Spirit House…

So anyways, I’ve written before about Spirit House.

I’ve written even more times about Spirit House recipes.

I love the place- I’ve told you that before too- which is why we’ve booked in every time we’ve been on the Coast over the last however many years. This years visit, though, was the first time we’ve been for dinner.

When hubby first suggested it, I was concerned. At night we wouldn’t have the lake and its wildlife to keep us entertained. At night we wouldn’t have the colour and the green and the landscape as a side serve. At night we couldn’t wander the paths after our meal. At night we couldn’t see the water dragons or the birds. And surely at night there’d be mozzies. Most importantly, at night you can’t take decent food photos.

I didn’t need to worry. If anything, the dark enhanced and intensified the experience that is Spirit House. The spices hung in the air, suspended on the ever present Sunshine Coast humidity. The colours were mutes, but more exotic. We mightn’t have been able to see the lake, but at night it takes on a different sound. And there were no mozzies. The photos were, however, crap.

And the food? As always we couldn’t fault it. I won’t bore you with a taste by taste description, but the two standout dishes were the soup and the salmon.

 

Here’s what we ordered- with apologies for the crap photos…

Cocktails:

I started with a Samui Mule: a heady mix of chilli vodka, thai ginger beer, lemongrass syrup and lime. Miss 16 had a more innocent Thai lime and bitters. Hubby was designated driver so stuck to something he could count- i.e. beer.

Starters:

Coconut soup of salmon with lemongrass and chilli oil

Crispy Byron Bay Berkshire Pork Belly with citrus caramel sauce

Mains:

Grilled atlantic salmon with krachai, coconut dressing and vietnamese mint

Choo chee curry of pork neck with pineapple, fried green peppercorns and curry leaf

Crisp masterstock braised duck with longans, crisp vermicelli and coriander

We didn’t make it to dessert…Miss 16 accused me of sabotaging her dessert appetite. In retrospect, two mains would have been sufficient between the three of us.

It was a lovely problem to have.

Oh and at night? The paths are more romantic….