by Martin Field

Spirit House
A group of us dined at the Spirit House in Yandina, a short drive south of Noosa. A spectacular setting, just like walking into a tropical restaurant in Bali or Thailand; complete with exotic flowers, bamboo, palms, and a central lake dotted with lotus leaves.

Standout entrée ($19.50) was the ‘Buddha’s Delight’ a trio of beautifully presented savoury dishes, described accurately on the menu as ‘Potato, pea and spinach samosa with coriander yoghurt; eggplant and banana chili salad with cassava chips; and Son-in-law Egg with sweet, salt and sour sauce.

Address: 20 Ninderry Rd, Yandina, Queensland. Phone (07) 5446 8994.

Laguna Jacks Cellar and Bar
The first floor balcony at Laguna Jacks catches the Noosa surf breezes and overlooks the Hastings Street palms. On our visit, we sat there and observed an endless procession of bum-bagged tourists, surfies, boogie boarders, blondes of all species, blue-faced honeyeaters and perambulating bush turkeys.

From the tapas menu we chose a trio of dips ($9), babaganoush, hummus, and extra virgin olive oil, washed down with stubbies of Coopers Sparkling Ale ($6), served in very tall chilled glasses. Next came glasses of 2006 Lengs and Cooter riesling ($6.50), and the 2006 Twin Islands Marlborough pinot noir ($7.50).

I asked owner Julian what wines were the big sellers with tourists and locals. He reckoned that out of every ten bottles he sold, eight were sauvignon blanc.

Laguna Jacks lists over 500 wines and 70 plus beers at, in my view, very reasonable prices. As well as wine by the glass, all bottled wines are available to drink on premise at retail price plus $4 corkage.

Address: 50 Hastings St, Noosa Heads, Queensland. Phone (07) 5474 9555.