Cairns restaurant barons Carlton and Tiina Horn open Rufus on Spence St

A new opulently-appointed Gatsbyesque-styled Cairns restaurant is offering an intimate dining experience with a strong focus on seasonal delights cooked in a custom-built wood fired oven.

Cairns restaurateurs Carlton Horn and Tiina Horn have opened new high end restaurant Rufus on Spence Street, following the success of their restaurants Little Sister and the former Boat Shed. Picture: Brendan Radke

A new opulently-appointed Gatsbyesque-styled Cairns restaurant is now offering an intimate dining experience with a strong focus on seasonal delights cooked in a custom-built wood fired oven.

The old Marinades Indian Restaurant premises is barely recognisable after undergoing a complete refit to create Cairns’ latest food and wine venue called Rufus.

Veteran Cairns restaurateurs Carlton and Tiina Horn commissioned Brick Chef in Melbourne to build a half tonne wood burning oven which is now considered the beating heart of the new Spence St location.

“Transporting Rufus from one end of the country to the other was a logistical mission and we are so excited to have it in the kitchen,” Ms Horn said.

The restaurant features and open plan where diners can view proceedings in the kitchen and bar. Picture: Brendan Radke

A dim and cozy space with velvet furnishings and a private function space at the rear of the restaurant called the Burgundy Room offers an oasis in the city for diners to escape to.

“We want people to be able to come here to a nice, comfortable spot and just enjoy the space,” Mr Horn said.

“I think we wanted to bring something that is not in Cairns, rich, luxurious fabrics and getting a design element that people can go, ‘wow’,” Ms Horn said.

Lovers of good wine the proprietors have taken great care to curate an extensive vino

list designed to appeal to a cross section of palates, from fresh, crisp whites to bold and juicy

reds.

Snapper sashimi, served with horseradish in white soy, chive and coal oil. Picture: Brendan Radke

Leveraging the popularity of cocktails Rufus will serve the classics such as Tom Collins, martinis, daiquiris and cosmos in elegant glassware and smaller sized cocktails known as snack-tinis are perfect for those who are just after a little something to sip.

Carlton and Tiina Horn have a long history of helping shape the Far North’s hospo landscape and were the creators of Candy Cafe Bar on Grafton St and owned the Boatshed before opening Little Sister in the Mantra Trilogy building in 2020.

Cairns restaurateurs Carlton Horn and Tiina Horn have opened new high end restaurant Rufus on Spence Street. The burgundy room in the rear of the restaurant. Picture: Brendan Radke

“We’re really proud of what we produced (at Rufus) and the food that the guys are putting out and the bar and the cocktails,” Ms Horn said.

“We want to create a dining space for us that we really enjoy, that we hope the public really enjoys as well, and that’s really exciting to be able to generate a dining room that we’re satisfied with and would love to go to and other Cairns locals get to go and experience as well.”

Rufus is located at 43 Spence St, bookings can be made online at rufuscairns.com.au.

Follow @petercarruther1

Originally published as Cairns restaurant barons Carlton and Tiina Horn open Rufus on Spence St