The QT Newcastle doesn’t have revolving doors, but the kitchen might as well. The restaurant has cycled through four executive chefs in its three-and-a-half year run, the latest being Carmine Mari, formerly of Jana’s sister venue Pascale Bar & Grill in Melbourne.

Mari’s debut menu goes big on Italian flavour, with the breakout star being a mortadella lasagne: a tidy, stratified slab of pasta sheets and cured meat, baked first, then pan-fried to crisp up the edges. The cotoletta is another crowd-pleaser: the Frenched and breaded pork cutlet is brined with Mediterranean herbs so the seasoning runs right through.

For dessert, a flaming rum baba delivers the kind of theatrics you’d expect from this quirky, design-forward hotel. The cake is on the heavier side, but it’s swiftly rescued by spoonfuls of soft cream, not-too-sweet berries and toffee-nut crunch. Mari has already settled in. Here’s hoping he stays put.

Good to know: Weekly specials like bottomless steak frites on Mondays and Pasta Thursdays give locals a reason to swing by too.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.