Pneuma

Pneuma, a term referring to the creative spirit of a person, is the name of a song by Tool. It’s also the name of a new restaurant by two of Brisbane’s best chefs and avid Tool fans: Dan Arnold (Restaurant Dan Arnold and La Cache a Vin) and Matt Blackwell (ex-Goma Restaurant).

Taking over the George Street space previously home to Greenglass, Pneuma will run as a pop-up until Arnold and Blackwell undertake more substantial renovations in 2024. Bespoke flower arrangements by Lyndall Bass and handmade ceramics from Tracy Murray are an elegant touch until then.

Enter through a nondescript door on George Street and ascend a flight of blacker-than-black stairs. At the top, turn right and walk past the kitchen and private area until you hit the main dining space, reminiscent of a New York loft with high ceilings, open glass windows and timber floorboards.

Arnold will continue to run his other two restaurants and cast a close eye over Pneuma, while Blackwell is running the pass. The menu includes snacks and small plates, such as smoked eel cream with black apple and crispy potato; malt tart with cheddar custard and Jerusalem artichoke; and corned ox tongue with tomato kasundi. Mains could be roasted monkfish tail with smoked onion and mussel beurre blanc.

For drinks, Australian and French wines feature heavily. For those who want to splurge, there’s a reserve list with rare drops from producers like Rockford, Joh Jos Prüm and Jules Desjourneys.