Mouthwatering modern-Australian eats star at Tellus Bar & Dining, a brand-new resident at The Barracks
An ambitious new restaurant and bar has carved out territory at Petrie Terrace’s retail and dining hub, The Barracks. Tellus Bar & Dining is delivering an inspired take on contemporary Australian fare, weaving in global inspirations to craft an offering that’s flush with bright and bold flavours.
Tellus Bar & Dining’s owner Joe was looking for a challenge. By his own admission, the seasoned hospitality veteran – who some might recognise as the brains behind smash-hit West End cafe Picnic – is constantly finding ways to push himself and elevate his craft.
“I always want to see what I can do more of,” says Joe. “We are getting a lot more like fine-dining restaurants in Brisbane. It’s fantastic and I keep asking myself, can I do the same?”
Tellus, Joe’s brand-new restaurant now open at The Barracks on Petrie Terrace, is the operator’s biggest swing to date. The ambitious venue has combined and transformed two tenancies into a striking and sophisticated new venue – one that Joe hopes will be regarded as a hub of culinary craftsmanship and artistry.
Positioned at a prominent juncture at the entrance to The Barracks, Tellus is hard to ignore. “From a design perspective, I knew that I wanted it to be eye-catching,” says Joe, who informs us that he worked with Clui Design on Tellus’ attention-grabbing aesthetic. A glass-and-brick facade gives way to a chic high-ceilinged interior that boasts glossy marble tables and countertops, plush leather banquettes, timber furnishings, rendered concrete walls, grey floor tiles and sheer curtains. On one axis of the venue sits a grab-and-go pastry kiosk, while the restaurant’s interior is home to a bar, bright-red La Marzocco coffee machine, dining space and wine wall. A scattering of umbrella-shaded tables can be found outside.
Though propelled by Joe’s own creative vision, Tellus draws its overall inspiration from an elemental source – a primal starting point that not only speaks to the venue’s broad gastronomic leanings, but also Tellus’ customer-first hospitality ethos.
“The name of the venue is actually from a Latin word, which means ‘earth’,” explains Joe. “But I also like the name, because I’m a barista, I want customers to tell us what they like.”
Tellus’ offering itself can be loosely divided into three main categories – ‘dough’, ‘grain’ and ‘grape’. The first grouping relates to the eatery’s in-house baking component, with an on-site pastry kitchen tasked with crafting a selection of sweet and savoury items available every morning at Alfresco +1 – an informal collaborative bakery and coffee pop-up between Joe’s venues, Tellus and Picnic.
You’ll find classic items like croissants and fruit-filled danishes, as well as a few specialty selections like truffle-mushroom danishes – all matched perfectly by a cup of coffee (a custom Tellus blend crafted by Paradox Coffee Roasters). “Pastry is something that’s new to me,” says Joe, who mentions the pastry selection will continue to evolve. “I’m very proud of what my team have come up with in such a short period of time.”
The restaurant’s main food menu is where you’ll experience ‘grain’. Joe is delivering an offering that is modern Australian in scope, but the operator is relishing the chance to highlight and contour his fare with a broad range of flavour-packed influences from around the world.
“Nowadays, Brisbane is an international city and that’s what I think is modern Australia,” says Joe. “If you think of modern Australian cuisine, you will see a lot of Asian – like Japanese and Chinese – ingredients.”
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Guests can start their Tellus dining experience with an array of snacks, including Coffin Bay oysters with fermented yuzu hot sauce, yellowfin tuna ceviche with flying-fish caviar, guasacaca and yuca chips, wagyu intercostal skewers with oregano sour cream, and crab katsu with truffle aioli. From there, it’s onward to small share plates and starters – think grilled Mooloolaba king prawns with herb-and-garlic butter, tamarind-coated lamb ribs, charred eggplant with honey-soy glaze, and mushroom escabeche with coconut foam and Szechuan pepper oil.
Tellus’ selection of mains can be enjoyed solo or shared amongst a crowd, with wild-caught goldband snapper with capers and beurre blanc sauce, twice-cooked chicken with turmeric, beef short ribs with birria consomme and Balinese chilli, Moroccan-spiced cauliflower steaks and grain-fed wagyu ribeyes standing out as bona fide highlights. Very soon, Tellus will launch a menu of brunch dishes – expect crowd-favourite classics and some out-of-the-box inclusions.
The third of Tellus’ culinary themes, ‘grape’, relates to the restaurant’s 75-bottle wine list. The selection blends European and Australian varieties selected to match the menu, with a number of top drops available via Coravin. This selection is backed by a list of signature and classic cocktails, tap and bottled beers, and aperitifs.
Tellus Bar & Dining is now open to the public. For operating hours, contact details and menu information, head to The Directory.