Surprise surprise! A new restaurant snuck into Pialligo, and it’s epic!

Posted on 28 November, 2023

Canberra is too small a town to keep a big secret. So what if we told you there is a glorious new restaurant, complete with its own private dining wing, bespoke accommodation and an 800-tree truffle farm, about to open in Pialligo?

Hello Beltana Farm!

It’s been kept carefully under wraps by its owners to make sure it is absolutely perfect when the gates swing open in February, but we confidently predict this is going to be big, big news on the dining scene as Beltana Farm becomes a destination for locals and interstate visitors alike.

The Terry Ring-designed main restaurant overlooks the 800-tree truffle orchard.

Restaurateurs John Leverink and James Souter from The Boat House (and Ramen Daddy, Canteen and Margot…) will run the restaurant side while owners Alice and Doug O’Mara will operate the truffle orchard, truffle hunting tours, and manage a clutch of luxury yurts onsite to sleep 16.

It all makes for a glorious precinct of wood, stone, glass and trees, which will become a focal point for wining and dining in the city (with many choosing to making a weekend of it with an overnight stay).

Designed by award-winning architect Terry Ring, the restaurant proper is an impressive pavilion anchored around a massive stone fireplace. Walls of glass look onto the truffle trees in one direction and the tiny village of yurts in the other. To one side of the main pavilion is a smaller pavilion, where a commanding private dining room seats up to 30.

John and James promise a farmhouse menu anchored to local produce, the seasons, and (of course) featuring truffles from outside the back door.

The entire project is nestled in more than nine acres of land which Alice and Doug bought just over a decade ago, when Alice felt the need to escape the pressures of their property business.

It’s been a slow but steady journey to get to this point, planting the 800-tree truffière in their first year, harvesting a lonely little truffle after four years, rejoicing at a decent harvest after eight years, and beginning work on the statement restaurant two years ago.

Alice O’Mara and John Leverink on a truffle hunt

“We wanted to work with John and James because of their reputations and track record in the industry and we knew they could help us to create something very special for the city. Honestly, we are so excited to finally unveil what we have been building,” said Alice.

The accommodation aspect of the project is due to two small yurt that were onsite when the couple bought the land. They decided to give them a makeover, add one more and then a small cottage. All up they can cater for a party of one to groups or families requiring three bedrooms. The accommodation is now open and can be booked here.

The cottage next to the restaurant.

For Alice, the truffle hunting experiences she has crafted have been sanity-saving.

“We were really in the rat race, and when we bought this land, our whole perspective changed.”

The team plan to take Beltana farm to the next level, creating a calendar packed with events and reinvigorating Pialligo along the way.

Stay over with style at Beltana Farm

While Alice understands there will invariably be comparisons made with Pialligo Estate, Beltana Farm has been years in the making, is its own entity, and stands apart from anything else in Canberra.

“We have put so much thought and care into creating this venue and it really will be a  unique experience.”

Fancy a night in a yurt?

And before anyone asks, Beltana Farm will not be hosting weddings. Yes, it lends itself to being the perfect location for vows in the orchard, a big shindig in the restaurant and the bridal party staying onsite. But Alice said she wanted the restaurant to be a restaurant first and foremost, and for diners to be able to know the focus is on their meal experience, not catering for big events.

The farmhouse menu will be seasonally based and heavy on the truffle in winter!

“We want our diners to come first every night.”

We will bring you updates as the restaurant readies for opening. And yes, you could have knocked us over with a feather when we saw it for the first time. We are just as excited for the opening as you are!

Images by James Souter