Restaurant Terrae opens at Hotel Ernest in Bendigo

The team behind Ballarat’s posh hotel restaurant Babae has just launched a more casual, “loosely European” all-day eatery in Bendigo where pasta is king.

The team behind posh Ballarat fine diner Babae has opened a Bendigo restaurant.

Terrae, under the steer of chef Tim Foster, will flex a “loosely European”, produce-driven menu from breakfast to dinner, seven days a week.

The Goldfields Hospitality Group culinary director said he was excited to cook outside of a degustation template for his new project with owners Martin Shew, David Cook-Doulton and Peter Barton.

“It’s been a long time coming and we’ve always wanted to open something different in Bendigo,” Foster told the Herald Sun.

“Being that Bendigo is the City of Gastronomy and we’re expecting tourists to visit us, we needed a place for them to dine at all times.”

Restaurant Terrae follows a “loose European” cuisine template.

Expect plenty of produce-forward dishes cooked by head chef Cameron Harvey.

Unlike Babae, Terrae will offer an a la carte experience with pasta made fresh daily using locally milled flour and an extruder imported from Italy.

“The pasta section will be something people should experience,” he said.

“Our head chef Cameron (Harvey) is very skilled with pasta and will use things like Victorian rabbit or hare and produce from our garden (for sauces). We’ll be quite spontaneous with the menu and change things up often.”

Foster has also employed his former Gold Mines Hotel pastry chef Michael Harrington as the kitchen’s full-time gardener.

Babae executive chef Tim Foster with sommelier Meredith. Picture: Tara Moore.

“He’s always been an exceptional gardener, turning his passion into his job. He splits his time between us and restaurant Chauncy’s (in Heathcote) garden.”

Terrae, which lives inside one of Bendigo’s first banks built in 1863, will sport a darker interior with few bright lights and window openings, and “no blonde wood” finishings.

“It still has a bullethole in a window from a robbery in the 1900s,” Foster said.

Don’t worry, Terrae still shares the same Babae and Goldfields Hospitality Group DNA in its design and food philosophy — including making good use of the group’s kitchen garden located between Ballarat and Bendigo.

Terrae, 10-12 View St, Bendigo, hotelbendigo.com.au