The Barrelroom to reopen with new chef

Ballandean Estate reveals the new chef and owner of celebrated eatery The Barrelroom.

New Barrelroom chef Brian Maclellan. Picture: Matthew Purcell

HE'S had "groupies” turn up, asking for a meal weeks before The Barrelroom was set to reopen, so Ballandean Estate's owners have high hopes for new chef Brian Maclellan.

After closing in December with the departure of former owners Travis Crane and Arabella Chambers to Brisbane, The Barrelroom will reopen on Friday.

Located at Ballandean Estate vineyard and winery, The Barrelroom rose to fame in the foodies circuit as a quality eatery celebrating local produce after it opened three years ago.

It was named in The Sunday Mail's Delicious 100 last year.

Ballandean Estate spokeswoman Leeanne Gangemi said it's been three months of "frantic” searching, with chefs in Sydney and Melbourne putting up their hands as well as those closer to home.

Locals will find Mr Maclellan "very, very affable”, Mrs Gangemi said.

"He's Mr Chatterbox, loves talking to his customers...which is good - people love talking to the chef, talking about where he's getting his food and what he's doing with it.

"It'll be a little bit of fun I think.”

A Scot who joins the Stanthorpe establishment from Toowoomba, Mr Maclellan brings 30-plus years of culinary expertise as chef lecturer and restaurant owner.

He trained many of Cairns' top chefs, many of whom now working in five-star hotels around the world.

"We met him about a month ago...he wandered in and started asking a few questions,” Mrs Gangemi said.

"We thought, 'okay, this could be our new chef'.”

She said the process of finding a new chef for the successful Granite Belt eatery had been "nerve-racking”.

She was expecting the interest to come from Brisbane but in Brisbane "it's a chef's market”, she said, with most applications coming from southern cities.

She said three women from Toowoomba had shown up at The Barrelroom about two weeks ago for a meal, saying "we know Brian, that's why we're here - we've come for his food”.

"We thought, 'well that's pretty awesome, he's already got his groupies chasing him around',” Mrs Gangemi said.

"It's always good when a chef brings his own clientele.”

Chef Brian Maclellan and fiancée Mirian Singiat will be taking over celebrated Stanthorpe eatery The Barrelroom, at Ballandean Estate vineyard and winery. Picture: Contributed

Mr Maclellan is a founding member of the Food and Agricultural Network in Toowoomba and plans to continue The Barrelroom's tradition of paddock-to-plate and nose-to-tail dishes, using all of animals and supporting local farmers and graziers.

"I'm not going to be as strict as [former owners] Travis and Arabella,” Mr Maclellan said.

"If the fish man who comes here on a Friday has fresh tuna, then sure I'm going to get it.

"There's no way we'll deny people a nice piece of tuna because it's (from) more than three hours (away).”

Mr Maclellan will be joined by fiancée Mirian Singiat, whom he met in Papua New Guinea seven years ago, and who will help manage the business.

Mouthwatering new menu

SLOW COOKED pork ribs falling off the bone, smoked with local Ironbark chips.

Oven-baked Murray River cod on a bed of soba noodles with a light curry broth.

Lamb shanks, Oysters Kilpatrick spring rolls, winter pies, and vegetarian dishes that'll rival any trendy inner city eatery.

These dishes are just a taste of the new menu planned for The Barrelroom, where new chef Brian Maclellan's first creations will be plated up tomorrow.

Murray River cod, beef, lamb and chicken farmed locally, and venison are among the meats to feature.

Vegetables grown on the Granite Belt and supplied by Sam's Farm Fresh Fruit and Veg at Cottonvale will inspire seasonal dishes.

Dishes for herbivores will include sweet potato and spinach croquettes, fittingly crafted in the shape of a barrel.

Calzone, vegetable quiches, fritatas and lasagne will add to a menu designed for vegetarians as much as omnivores, Mr Maclellan said.

The Barrelroom will be open for lunch and dinner, Thursday to Monday, with exceptions for bookings and events.