Carrot tartare. That’s one of the dishes you’ll find on executive chef Shayne Mansfield’s exciting new menu at Jana, QT Newcastle’s signature restaurant. Though don’t be put off but the name – this isn’t just carrots chopped up on a plate. Here, Mansfield uses every single part of the carrot – he pickles, roasts and dehydrates them, stems and all – and it results in a knockout waste-free dish that’ll have you asking: steak what?
It’s an exciting time for Jana – Mansfield took the reins as executive chef of the restaurant, as well as QT’s other food offerings, from last week. If you think his name is familiar, you’d be right. Mansfield was mentored by Michelen-starred chef Paul Walsh, and most recently worked as the head chef of nearby Flotilla, where he took the Newcastle restaurant to new heights, with a slew of accolades that put the coastal town firmly on all foodies' hit-lists.
Don’t come expecting a Flotilla experience at Jana, though. Instead, Mansfield wants to offer an approachable and perhaps more relaxed experience. “I want it to be a fun dining experience at Jana. If you drop a fork, I'll throw a spoon, that kinda thing. I want everyone to have a great time.”
Just like the carrot tartare, sustainability and nostalgia is at the heart of Mansfielfd’s cooking. His menu reads like a celebration of the local area and its produce, which it very much is. Hawkesbury chicken is served alongside chicken fat confit cabbage and a grape and mustard sauce; local barramundi is coated in buttermilk and fried, served with a chilli tamarind and spiced peanuts; and a dish of Marga lamb comes with braised eggplant, carrot butter, lamb sauce and seasonal pickled vegetables. Mansfield tells us he uses his Nana’s pickling recipe, which features around 80 herbs and spices, for the veg.
“When my nana passed away she left me her cookbook with all her recipes, which I love to use and take inspiration from,” Mansfield says.
While the food may have changed, everything you loved about the OG Jana is still very much the same, from the warm waitstaff to QT’s signature whimsical styling. You can still head upstairs to QT’s banging rooftop bar for a nightcap (or go before and catch the flaming sunset). Staying the night? Stroll on up to your dreamy room after dinner.
Back to the restaurant, where a gigantic full and luminous moon hangs over one of the tables. A waitress tells us the moon is to signify new beginnings here in Newy. And with Mansfield now on the tools, we can’t think of a better way to start a new chapter. Our thoughts? Add Jana to your hit-list.
