The Oscars of the open mouth, the Nobel Prize of noble provisions, the Emmys of eating: the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards are upon us.
Here’s the shortlist of nominees for our GT restaurant awards, which will be announced as part of the launch of our new restaurant guide next month – along with the naming of the big one: Restaurant of the Year.
Words Max Allen, Fiona Donnelly, Sue Dyson & Roger McShane, Michael Harden, Pat Nourse, Max Veenhuyzen
Photography Julian Kingma, William Meppem, Frances Andrijich, Chris Chen, James Geer, Jason Loucas
NEW RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
NEW RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
MoVida Sydney, NSW
How could it possibly work? MoVida is Melbourne; Melbourne is MoVida. Or at least so the thinking went. And then Frank Camorra, Andy McMahon and a host of the family’s other top guns moved north for several months to prove that, yes, indeed, it’s a moveable feast. Worse, the restaurant’s success prompted the unthinkable: could the Sydney restaurant be… better?
NEW RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
NEW RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
Mr Wong, Sydney, NSW
New? Technically, yes – Mr Wong opened just as the last edition of our restaurant guide hit the stands. Since then, talk of the dollars spent in its construction (something in the realm of $4 million) has been eclipsed by talk of how brilliant the Merivale take on Cantonese cooking is, how much danger lies in the quality of the wine list and – crucially – how to nab a table.
NEW RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
NEW RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
Rosetta, Melbourne, Vic
A dramatic, exuberant, theatrical fantasy of an Italian restaurant stacked with Murano glass, and swathes of marble and timber panelling, Neil Perry’s Rosetta embraces the classic tropes of Italian restaurant design with aplomb and humour. But it’s the food – an extensive pan-Italian list of wood-roasted meat and seafood, pasta, cheese and brilliant desserts, all stamped with Perry’s trademark ingredient fanaticism – that grounds the dream in reality.
REGIONAL RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
REGIONAL RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
The Fish House, Burleigh Heads, Qld
Look after the locals and the tourists will fall in love too. Simon Gloftis’s breezy fish restaurant is a poster-child for the Gold Coast version 2.0. Forget the fast buck; quality comes first, as does a focus on the little things that count. White-napped tables offer ocean views to Surfers Paradise, but the ethos here is pure Mediterranean.
REGIONAL RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
REGIONAL RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
Provenance, Beechworth, Vic
There’s a great sense of balance at Provenance. Owner-chef Michael Ryan’s thoughtful, expert cooking successfully rakes in influences from Japan, the Mediterranean and France, of course, but it’s more about the experience of eating in the grand old bank building as a whole. A superb, beautifully focused wine list, efficient service and attention to detail in everything from glassware to napkins all come together to create one of Australia’s true regional dining gems.
REGIONAL RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
REGIONAL RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
The Stackings, Woodbridge, Tas
It’s almost as far south as it’s possible to be in Australia, but that’s no barrier for fans of David Moyle’s cooking. On any day, there’s a good chance most diners at The Stackings will be from interstate, keen to see what this former Andrew McConnell right-hand man is up to. The dishes that make up Moyle’s set menus appear delicate and pretty, yet paradoxically deliver strong and authentic flavours without any artifice. Factor in the restaurant’s killer view across D’Entrecasteaux Channel to Bruny Island and it makes for true destination dining.
Wine List of the Year
Wine List of the Year
Monopole, Sydney, NSW
If you wanted to choose one wine list that encapsulates everything that’s exciting Australian wine-lovers right now – especially those of us at the hard-core, obsessive end of the spectrum – Monopole’s would surely be it. Tiny natural winegrowers from all over the world? Tick. Classic Australian single-vineyard wines? Tick. Grower Champagnes? Top-shelf sake? Rare back-vintages? Obscure grape varieties? Tick, tick, tick and tick. And on it goes, for page after mouth-watering page.
Wine List of the Year
Wine List of the Year
Print Hall, Perth, WA
The owners of Print Hall have blessed Perth wine-lovers by luring sommelier Daniel Wegener away from Quay in Sydney: the 103-page list that Wegener has put together here is simply outstanding in its global scope, amazing depth and confident character. The list at The Apple Daily, the venue’s more casual “eating house”, is also excellent – and completely different: everything on it is Western Australian (apart from the sake, of course) and it’s refreshingly cheeky and fun.
Wine List of the Year
Wine List of the Year
Tonka, Melbourne, Vic
With this gorgeous list, sommelier Travis Howe makes his mark as one of Australia’s master spice-matchers. At sister restaurant Coda, Howe showed considerable flair offering a wide array of wines perfectly attuned with chef Adam D’Sylva’s at-times feisty Vietnamese flavours. Now, for the Indian-accented food at Tonka, Howe presents a terrific selection of wines from around the world – wines big on fragrance, liveliness and texture. It’s not a huge list, but it’s exceptionally well balanced.
Sommelier of the Year
Sommelier of the Year
Campbell Burton, Moon Under Water, Melbourne, Vic
Burton’s friendly, unflappable presence was a good fit with the often-frenetic City Wine Shop, but since taking on the sommelier role at Andrew McConnell’s pub, the Builders Arms, he’s proved that he’s as good at constructing interesting, trend-conscious wine lists as he is at talking about wine without the wank. A fan of the orange, the boutique and the decently priced, he’s as adept at pleasing the buffs as those who just want a house white in the bar.
Sommelier of the Year
Sommelier of the Year
Mark Protheroe, Grossi Florentino, Melbourne, Vic
Mark Protheroe is impressive just overseeing the wine lists at the Grossi family’s diverse range of businesses. From the three-tiered Florentino headquarters to Mirka, Merchant and the fun-lovin’ Ombra, he demonstrates a broad yet precise palate with a flair for the Italian. But what’s really impressive is that he’s also a constant presence on the floor where his wit and phenomenal knowledge combine to make him one of our best.
Sommelier of the Year
Sommelier of the Year
Jeremy Prus, Lalla Rookh, Perth, WA
He was good at Clarences. He was great at one-time GT Wine List of the Year winner Balthazar. But it’s at Lalla Rookh Wine Store where Jeremy Prus is doing his best work. Cosy and festooned with vinous riches, this intimate CBD favourite makes the perfect place to engage with Prus’s boutique, regional wine gospel. Whether he’s pouring orange vino from Italy or sharing his latest West Australian discovery, your drinking is in safe (and talented) hands.
BEST NEW TALENT
BEST NEW TALENT
Daniel Pepperell, 10 William Street, Sydney, NSW
No, not Daniele, nor Pepperello. And yet no one has done more and better things for the modern-Italian cause in 2013 than this smart young chef. He counts Momofuku and Attica among his previous ports of call, but the influence of those restaurants is felt relatively subtly in his work at 10 William Street, filtered through a sensibility attuned to the essential focus and elegance of good Italian eating. One to watch, and then some.
BEST NEW TALENT
BEST NEW TALENT
Sam Ward, El Público, Perth, WA
Like many of us, Sam Ward’s introduction to Mexican food was salsa in a jar. But it’s his story beyond the corn chips where things really get interesting, especially the part where he cooks and eats his way through Mexico – including stints with Pujol’s Enrique Olvera and Mexican food maven Diana Kennedy – all in the name of unearthing real-deal flavours. Given the perpetual hum at Mt Lawley hotspot El Público, we think he’s on the right path.
BEST NEW TALENT
BEST NEW TALENT
Ben Williamson, Gerard’s Bistro, Brisbane, Qld
Overnight success doesn’t happen in hospitality. West Australian-born Williamson, has paid dues on both our coasts, and also clocked a stint in Bahrain, something that’s paid dividends at Gerard’s. His border-pushing take on Med-Middle Eastern-North African food has been scoring plaudits since day one.
Maître D’ of the Year
Maître D’ of the Year
Andrew Buchanan and Drew Patten, Urbane Group, Brisbane, Qld
Finding one maître d’ as cordial and capable as either Andrew Buchanan or Drew Patten is rare. A double-act of their calibre beneath one roof – Buchanan manages front-of-house at The Euro bistro, while Patten oversees the floor at fine-diner Urbane – is exceptional. Skilled, stylish hosts, this duo also share roles as co-owners, both with the same meticulous attention to detail and savvy approach when
it comes to keeping diners content.
Maître D’ of the Year
Maître D’ of the Year
Flavio Carnevale and Fabio Dore, Popolo, Sydney, NSW
In some ways, Sydney and Melbourne diners have been taught to believe that strafottente service is the norm to expect in smarter Italian restaurants, that even the most basic compliance from a waiter ought to be seasoned with a dash of attitude. Popolo’s co-owners prove that it ain’t necessarily so, winning over their regulars instead with a mixture of friendliness and expertise. Hey, it might just catch on.
Maître D’ of the Year
Maître D’ of the Year
Clayton Hiskins, Ten Minutes by Tractor, Main Ridge, Vic
It has been heartening to witness the rise and rise of Ten Minutes by Tractor, a study in a restaurant honing its strengths. The trajectory has been apparent since the arrival of Clayton Hiskins in 2007. He’s been integral, along with the impressive kitchen team, in taking the dining room from cellar-door afterthought to the best place to eat on the Mornington Peninsula. He has imbued the casually sophisticated dining room with a real sense of place, assembling a crack team of waiters and creating a calm and thoroughly welcoming vibe.
Bar of the Year
Bar of the Year
Alfred & Constance, Brisbane, Qld
The brainchild of Damian Griffiths, this anarchic hub is housed in a pair of quirkily decorated repurposed timber homes. At its core is The Vanguard Beer Garden where a Josper grill and Alan Scott-designed oven combine to produce bar-raising eats. Up top there’s a troppo tiki bar complete with a drinking wheel-of-fortune; downstairs the black-tiled Air Raid Shelter. And keeping it all on track? Award-winning bartender, Perryn Collier. Quintessentially Queensland.
Bar of the Year
Bar of the Year
Bulletin Place, Sydney, NSW
With the bartending equivalent of the Harlem Globetrotters (replete with whistling) behind the stick, there was a danger that Bulletin Place might’ve ended up one of those self-serious moustache-waistcoat bars where they’re more interested in telling you about their house-made bitters than hearing what you want to drink. Fortunately, the reality is quite the opposite: Adi Ruiz, Tim Philips and Robb Sloan are so good at their jobs that they can turn out laser-crisp drinks and still have a laugh while they’re doing it.
Bar of the Year
Bar of the Year
Bar Di Stasio, Melbourne, Vic
Ronnie Di Stasio’s passion for hospitality, art and architecture combine seamlessly at his St Kilda bar, a beautifully austere place that’s like nothing else in the country. Timber and marble, distressed walls and scaffolding-like sculpture combine with finely crafted, beautifully presented drinks and excellent bar food to create the feeling that you’re supping in an architectural dig, served by meticulous bartenders in sharp white jackets.
