The Age Good Food Guide Awards 2010

[Shinboners]

Congratulations to Jacques Reymond for winning Restaurant of the Year. It's a Melbourne institution.

Also, massive applause to Andrew McConnell for winning chef of the year and best new restaurant. I remember first eating his food back in his days of Diningroom 211. I honestly believe that if we worked in Europe or the United States, he'd be regarded as a cooking superstar. Unless something extraordinary happens, I reckon Cutler And Co. will win restaurant of the year next year and pick up 3 chefs hats.

Funnily enough, the winner of the Young Chef Of The Year, Nicolas Poelaert, has his restaurant (Embrasse) on the site of McConnell's previous restaurant.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/08/...1570661254.html

Restaurant of the Year: Jacques Reymond

Chef of the Year: Andrew McConnell, Cumulus Inc and Cutler & Co

The Age Young Chef of the Year: Nicolas Poelaert, Embrasse

Best New Restaurant: Cutler & Co

Country Restaurant of the Year: Merrijig (Port Fairy)

Best New Country Restaurant: Provenance (Beechworth)

Donlevy Fitzpatrick Award: MoVida Next Door

Wine List of the Year: Taxi Dining Room

Country Wine List of the Year: Royal Main Hotel (Dunkeld)

Best Short Wine List: Gills Diner

Wine Service Award: Lincoln Riley, Taxi Dining Room

Service Excellence Award: Chris Young, Jacques Reymond

Professional Excellence Award: Maurice Terzini, Arnaldo Terzini

Dish of the Year: Veiled quail at MoMo

Three-Hat Restaurants: Jacques Reymond, Vue de Monde

[Shinboners]

3 hats: Jacques Reymond, Vue de Monde

2 hats: Attica, Cafe di Stasio, Circa The Prince, Cutler and Co.,, Donovans, Ezards, Flower Drum, Grossi Florentino, Matteo's, MoMo, MoVida, Pearl, The Press Club, Rockpool Bar And Grill, Taxi Dining Room, and Verge.

I won't go through the one hat places.

A few question marks for me. I thought Libertine was very unlucky to not get a chefs hat and I'm astonished that Oyster Little Bourke lost their hat. There's more than a few people I know who have questioned how Verge got 2 hats, let alone any. I reckon Cutler And Co. must have been stupidly close to getting 3 hats (I'm not sure if any restaurant has received 3 hats in their first year....Ondine maybe?).

I'm not surprised that The European lost a hat. It's interesting that Coda and MoMo have both received hats, even though neither have been open for more than six months. Maybe their food is very good (I haven't eaten at either), but I suspect that the reputations of the chefs got them over the line.

[jkim]

Can you post the 1 hats? Also agree with your sentiments re: verge. Wasn't impressed with them.

[Shinboners]

For those who are interested, here are the country restaurants that got 2 chefs hats. Lake House (Daylesford), Merrjig Inn (Port Fairy), Royal Mail Hotel (Dunkeld), Simone's Restaurant (Bright), and Stefano's (Mildura).

Merrjig Inn won the country restaurant of the year.

Can you post the 1 hats?

←

About 40 restaurants got 1 chefs hat, so the answer is no.

But you're in Melbourne, so just get a copy of last Tuesday's Epicure or buy the Good Food Guide.

[Jontysc]

Does anyone know how close The Graham was to getting a hat back? I really enjoy the food there!

[Shinboners]

Does anyone know how close The Graham was to getting a hat back? I really enjoy the food there!

They got 14.5/20, so they were just 0.5 short of getting a hat.

Just flicking through the Guide, there were plenty of restaurants that got 14.5/20. I haven't counted them, but it wouldn't surprise me if it numbered over 50.