Spirit House Yandina: Restaurant, Cooking School and Gardens

Spirit House Yandina is an Asian restaurant and cooking school at 20 Ninderry Road, about 90 minutes by car north of Brisbane. It serves contemporary Asian food in a tropical garden of lagoons and pagodas, and people travel from the city for a long lunch or a class.

Plan on a booking and a slow meal. Spirit House suggests allowing about two to two and a half hours at the table, so it works best as the main event of a Sunshine Coast hinterland day rather than a quick stop.

The Spirit House restaurant

The restaurant serves lunch from 11:45 am Tuesday to Sunday and dinner from 5:45 pm Wednesday to Saturday. The food is contemporary Asian, and the kitchen says it only serves Australian seafood, meat and poultry.

Dining is a set menu: three courses from $125 a person, choosing one dish each from entrees, mains and desserts. Mains come with rice and a side dish. The menu is split into bites, entrees, main course, desserts and a vegetarian list, and the dishes change, so read the current menu before you go.

What is on the menu

Dishes on the menu include chilled poached Murray cod, a dry jungle curry of beef, kingfish crudo and an Indonesian yellow curry of duck. Bites such as Sydney rock oyster and white pepper and garlic prawn sit alongside them, and desserts include cassava cake and an Indonesian lapis legit trifle. The menu also has a wine list tab and a banquet tab.

The gardens

The grounds are part of the visit. Spirit House describes tropical gardens with lagoons and pagodas, designed to be explored and wandered. Allow a few minutes before or after your meal to walk around.

Vegetarian, vegan and allergies

Vegetarian and vegan diners are catered for, and the vegetarian dishes are vegan or can easily be made vegan. Many dishes are marked gluten free.

The kitchen uses peanuts, shellfish and shrimp paste extensively, and Spirit House says it cannot guarantee protection from cross-contamination. If anyone in your group has a severe allergy, tell the restaurant when you book.

Spirit House with kids

There is a kids menu at $55 a person, with steamed beef and onion dumplings, pork and ginger san choy bow and Thai ice cream sundaes. It is a long, adult-paced meal, so it suits older children better than toddlers.

Spirit House cooking school

The cooking school runs classes of about four hours. Day classes start at 9:30 am and finish around 2 pm, and evening classes run from 4:30 pm to about 9 pm. Classes start from $180 a person, and some cost a little more, such as $190 or $200 for the Christmas classes.

The price includes lunch or dinner made from the recipes you cook, wine and beer, and all aprons, knives and utensils. Bring closed-in shoes. Class themes include Thai curries, wok cooking, barbecue and a Mekong Delta class, and many classes are gluten free.

Children over 12 who are keen cooks are welcome. Babies and strollers are not allowed. Vegetarians are not catered for in most classes, but the Feasts without Beasts class is designed for them. Book a date on the cooking school calendar, where full sessions offer a waitlist, or ring (07) 5446 8977.

Hong Sa Bar and private dining

Hong Sa Bar is a cocktail lounge inside the Spirit House grounds, with a private dining room, its own kitchen and a garden courtyard with a Balinese hut. The room seats 24 for a formal meal or up to 45 for a cocktail and finger food event. For weddings and functions, email [email protected].

Getting there

Spirit House is at 20 Ninderry Road, Yandina. By car it is about 90 minutes from the Brisbane CBD.

Yandina’s Saturday country markets are in town, so a Saturday lunch can be paired with a browse.

Nearby

• Yandina – the town guide, with the heritage walk.
• The Ginger Factory – free entry, a boat ride and a tasting tour in the same town.
• Nambour – street art, a museum and Robinson Falls.
• Mapleton Falls National Park – a lookout and rainforest walk for the afternoon.
• Flame Hill Vineyard – a Montville cellar door with deck lunches.
• More meals: restaurants across South East Queensland.

You might also like

• Cooroy – the hinterland adventure playground and cafes.
• Mooloolaba Surf Club (Sunshine Coast)
• Hamilton (Brisbane)

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