Because I’ve already spammed the crap out of my Noosa holiday food pics on Instagram (@_eatplaylovetravel for those not following my spam feed), I thought it was about time I put some words behind the pictures that cause some serious salivating.
Here’s the words and a round-up of my favourite Noosa foodie finds/eats/dining destinations:
1. Bistro C… for a seafood feast
Over the week that we spent pretending we were full blood Noosatarians, we gave this super sea-fisticated (pun intended) beachside restaurant a twirl twice, and both times were mind-blowingly good.
Hidden within a ‘90s shopping mall, stumbling across Bistro C is like finding a peanut M&M in a bag of crispy M&Ms. But once inside there is nothing ‘90s (or chocolate) about this restaurant that makes you feel like you’ve walked onto the set of a Ralph Lauren photo shoot – it’s all ultra-modern Queensland thermomixed with a hint of Hamptons.
Great beach views, some of the freshest and most lushest seafood going around, and a stylish fit-out – you can’t go wrong.
Bistro C is so good that it deserves its own long form essay (i.e. an Eat Play Love Travel blog post). You can read that over here.
Bistro C | 49 Hastings Street, Noosa, Queensland
Phone: (07) 5447 2855
bistroc.com.au
2. Ricky’s… for an alternative seafood feast
Ricky’s and Bistro C are hard to split in terms of foodie credentials. They both have water views (Ricky’s overlooks Noosa River and Bistro C has a view of Noosa Main Beach), they both serve up a premium yet relaxed dining experience and use the freshest of produce.
We shared a feast of Coffin Bay oysters, super delicate scallop ceviche, crispy fried school prawns, grilled haloumi (AMAZING!), spanner crab spaghettini, Slow cooked bangalow pork belly, an eye fillet steak and local grilled seafood. Reading that back, I just asked Jude whether we really ordered that much food for two people. Apparently we did. Clearly we thought we were never going to eat again.
Husband: “This haloumi tastes like a Bunnings’ sausage.” Which apparently is a compliment of the highest sorts.
It’s super easy to book a table online (we did it the previous day) and ended up scoring a spot overlooking the water, where we were able to watch on as the birds swooped down for their dinner of fresh fish. Ours was civilly placed in front of us, perfectly cooked and plated up.
Ricky’s | 2 Quamby Place, Noosa Heads, Queensland
Phone: (07) 5447 2455
rickys.com.au
3. Wasabi… for Japanese
Ricky’s next-door neighbour, Wasabi, offers a sophisticated Japanese-style dining experience, has jaw-dropping water views of its own and a slew of awards to its name, including Regional Restaurant of the Year in the 2015 Good Food Guide.
Using their own farm-grown authentic Japanese produce, along with local seafood and regional ingredients, the menu is fresh, delicate and refined, but expect to fork out some cash for this one.
Image credit: Dimmi
Wasabi | 2 Quamby Place, Noosa Heads, Queensland
Phone: (07) 5449 2443
wasabisb.com
4. Spirit House… for Thai
Spirit House is 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 we 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!)
Spirit House | 20 Ninderry Road, Yandina, Queensland
Phone: (07) 5446 8977
spirithouse.com.au
5. Miss Moneypenny’s… for pizza and cocktails
Strolling down Hastings Street you’ll stumble across a bustling beach hut where it’s hard not to notice that everyone inside is having a great time. At the house of Miss Moneypenny the pizza oven is busier than Heathrow Airport pumping out cheap but delicious pizzas and the bodybuilder-sized cocktail list will turn you into a drunkard before realising it. I recommend the ultra-hairy and drinkable rosewater cocktail.
Miss Moneypenny’s | 6 Hastings Street, Noosa, Queensland
Phone: (07) 5474 9999
missmoneypennys.com
6. 10 Hastings… for brunch
Another one on the main drag of Noosa, 10 Hastings has lots of instagramable smoothies, powerseed birchers and smashed avo, along with other brunch, lunch and dinner options. This is a great one if your body is rejecting anything outside the categories of fruit and veg.
10 Hastings | 10 Hastings Street, Noosa, Queensland
Phone: (07) 5455 3350
10hastingsstreet.com.au
7. Blended Health Bar… for coffee
Prior to jetting into Maroochydore Airport, I’d been handed a few recommendations for where I could satisfy my coffee addiction. None of them beat this hole-in-the-wall coffee factory on Hastings Street, which rivalled Melbourne’s best. The macadamia and coconut protein balls are also a good substitute for breakfast when you’re still stuffed from the night before’s seafood spaghettini.
Image credit: Metropolist
Blended Health Bar | 18 Hastings Street, Noosa, Queensland
Phone: (07) 5474 8998
facebook.com/BlendedNoosa
There you have it, my seven favourite places to eat in Noosa. And yes, I did come home the size of a rhinoceros that’s eaten a pterodactyl.
