Food Bites: exciting new high tea with a yummy QT twist

The pairing of Jana Restaurant & Bar executive chef Shayne Mansfield and Cakeboi's Reece Hignell by QT Newcastle was a smart move. While Hignell has made a name for himself based on his love of traditional, home-style baking, Mansfield is known for his avant-garde approach to sustainable cooking and seasonal ingredients.

Their unique high tea offering - QTea - is a balance of both.

You won't find a dainty tower of floral plates at QTea. Instead, the tier is black, modular and industrial looking. You will find tea, courtesy of Newcastle's The Tea Collective, served from a funky black, white and gold tea set, and a salmon sandwich, but the bread is charcoal black.

It's a high tea, but different. Deliciously so.

On the savoury menu is carrot tartare with romesco and sorrel oil; charcoal bread with smoked salmon, celeriac and roe; pork rillet with tarragon micro sponge; duck leg croquette with duck egg emulsion and shiitake marmalade; and merguez sausage pie with Mansfield's famous "Nan's Ketchup".

The carrot had a smokey depth and the pork was flavour defined but my pick (from a strong field) was the duck leg croquette.

And the sweeter side? Think square scones with chantilly and roasted strawberry jam; Battenberg cake (smoked vanilla and dark chocolate); layered Urban Hum honey cake; and strawberry Victoria sponge cake. In addition to a plated offering, a trolley does the rounds of Jana Restaurant from which staff serve cakes and other goodies by the slice.

Hignell did tell me the secret to his other-worldly strawberry jam but it will remain just that, a secret.

The Tea Collective also contributed to the stunning cocktail which greeted me on arrival: the QT Iced Tea with Ketel One Vodka, The Tea Collective's Fruits of the Forest blend, lemon and sugar.

Sophisticated but fun, you won't forget QTea x Cakeboi in a hurry. And, as always, the service at Jana continues to set the standard.

The annual Thomas Wines Shiraz Release dinner series - Thommo's Table - kicks off at Humbug Newcastle on May 1 before hitting the road. Tickets to this dinner have sold out but you can celebrate the official launch of Thommo's new-release shiraz at his cellar door on Saturday, May 18. The launch event is a collaboration with Hungerford Meat Co, who will be slinging burgers that you can wash down with a glass of shiraz (or a sneaky semillon).

The Lucky Hotel is going all out for Anzac Day tomorrow. From 6.30am they'll be serving up bacon and egg rolls, coffee and home-made Anzac biscuits, and you can start tossing coins from 11am. There will be all-day beer jugs, a barbecue, Legacy donation bins, and $1 from every VB schooner will be donated to Legacy.

Lisa McGuigan is hosting a lavish medieval-inspired feast at Vamp in Pokolbin on Saturday, August 3. Now in its third year, the event is McGuigan's Gothic take on the traditional banquet and promises to be the best yet. Jonathan Heath from Well-Seasoned Catering is cooking up a three-course feast that will be paired with wines personally selected by McGuigan from her latest collection, and there will be "mythical and magical entertainment". Tickets are $300 per person at lisamcguiganwines.com.

Alessandra Papazzo, the delightful (and very talented) chef behind Neapolitan pop-up Osteria Papazzo, is branching out to Mayfield. From 7am on Sunday, May 5, you can find her at Side Pocket Espresso serving coffee and a selection of her handcrafted organic breads, spreads, cakes, cinnamon rolls, frittatas and focaccia. Walk-ins welcome, bookings required for groups of four or more. This is in addition her dinner pop-ups at Talulah, The Junction, on Friday nights. She also makes organic breads, foccacia and other goodies to order (osteriapapazzo.com).

Vera Wine Forum's 2024 CRUSHED event on a rainy Saturday was a success, with "close to 200 people through the door", said Vera Wine co-owner Josh Distefano.

"It was amazing. The 'by the glass' list of semillons going back to 1983 including Tyrrell's Vat 1's from 2000, 2003 and 2007 alongside Lakes Folly cabernets from 2002, 2009 and 2011 all sold out as well!"

Guests were given the opportunity to try 60 different wines from 20 of Josh and wife Florence's favourite local producers, and access Vera Rare Bar where old and rare wines were available by the glass. Harrison's Food & Wine served some snacks, Good Folk Brewing provided the tins, and DJ Peregrine from Rudderless Records was responsible for the soundtrack.

Hunter Culinary Association's 2024 Food Fight at Rydges Resort Hunter Valley has a new date: Tuesday, June 25.

Garry Risteski, owner of Blanca Honeysuckle, The Kingfish Honeysuckle and The Swordfish Co at Budegwoi, is hopeful The Swordfish Co Warners Bay will open by the end of the May. It will be located at the former Ground Control Chippery on the Esplanade.

Cold Rock Ice Creamery has this week released Garfield-themed goodies to celebrate the cinema release of Columbia Pictures/Alcon Entertainment's The Garfield Movie on May 30 - a layered ice-cream lasagne and a cheesecake flavoured ice-cream.

TINTA Belmont is celebrating World Whisky Day on May 17 with a special seven-course dinner paired with Diageo Australia's Special Release range. Tickets are on sale now.

Speaking of whisky, Newcastle's The Grand Hotel is hosting a whisky masterclass on May 22 featuring the Bruichladdich Octomore 14 range. Each ticket gets you six premium tastings matched with canapes, plus a bottle of The Classic Laddie to take home.