Wondering if Spicers Tamarind Restaurant in Sunshine Coast Hinterland is worth visiting? We visited on our 10th anniversary, so we thought we’d save you the hassle and let you know what our experience was like. Hopefully, it will help you decide whether you want to experience fresh local produce, modern Asian cuisine.
Known as one of the best Sunshine Coast restaurants, we were excited to try the one chef hat menu run by Head Chef Dan Jarrett. We decided to go with the degustation menu, but we didn’t get the matching wines because we headed to their famous Spa Anise afterwards.
In this Sunshine Coast restaurant review, we’ll share what our entire experience was like at Spicers Tamarind restaurant. Here’s how we spent our special anniversary!
Where Is Spicers Tamarind Restaurant?
Spicers Tamarind restaurant is located just outside of Maleny on Sunshine Coast. It takes 1h30 to drive from Brisbane to Spicers Tamarind and just over 1 hour from Noosa. Spicers Tamarind Retreat is a luxury Sunshine Coast Hinterland accommodation, famous for those looking for a weekend getaway from Brisbane.
Situated on the outskirts of the popular town of Maleny, it’s located on the same road as Gardner’s Falls, which is a popular swimming hole during Summer. There is private access from the retreat, so if you’re lucky enough to stay there, you can pop down early in the morning before the crowds turn up.
Spend the weekend at Spicers Tamarind Retreat and discover plenty of awesome things to do in Maleny.
Why Is Spicers Tamarind Popular?
There are two Spicers retreats in the Hinterland: the French-inspired Spicers Clovelly Estate in Montville and Spicers Tamarind Retreat in Maleny. We’ve not been to the Montville accommodation yet but it’s on our list!
Many people come to Spicers Tamarind to get away from it all because of its enviable reputation. The setting is gorgeous – picture rainforest fringed luxury, combined with rolling hills, stunning accommodation and a hatted restaurant thrown in.
Did we mention the spa yet? We loved the Spa Anise so much; we wrote a whole article dedicated to why you need to visit Spa Anise in Maleny!
There’s a famous cooking school on-site and plenty of events happening throughout the year around the grounds too. We’ll be coming back for the sculpture exhibition called Sculpture On The Edge at the end of October.
What Our Experience Was Like
When we arrived at Spicers Tamarind Retreat, we parked up at the restaurant car park and made our way to the reception. We were then greeted by friendly staff who took us to our seats. The restaurant opens out into a courtyard and through to another dining space, surrounded by natural beauty.
We were asked if we would like to sit and have a drink first outside before being shown to our table, but we were a little conscious of timings because we were booked into the Spa Anise afterwards.
When we sat down at our table, we loved how the seating is positioned to enjoy the outside views, creating an intimate feel from the other tables.
Our waitress came over, and before we knew it, quality wine was being poured for us.
We were told there are two menu’s to choose from: one is the famous degustation menu consisting of five small meals (at the time of writing, it was $110 per person and $80 extra for matching wines). The other is an a la carte menu of three courses at $90 per person.
One thing to note is that if you’re interested in ordering the degustation menu, the whole table must order it too. I think this will be due to timings as it would be a bit weird if one of your party didn’t order it, they would be sitting there watching everyone else eat.
The Degustation Menu Review
As it was our anniversary, we went for the degustation menu because we love the experience it brings. The anticipation of discovering new food is more exciting to us than having a three-course meal personally. With the degustation menu, the food felt like they came out fast, even if we were sat there for about 2 hours.
Because the menu is modern Asian cuisine, I was wondering whether the spicy flavours would be too spicy for me. It turns out, I had zero reaction from the fresh local produce.
The beautifully presented menu combined innovative taste sensations that we were blown away by. First up, we started with a classic Tom Yum Soup before the five-course menu began.
First Dish
Next up, one of my favourite dishes of the experience was the market sashimi with citrus wasabi dressing.
I have to say this is the best sashimi I have ever eaten!
The consistency combined with the saltiness of the macadamias is on another level.
Second Dish
Onto the second course of the afternoon, and we were delivered with crispy local Mooloolaba prawns. Steve being a foodie connoisseur, said the following about this dish:
It’s a zesty prawn extravaganza on a journey through peanut and chilli jam bliss.
He’s right; the prawns are exceptional.
Third Dish
Two courses down, and we order another Tim Adams pinot gris each. Now we’re onto the pork dumplings, of which Steve quoted how; “the relish set off a tamarind explosion that held up the crunchiness of the fried pork dumplings”. Don’t you just love how expressive he is when talking about food?
Fourth Dish
Now we’ve got two courses left, and we’re onto the main course, cooked duck leg. The duck is moist and tender with a lovely crispiness and bedded by a delicious savoury XO experience.
Fifth Dish
And onto our final meal of the day, which is always my favourite, the dessert. We were greeted with a chocolate parfait with exceptional raspberry ice cream. And I quote Steve’s final reaction to this degustation:
It’s a raspberry epic, with a sidecar of silky chocolate parfait dreams are made of.
Summary
During our meal, staff continuously checked upon us, but not in an overbearing way. They have the customer service level down to a T. The menu effortlessly combines sweet and spicy local produce in a way we’ve never tried before. It’s no wonder this restaurant has a chef hat. It’s a 10 out of 10 from us!
It’s funny how every time I have a degustation menu, I start off wondering whether I will want to eat more by the end, but always finish full. This time my friends, I was full and ready for a slow walk to the beautiful hanging chair tree and onto the boardwalk, up to the fantastic Spa Anise.
Spicers Tamarind Retreat Accommodation
I must say, celebrating our 10th anniversary at Tamarind Retreat couldn’t have been any better. We wish we had organised it more in advance and stayed in one of the beautiful accommodation options dotted around the retreat. We had a peak inside two of the cabins, and they are beautiful!
If you’re looking for romantic getaways from Brisbane or you’re celebrating a special occasion, look no further. You can book a helicopter to fly you into the accommodation from Brisbane if you want to go all out!
Check prices to stay at Spicers Tamarind Retreat here.
Spicers Tamarind Restaurant Review
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This post was made possible thanks to the team at Visit Sunshine Coast. All words are our own as we would never promote anywhere that we didn’t love on Londoner In Sydney.