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Just Open: Pascale Bar & Grill, QT Hotel, Melbourne

Nola James

The fashion-inspired bar at the QT Melbourne hotel.
The fashion-inspired bar at the QT Melbourne hotel.Wayne Taylor

Melbourne got a lush new hotel last week and with it comes a fashion-inspired bar, a leather-accented grill restaurant, a late night Korean snack bar and a knife shop.

Not bad for a venue that's primary purpose is somewhere for the well-heeled to crash – what was once the ageing Greater Union cinema is now QT Melbourne, the seventh QT hotel for the group and their second Victorian offering (there's a QT resort in Falls Creek).

No need to get a room. Sashay up the blue carpeted staircase (past the stuffed peacock) for flagship restaurant Pascale Bar & Grill, a mod-Euro offering under the stewardship of executive chef Paul Easson (late of QT Sydney's Gowings Bar & Grill, Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne).

Pretzel-crumbed whiting.
Pretzel-crumbed whiting.Wayne Taylor
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It's a spacious dining room of 120 leather seats facing an open kitchen with all-day a la carte dining (no buffet breakfast) that comes into its own as night falls: fried chicken marinated in camel's milk (we're intrigued), a beef pie in bone marrow sauce and a gratin of mini cauliflowers with "swiss truffle fondue" that costs $28.

The adjoining bar has a quirky French vibe – have a peek at the naughty wallpaper – think Alexander Wang-inspired studded furniture and walls lined with a mash-up of op-shop plates and designer garb (LaCroix, sweetie). It's a place to see and be seen.

To round out the offering there's a cake and cocktail shop in the ground floor lobby (sweets are made in-house in a custom pastry cube) and off a side alleyway is Australia's first retail outlet for sword-like Japanese Tanto knives and Hot Sauce Laneway Bar: a Korean/Japanese themed snack bar pouring Asahi Black to the sounds of K-pop until 2am.

Pascale Bar and Grill is open Mon-Fri 6.30am-11am, noon-2.30pm, 6pm-11pm; Sat-Sun 6.30am-11am, 6pm-11pm.

133 Russell Street, Melbourne, 03 8636 8814, qthotelsandresorts.com/melbourne/eat-drink

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