History, hospitality and heart come together at The Woodshed, a new destination dining experience in the Noosa hinterland
Tucked into the rolling hills of the Noosa hinterland, the Kin Kin Hotel has long been part of the region’s story – a century-old building that has seen name changes, natural disasters and more than a few tales worthy of folklore. Now, after a loving restoration by owners David and Ellie Ezrine, the heritage hotel has been given a thoughtful new lease on life. What was once the Country Life Hotel has been reborn as a boutique escape that celebrates slow living, where meals stretch long, wine flows generously and the art of gathering takes centre stage.
The Kin Kin Hotel’s revival is more than skin deep. After flood damage left the building in dire need of repair, owners David and Ellie Ezrine embarked on the painstaking task of restoring it, one heritage room at a time. Today, each of the ten boutique rooms exude countryside charm, each thoughtfully finished with antique treasures, custom corduroy bedheads, hand-crafted barn lights and ruffled curtains. No two are alike, just the way David and Ellie prefer it. Downstairs, the Kin Kin pub has shed its former identity and been reimagined around food that feels both familiar and elevated. Forget schnitties and parmis, here the menu speaks of patience and craft with loaves of bread baked daily, butter churned and salted in-house, charcuterie and sausages prepared from scratch.
At the helm of Kin Kin Hotel’s culinary offering is head chef Oscar Holgado, whose journey has taken him from Michelin-starred London institutions like Murano by Angela Hartnett and Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, to Cornwall’s Coombeshead Farm, a working farm and guesthouse renowned for its nose-to-tail, farm-to-table ethos. “Being closely connected to the food is a really rewarding way to cook,” Oscar says. “You have complete control – letting the ingredients write the menu for you as you walk through the garden as opposed to the other way around.”
It’s this ethos that underpins the menu at Kin Kin Hotel’s latest chapter – The Woodshed, a former agricultural shed now reimagined as a destination dining space. Softly open since June for invited guests, the venue is now open to the public as of August, offering a seven-course degustation that unfolds over three incredible hours. The menu is an ode to fire, flavour and craftsmanship.
The air carries the scent of woodsmoke, underscored by the gentle crackle of the fire and the glow of an open-fire kitchen. The experience begins with snacks in the garden or at the counter, before progressing to a table laden with starters – house-made bread, pickles and terrine, all designed to evoke generosity. From there, courses build into plated dishes, shared mains and sides, before sweet endings arrive accompanied by honeycomb still warm from the beehives out back.
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Oscar steers clear of the pomp and pageantry that often surrounds fine dining, instead opting for a “refined but simple approach,” he tells us, adding: “if it says beef rib on the menu, you will see a beef rib on the plate. Not foam or air.”
Optional wine pairings deepen the experience, and for those who’d prefer not to rush home, the hotel’s new Dine & Stay package makes retreating upstairs after dinner an irresistible choice.
Come morning, a farmhouse-style breakfast brings guests together again around the long table filled with warm bread, pastries, fresh fruit, local eggs and coffee poured until conversation slows. It’s a fitting conclusion to a stay designed around connection, comfort and a return to the kind of dining that makes you linger.
“In general, people are quite surprised about what we’re delivering in little old Kin Kin,” Oscar laughs. But that’s the beauty of the Kin Kin Hotel’s revival – an unassuming hinterland pub now reimagined as a destination where history, hospitality and heart all meet at the table.
The Woodshed is currently open for dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings.