can't fault this restaurant - it was one of the best eating experiences i've ever had. definitely the best thai food i've ever eaten. the food is absolutely to die for - gorgeous, rich flavours, good amount of spice, perfectly balanced, fresh tasting ingredients. the pork belly entree was my favourite and melted in your mouth, but the two curries for main were amazing as well (one duck, one pork). service was great - really attentive. and the setting just tops it off - sitting amongst a rainforest with beautiful trees and peaceful sounds. such a unique experience. loved the walk in! really peaceful and romantic at your table - you can't hear the tables next to you. absolutely perfect night and can't wait to go back next time we're on the sunshine coast.

we visited the spirithousefor dinner with another couple. all the food was outstanding. the salmon soup was particularly good! we all enjoy thai food, and we were not disappointed. we started with a few cocktails & beers. then ordered 4 entrees, followed by 3 mains and rice, and desert with coffee. we shared all the meals. this was ample for the 4 of us. all the food was served promptly, was fresh & flavourful. wait staff were knowledgable, friendly & attentive. the surrounding gardens at night are stunning. all in all, one of the best dining experiences we have had in years. highly recommended!

yana vonta. the best place on sunshine coast .the flavors were perfect , all very tasty and the smell of the food comng out of the kitchen was the best and it made you hungryer . i strongly recoment isourithouseto any one who wants somthing special or take a special somone to a great souraundings of lush gardens perfect atmosfere and the best tasty yumy food .
great service , extremly caring staff that dotes on you and bend themselfs for you to make shure you understand the flavors . after 3 days ee are still talkung about it as the food was perfect ... thank you spirithouseand staff .
my girlfriend was from adelaide and we loved the 4 scollops and the pork with caramel glaze souse oh so yumy
could we please organise a recepie as they went back to adelaide pretty please
thank you again the 4 of us thank you and we will be back as tge two of us live here on the coast
yana heather neil wayne
y contracting
paibting and maintenance
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travelled from melbourne to return to the spirithouseafter a couple of years, this time at night for dinner with my partner. the pouring dampened my excitement but the food and service lived up to my ravings. the salmon soup was so much nicer than i expected - good choice april. the crispy pork belly has to be my favourite, they got the explosion of flavours spot on here. i need to work through all the starters. the massaman curry was too heavy with star anise and cinnamon for my liking and crispy fish a little dry. but wow the dessert. lemongrass meringue, lime mousse and perfect quinelle of basil sorbet to look like a whole lime - yum yum yum!! spirithouseis still in my top 10 world wide thai restaurants.


-----22 aug, 2014-----

crispy pork belly with citrus caramel sauce. perfection!

siblime. my wife and i attended spirithousefor 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 spirithouserestaurant at yandina.