“Are you excited?” asked the hostess as she escorted us to a table at Nineteen at the Star, the Gold Coast’s new glamazon restaurant.

Well, we were feeling something of a frisson after having driven from Brisbane to Broadbeach without any delay whatsoever for the first time in many years; maybe much of the population was still absent after fleeing the Commonwealth Games?

But she wasn’t referring to our stunning progress on the M1, rather the buzz around the restaurant atop the Star casino’s new luxury hotel, The Darling, which opened just before the Games.

Everyone from Usain Bolt to the Australian swim team seemed to have been photographed inside or on the terrace, with its views across the infinity pool to the ocean and down the coast.

The interior is a blue-green toned confection of plush velvet banquettes, marble walls, a massive chandelier and swirling patterned carpets.

Nineteen’s repertoire of luxury ingredients (caviar, foie gras), premium produce and a list of more than 2000 wines – including multiple vintages of Grange and a 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild for $15,000 – mark this out as a high roller comfort zone.

However, the list is surprisingly accessible, with options from $45 a bottle.

The menu began with oysters, beautiful Pacifics from St Helens in Tasmania (six for $30), served with a mignonette finished at the table with Ruinart Champagne.

Barbecued marron, mushroom risotto and baked mussels with mussel broth were entree options, but we shared what has apparently quickly become a signature dish, the rock lobster bolognese ($44).

It was a stunning combo of silky, handmade pasta with a hint of saffron, coated with an elegant, deeply flavoured ragout (the lobster shells are smoked and used in the recipe) that enhances the flavour of the small chunks of lobster meat. It was a standout.

The waiter encouraged us to mop up any vestiges of ragout with the complimentary “damper”, which was also terrific and served with house-made butter and smoked ricotta.

Nine main courses included four varieties of fish from everywhere except the Gold Coast.

There was grilled Murray cod, steamed coral trout from north Queensland, King George whiting from South Australia ($50) and Patagonian toothfish from Heard Island (between Madagascar and Antarctica).

Three steaks included a 200g grass-fed fillet ($56) and a 400g premium “Kiwami” Darling Downs highly marbled dry-aged wagyu sirloin for two ($240).

The toothfish was lusciously flavoured by burnt miso and served nestled in the curve of a grilled kale leaf, and a 300g rare slow roast prime rib ($58) was lightly charred and succulent and came with mustard and fresh horseradish and freshly ground salt and pepper arranged on a wooden board. Vegetables were not included, with sides $12-14.

Spiced cake with pineapple and milk sorbet ($16) with a touch of basil was a quite small but elegant dessert, better than the coconut and white chocolate ($16), which had what seemed to be a frozen creme anglaise base and was fine but a little underwhelming.