Sometimes referred to as the “Oscars of the Australian food world”, the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards has come around again to sort through the country’s stellar dining scene and celebrate excellence across several different categories. Being the country’s only national restaurant awards based on independent reviews, the awards serve as an authoritative guide to the best of the best, which were named at a ceremony last night held at Sydney’s Long Chim, a strong new opening from homecoming hero David Thompson.
Top prize was the number one restaurant in Australia, an award which this year went to Sydney’s Momofuku Seiobo, a dining experience which dips into fine-dining Barbadian food designed by Barbados-born chef Paul Carmichael. “This is real for me but it’s not about me – this kind of food needs a voice,” said Carmichael. “And we’re just getting started.”
The peer-voted Chef of the Year award went to Attica’s stalwart Ben Shewry, the country’s top regional restaurant was named as Igni, a new Geelong venue from Aaron Turner, and the nation’s top bar turned out to be the charming Pink Moon Saloon in Adelaide.
Perhaps one of the biggest winners of the night was Sydney’s much talked about Restaurant Hubert, that luscious old world French restaurant located in the CBD. The venue picked up New Restaurant of the Year and Wine List of the Year, while a few suburbs away Dan Sharp of Sixpenny became the current Sommelier of the Year.
“The real winners here are Australian diners,” said Pat Nourse. “Australia punches well above its weight internationally with the quality of its food and wine.”
Details of the winners are in the September issue of Gourmet Traveller, on newsstands with the new edition of the Gourmet Traveller Australian Restaurant Guide, presented in association with Vittoria Coffee, and supporting sponsors Ilve, Petuna and Alessi, on Thursday 18 August. The full list of winners follows.
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
Momofuku Seiobo, Sydney
CHEF OF THE YEAR
Ben Shewry – Attica, Melbourne
NEW RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
Restaurant Hubert, Sydney
BEST NEW TALENT
Thi Le – Anchovy, Melbourne
REGIONAL RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
Igni, Geelong
BAR OF THE YEAR
Pink Moon Saloon, Adelaide
MAITRE D’ OF THE YEAR
Andrew Joy – Marion, Melbourne
WINE LIST OF THE YEAR
Restaurant Hubert, Sydney
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO HOSPITALITY
Bruce Pascoe, Indigenous author and educator
SOMMELIER OF THE YEAR
Dan Sharp – Sixpenny, Sydney
Headline Image: Monofuku Seiobo.
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