Spicers Peak Lodge and Spa is world famous for being an intimate destination for those with a taste for the finer things in life.

And nowhere is this more evident than when dining at the stunning mountain retreat's award-winning onsite restaurant, The Peak.

The restaurant team follow the gourmet philosophy of "paddock to plate" - focusing on locally-sourced, seasonal, sustainable ingredients to create a refined and exciting menu best described as "modern European with an Aussie twist".

The result? An unforgettable dining experience that has been repeatedly recognised as one of Australia's best. 

"At The Peak, there's a story behind all the food that we're using, from the fruit and vegetables from Warwick to the beef and bacon down the road from Yangan and the organic lamb from nearby Stanthorpe," Spicers Peak Lodge and Spa general manager Leasa Harris says. 

"The Scenic Rim is a rich and fertile region and we are blessed to have most of what we need on our very doorstep. Our paddock to plate style of cooking is all about sustainability, freshness and being able to trace the origins of produce, and offering our diners exciting and constantly evolving menus." 

Located two hours' drive south west of Brisbane in south-east Queensland and 1,130m above sea level atop a 9,000 acre working farm, Spicers Peak Lodge and Spa is Australia's highest non-alpine lodge retreat. The retreat is enveloped by the World Heritage listed Main Range National Park - one of Australia's most scenic wilderness areas - and the Great Dividing Range. It is so private it can only be seen from the air. The luxurious retreat offers spectacular views over south-east Queensland's Scenic Rim and is close to the Granite Belt wine region, the wine capital of Queensland.

The retreat has won numerous awards for both its accommodation and fine dining. Most recently, it achieved one Chef Hat in both the Australian Good Food Guide's (AGFG) Chef Hat Awards 2013 and the Queensland Good Food Guide Awards 2013. 

Other awards include the prestigious Restaurant of the Year and Best Fine Dining Restaurant for Brisbane/Darling Downs region at the 2012 Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering Awards for Excellence in Queensland, as well as Best Luxury Accommodation in the 2011 and 2010 Tourism Queensland Awards.

Spicers Peak Lodge and Spa is also one of the Luxury Lodges of Australia, putting it in the same company of other esteemed properties such as Qualia, Southern Ocean Lodge, Emirates Wolgan Valley and Spicers Clovelly Estate.

The Peak offers a three-course lunch and the choice of a five or seven-course degustation dinner with premium wines matched to each course. It is open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner for guests staying at the property. 

Visitors can also book lunch or dinner at The Peak seven days a week. 

The award-winning restaurant is located within the main lodge and boasts stunning views over Spicers' Gap plateau. It features a main dining room and a private dining room and offers a warm, relaxed atmosphere complete with open stone fireplace and plush furnishings. 

The current seven-course degustation menu includes cured salmon with beetroot, citrus and vodka, puffed quinoa, melon and cucumber; red claw yabby with morcilla, mandarin and yoghurt; and confit Warwick pork belly with remoulade, pork cracker and vierge.

"The seven-course degustation dinner is always local, fresh and sustainably sourced," Leasa says. "It's also very lodge style. It's wholesome but modern as well, using rich ingredients like beetroots and cabbages, emu and kangaroo and game like pheasant and quail.

"Sometimes restaurants can get caught up in the monotony of doing the same thing every day, but here with the degustation menu changing daily to suit what's in season, it gives our team the freedom to change. Not one day is the same.

"Also, The Peak is becoming so popular that people from Brisbane and Toowoomba now visit for lunch and dinner and then drive home."

The Peak also offers a wine list which matches the calibre of the cuisine. Also inspired by the Scenic Rim and Granite Belt regions, guests can enjoy a perfectly matched wine experience with their dinner.

For lunch, guests can try handmade tagliatelle with heirloom tomatoes, broad beans, fresh garden herbs and Gruyere; Spanish Jamón with tomato and olive, pommes Gaufrette, parmesan and macadamia; and citrus cured ocean trout with organic gem, toasted sunflower seeds and salmon roe.

The restaurant also offers an exciting new breakfast menu which now includes homemade crumpets with whipped butter and honeycomb from the lodge's very own bees, and smoked egg, slow cooked for two hours and panéd with thyme roasted mushroom and chevré. 

"With breakfast we again use as much local ingredients as we can, like the bacon and free range eggs which come from Warwick and honey from our bees on our homemade crumpets," Leasa says. 

"We've also tried to be innovative with the menu. Pancakes, crepes and French toast are common, but we wanted to do something different so we introduced Valrhona chocolate blinis.

"They are made with high grade luxury chocolate, are very light and served with fresh berries and crème fraiche and unsurprisingly, are one of the most popular breakfast items. 

"Guests have responded extremely positively to the new menu because there's so much variety. We now offer a first class breakfast, lunch and dinner."

The Peak's restaurant team is also responsible for designing the menu at Spicers Peak Lodge and Spas' sister property, Spicers Canopy - a luxury camping or 'glamping' experience where guests can experience nature in style while staying in luxurious safari style tents.

"We try to keep the food as wholesome and home-style as possible to suit the camping-style experience, so dishes can include Darling Downs beef with Yorkshire pudding and a banquet-style spread with fresh beetroot and organic chicken," Leasa says.

"It's very warming and food for the soul."


Media Contact :
Brenton Gibbs
+61 419 828 440
brenton@crookgroup.com.au