The New Acton precinct around No Name Lane has sprouted several new eateries. One of which is Terra, focusing on seasonal fresh produce and a rotisserie cooking all sorts of proteins. The lunch menu is limited to about 5 dishes with a few sides. However, it’s the canteen style setting that’s the more popular option. The long counter displays a range of salads, roasted vegetables and other sides. The rotisserie behind the counter displays a range of meats such as lamb, chicken, pork, and sausages slowly turning and cooking. The options were 1 protein and 1 side for $15 or 1 protein and 2 sides for $18.
As Mr FPJ wasn’t particularly hungry, I decided to order the protein and 2 sides option, and the poutine from the regular menu to share. My intention was to select the lamb shoulder, but when I saw a pot of wagyu beef bubbling away, I quickly changed my mind. For my sides, I chose the honey glazed carrots with black rice, scallion sauce and pepitas, and the sweet potato with onion jam, shallots and hazelnut. There was a very generous portion of beef sitting in its own separate bowl soaking in a beef stew with carrots and potatoes. We didn’t finish it all. We both thought that the vegetables were the heroes of this lunch dish. I loved the onion jam spread on top of a thick slab of sweet potato making it sweet yet savoury. The scallion sauce had a sweet yet mustard-like mix to it which tasted amazing on the honey glazed carrots. Both vegetables had crunchy toppings to provide a nice textural contrast. I didn’t know roasted vegetables could taste so good. We were told to help ourselves to the three house made sauces available – red jalapeno, terra BBQ and yellow bush chilli. These can also be purchased by the bottle.
The poutine ($14) consisted of beer cheese sauce and ox tail gravy. Technically this wasn’t poutine as it was missing the very important cheese curds essential to the Canadian staple. But I still wanted to give it a go. The hot cheese sauce was actually really tasty and creamy, and not stringy like melted cheese. We had a lot of the ox tail cuts of fat and gristle which we found annoying to pick through and move to the side. There wasn’t much actual meat and we thought it would have been better if there was just gravy rather than chunks of ox tail with the fries. Mr FPJ did not like this dish but I did like the crunchy well-salted chips and creamy cheese sauce.
On another occasion, I asked about ordering 2 proteins. Any protein after the first pick is an extra $5. I was keen to try the lamb shoulder and roast pork, and picked the Japanese pumpkin with tofu puree, and kale salsa. We were told that the pumpkin was the most popular side. When they stopped making it, they were asked by so many people that they decided to keep it as a regular side. I also chose the eggplant with spinach and parmesan which was a warm, melt-in-your-mouth, cheesy gooeyness. Yum! The lamb shoulder is my favourite of the proteins I’ve tried. Soft, succulent and I really should have ordered two serves of it. In comparison, the pork was still a bit tough and dense, but had a good edge of crackling on it. I’m yet to try the chicken or sausages, so must order that next time. I loved that I was asked whether I wanted some gravy on the side (of course I wasn’t going to say no).
Terra also have a breakfast menu and I went in to try out The Avo ($15) of crushed edamame beans, bocconcini, and pickled green tomatoes on sourdough. It came out fully loaded. The crushed edamame beans had been turned into a paste spread thickly on the sourdough. The pickled tomatoes were a nice touch providing a sharp contrast to the other more mellow flavours. It was an enjoyable light breakfast and not too filling.
I loved that my soy mocha came in a large mug, wasn’t too sweet with a nice balance of chocolate and coffee.
Service has always been pleasant and it seems to be a quick set up as you move along the counter, Subway eat fresh style, before paying for the meal and adding on drinks (there are freshly squeezed juices), other items from the regular menu, or the various pastries available.
We found the canteen-style set up refreshing. There are so many combinations you could try and the vegetables and proteins are changed up each week. It will be very nice during the warmer months when the outdoor tables will be used.
Terra
No Name Lane, 40 Marcus Clarke Street
New Acton, Canberra
Opening hours:
Mon – Fri: 7.30am – 4.00pm
Sat: 8.00am – 4.00pm
Foodgasm 8.5/10
Value for money 8/10
Service 8.5/10
FPJ score 25/30
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