Ellacure is nothing short of a dining cure for the suburb of Bruce. With housing developments, apartments and offices on the rise, thousands of hungry tenants are still seeking culinary experiences else where.
As a local Belconnen man, born and bred, local Chef Andrew Hollands foresaw the lack of dining experiences in the area.
“I grew up in Kaleen and the closest you can get to this style of venue is Dickson or go the city,” Andrew said.
“There isn’t really any cool little nook and crannies to go to in Belconnen, like the Griffith shops.”
With more than a decade cheffing in the hospitality industry and his finger truly on the pulse of Canberra, Andrew secured a shop space off the plans almost 3 years ago.
“We bought it as a concrete shell and I became a tradesman for about 3 months. I learned so much about plumbing, plastering, painting and all that stuff.”
Ellacure has now been trading for just over a month and is the height of interest for Belconnen residents, public servants and Canberrans seeking new dining experiences.
Ellacure’s décor is warm, comfortable and with its carpeted floors and book shelves lined with wine bottles, it truly posses a home style charm.
The menu is a collaboration of Andrew, Dan Keogh (Sous Chef) and Kris Johnston, with the selections mirroring the demeanour of this laid back team. Andrew describes the dishes as ‘unpretentious, uncomplicated, simple and friendly.’
“Our menu is Modern Australian with an Italian focus, so we do lots of traditional pizzas, pastas, steaks…home style, friendly food.”
“I want people to look at the menu and go, I want that one, I want that one…I want that one too!”
Andrew and his team have truly reached this goal with the menu featuring delectable dishes such as Tuscan muscles; with ripe tomato, a hint of chili, onions, garlic, capsicum pesto and fresh toasted Italian bread.
Ellacure is unique in many ways, and Andrew identifies the most significant point of difference as the amount of love that’s been put into it.
“I’ve worked in a lot of kitchens and there’s not as much love out there as there is in here.”
This love saw Andrew and a creative-minded friend endeavour to create a unique mural for his beloved Ellacure.
“We were left with this square box on the wall because we put a pizza oven in and it pushed the wall out.”
The team decided this square ‘needed something’ and set out to create something interesting with no more than cutlery and a tube of super glue. The edgy mural is certainly a talking point at dinner time.
Bruce may be expanding but it possesses rural characteristics that are unique for a suburb so close in proximity to Canberra’s city.
“In Manuka you can’t look out the window and see big gum trees. At night time kangaroos hop past.”
Ellacure’s outdoor patio is soon to feature heating for the cooler months and awnings to shield you from the sun when weather permits. It’s the prefect spot for lazing at lunch time with pizza and drinks.
The team do breakfast on the weekend, and lunch/dinner from Tuesday – Sunday.
Parking is plentiful and there’s always something on the menu to make your belly rumble.
