Forget the cold winter wind, the brand new QT Newcastle hotel on Hunter Street with a smartly-designed new frame under the exterior skeleton of the former David Jones building is about to heat up the local hospitality market when it opens on Thursday.
The QT's Rooftop bar, open to the public seven nights a week from 4pm until late, is going to be a hot ticket.
There are no bookings, it is walk-ins only.
"I guess the best thing about the Rooftop, it's so different to ground floor," QT Newcastle general manager Michael Stamboulidis said.
"I've worked in a lot of bars in my time, you can take a photo but you can't even do justice with a photo, you have to experience it.
"To me, looking out to Stockton all the way to Port Stephens, and out over the harbour, you are getting exactly what the hotel was built on, the hotel narrative, that old and new."
The Rooftop menu with a distinct Japanese touch will include the likes of caviar, oysters, salmon sashimi; kingfish tartare bun with horseradish and miso, fish taco with spicy mayo, avocado and yuzu; octopus with zucchini and octopus mayo; beetroot with vinegar, smoked shoyu and sesame seed; shoestring fries with yuzu mayo and togarashi, yakitori chicken and miso eggplant robata skewers.
"The Rooftop is Japanese-inspired," Stamboulidis said. "Think chicken katso, gyoza, sashimi. It's a really different offer at the Rooftop."
The Rooftop will feature a range of Japanese whiskies and world gins. Among the gins, you will find a selection from Earp Distillery in Carrington, about as home-grown as you can get.
Among the beers in stock, there is Cerveza from Modus at Merewether, on tap (as well as Balter XPA, Asahi, and Four Pines Pacific Ale); and tins from Newcastle breweries Shout (Keep Newy Weird IPA), Grainfed (IPA and Porter), and Foghorn (Stout) as well as Tilse's Apple Truck Cider (as well Grifter Lager and Pale Ale, Recreation Easy Ale, Yulli's Rice Lager, and Yebisu from Japan).
They also stock Heaps Normal Quiet XPA, a zero alcohol beer.
The wine list at the Rooftop is a teaser, with a more extensive list for Jana restaurant on the ground floor.
Local wines on the Rooftop menu (by the glass or bottle) include Usher Tinkler's prosecco and Death by Semillon, Tyrrell's semillon, De Iuliis pecorino, Vinden Estate Blanc Blend, Mercer d'Avola and shiraz nouveau (chilled).
Jana restaurant
The hotel's flagship restaurant, Jana, on the ground floor, will trade Tuesday through Saturday nights, and offer lunch on Thursdays and Fridays.
The hotel's ground floor cafe, Scott's, will trade seven days a week for breakfast and lunch. It is open to the public as well as hotel guests.
Breakfast for guests will be ala carte, as is done at QT's hotels in Sydney and Melbourne. One of main reasons, according to Stamboulidis, is that it's more personal, keeping with the QT way of doing things.
Stamboulidis is already singing the praises of the hotel's executive chef, Massimo Speroni.
"There's a lot of preparation to every dish that is coming through," Stamboulidis said. "It's not just an au jus, he has a master stock brewing for three days beforehand, to get this beautiful silky au jus on the plate. And it's just so much thought going behind it.
"We actually had a dry run on Friday night, at Jana. I've worked at food and beverage my whole life... I'm very, very, very impressed with what was put up on the plate.
"Newcastle hasn't seen this style of cooking. It's pared back, it's still bar and grill, it's very approachable.
"And that's the way we want to position ourselves. We want to be really approachable. We don't want to go down that fine dining route."
All steaks on the menu come from NSW producers.
There is 2GR fullblood Tri Top wagyu on the menu, and lamb from Pukara Estate in the Hunter Valley.
Other local treats pop up here and there, like Lemon Mousse on the dessert menu, featuring Earp lemoncello as a main ingredient. Baked Uprising sourdough is one of the starters.
The stunning wine list includes an extensive range of Tyrrell's best aged wines (semillon, chardonnay, shiraz), and five vintages of Mount Pleasant Maurice O'Shea reds.
There is a huge selection of vintages from around the world across several varieties.
"Our beverage director Chris Morrison, has done a fantastic job with the beverage list," Stamboulidis said. "And that was exactly the goal. We said we want to have a really diverse broad range and we want to keep as much local as possible, leaning into the Hunter."
Both the Rooftop bar and Jana are available for private hire. The Rooftop is licensed to serve 100, and is available for functions and weddings.
