QT Melbourne has just opened, and my oh my she’s pretty as a picture. The well-loved Australian hotel brand arrived on the scene in the Gold Coast in 2011, since expanding in locations and popularity. Melbourne is the sixth member to join the exciting designer hotel family, with plans to expand across the ditch to New Zealand. QT in Melbourne isn’t just about a theatrical, designer experience, it also boasts four foodie fit outs and you can rest assured (in a super slick hotel bed) that you’re in a for one heck of a good time.
The swish modern hotel caters for any craving. If it’s sweet, left of the lobby is The Cake Shop, with delightful éclairs, cakes and tarts galore and a quirky and cute design inspired by Marie Antoinette.
Carrying on the royalty trend, head upstairs if you fancy a feast fit for a king. Pascale Bar and Grill is a romantically lit and luxuriously appointed restaurant that looks across to the bar and an enormous open kitchen. The Tomahawk steak may just kill your ability to ever be impressed by a steak again. Simply put, it’s succulent and divine.
If you’re after something a tad more casual, but still ready for a bit of fun, laneway bar Hot Sauce boasts an exciting fusion menu of Japanese and Korean style street food. Open till 2am, the idea is you can get a bite to eat and some top-notch cocktails, any time the craving hits! Sip on a Shinsen Martini (with West Wind Sabre gin, Sake One Junmai, nashi pear and rosemary infused elderflower, orange bitters and coriander leaf) while you bop away to 90’s hip hop music, and get your fingers dirty with bao, gyoza and oysters. A unique menu item is the ripper dish-cum-drink: ‘Special cup of caramel fried chicken ’n’ chilli with black sesame’, with straws that reach a bottom partition of Japanese whisky and a specially made Capi smoked cola—totally wicked and ridiculously fun to eat with friends.
The Rooftop Bar on the eleventh floor has only just opened, creating a sophisticated setting for Melbourne summer sips. We’re excited about locally themed cocktails, such as the Yarra Valley Sour, which includes Four Pillars Gin, fresh lemon, orange blossom, Orgeat, egg white, pinot noir and edible flowers. Bar bites will be available, too, such as Scotch quail eggs wrapped in wagyu beef, mortadella and sesame sticky black sauce, or polenta crumbed onion rings with squid ink mayo.
The menus have been designed by QT’s Creative Director and previous Sydney restauranteur; Robert Marchetti (North Bondi Italian and Icebergs), in collaboration with Executive Chef Paul Easson.
Following the concept used in Sydney, a rooftop hive and garden is due to set up in Melbourne, and diners can expect divine produce delivered, selected by a designated QT forager. Not just a beautiful hotel, the QT brand takes food and produce seriously, which makes is the perfect addition to the Melbourne restaurant scene.