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SMH Good Food Guide Awards 2008


Sure we'd all love to be a restaurant reviewer, but the hard-working judges from The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide insist it's not all beer and skittles. Apart from enduring expanding waistlines, as a third of this year's entries were from regional NSW, the judges spent more time driving lonely country roads than actually eating. It seems that country towns are no longer just pit stops where one picks up a meat pie and a Fanta before continuing the trip.

Hundreds of restaurants made the cut to be featured in the guide and naming the best of the best is not an enviable job. But these brave souls packed their notebooks and antacids and hit the road, finding the year's most impressive restaurants and industry professionals.

One award not mentioned below goes to a chef who has left the restaurant industry, but has left an extraordinary mark. Michael Manners has been awarded the 'Vittoria legend award' for his 40-year (so far) service to the industry, which included heading up Selkirks in Orange and now running his own charcuterie, Manners and Borg.

1
 
Tetsuya's
Sydney
'Restaurant of the year'

Tetsuya Wakuda works hard to stay at the top of the national - and international - restaurant scene. His complex French/Japanese food and consistently high standards make Tetsuya's an easy choice for restaurant of the year.

2
 
Foveaux Restaurant and Bar
Surry Hills
'Best new restaurant'

Foveaux is a bit off the beaten track (head away from the buzz of Surry Hills towards Central Station), but ex-Banc chef Darrell Felstead saw the potential of this old sandstone warehouse. The subsequent success of his sultry modern European diner - though it may have surprised Crown Street snobs - has made this award well-earned.

3
 
Astral
Pyrmont
'Vittoria chef of the year - Sean Connolly'

Whether you're a gambler or an anti-pokie puritan, there's a damn good reason to go to the casino these days with Astral crowning Star City. Chef Sean Connolly's modern French menu brings an extra dollop of luxury to this most hedonistic of destinations, and his dramatic cuisine has not gone unnoticed.

4
 
Darley's
Katoomba
'Best regional restaurant'

This Lilianfels Resort restaurant has been up against some tough competition, as country NSW continues to offer screeds of amazing eateries that put many of their city cousins to shame. But this Katoomba fine diner sets the bar pretty high and has scooped the award for this year.

5
 
Old George & Dragon Restaurant
East Maitland
'The Sydney Morning Herald award for professional excellence - Ian and Jenny Morphy'

Ian and Jenny Morphy are celebrating 25 years at the coalface of this luxurious, old-fashioned restaurant, and what better anniversary gift than this acknowledgement? Regular traveling gourmands will be crossing their fingers that the Morphys continue to serve their exquisite British cuisine for many years yet.

6
 
Restaurant Balzac
Randwick
'St George service excellence award - Lela Radojkovic'

Though chefs normally get the lion's share of attention (and husband Matthew Kemp is no exception), Lela Radojkovic is the warm and welcoming face of this two-hat restaurant, drawing customers as surely as her husband's modern French cuisine.

7
 
Bilson's
Sydney
'Kemenys sommelier award - Michaela Clayton'

Apparently Michaela Clayton has moved on from Bilson's, but while she was there her ability to 'translate' wine for the uninitiated was impressive. Though her wine list is a massive tome, featuring one unpronounceable French drop after another, the judges were dazzled by her ability to keep it accessible.

8
 
The Bentley Restaurant and Bar
Surry Hills
'Kemenys wine list of the year' and 'the Josephine Pignolet best young chef award - Daniel Hong'

The Bentley nabbed the best new restaurant award last year and the accolades keep coming with these two latest acknowledgements. The best wine list gong is well-deserved, as anyone who has trawled through Nick Hildebrandt's extraordinary (and extraordinarily lengthy) list will attest. Meanwhile, the Josephine Pignolet award is a particularly big leg up for chef Daniel Hong, who receives a flight to Europe and the chance to work in some of the continent's finest restaurants.