Brae was named number one restaurant in Australia at The Australian Financial Review Australia’s Top Restaurants, presented by Qantas, on 19 June. Chef/owner Dan Hunter received further accolades, also taking out the ‘Australia’s Top Chef’ award.
“As a chef, Dan is an intelligent perfectionist, and as a business owner, he’s re-writing the rulebook for regional restaurants across Australia” said Terry Durack, co-director of the awards. “By digging down and being part of the landscape, Brae is carving out a very special place for itself where you can have a uniquely Victorian experience”.
In second place on the list was fellow World’s 50 Best restaurant Attica, with Ester, Sixpenny, Sepia, Franklin, Tipo 00, Embla, Automata and Hubert, rounding out the top 10.
“The new top 100 shows that diversity is the great strength of Australian dining. It makes dining out so much more interesting when every experience is different rather than the same,” said Durack.
The 2017 list also sees more appreciation for regional restaurants across the board, with a total of fourteen restaurants in the top 100 located outside capital cities. Notable among them is the 14-seater Fleet in Brunswick Heads, just north of Byron Bay, where Josh Lewis, Astrid McCormack and Rob Mudge make up Australia’s smallest restaurant service team. Despite having a team of just three – including the chef – Fleet was voted the Qantas Top Service Team by the chefs and restaurateurs of Australia.
“As always, the magic is in the mix, especially in that amazing top ten. With everything from vineyard restaurants to laneway diners, it makes the top 100 a real bucket list in terms of what’s good where, right now,” said Jill Dupleix, co-director and leading food writer.
Notable restaurants new to the top 100 list include Sydney’s new retro-European venue, the Swillhouse Group’s Restaurant Hubert (at number 10), which also took out top newcomer, Josh Niland’s Saint Peter in Paddington (11), Danielle Alvarez’s wood-fired, farm-to-table Fred’s, also in Paddington (23), Bar Liberty in Melbourne’s Fitzroy (49), former Attica chef Peter Gunn’s Ides in Melbourne (59), and from Perth, Jedd Gerrard’s Wildflower (60).
The 2017 Top 100 restaurants were revealed at a Gala Awards ceremony held at The Star Sydney, featuring food from some of its best restaurants, including Balla, Black, Momofuku Seiobo, and Sokyo. Now in its third year, The Australian Financial Review Australia’s Top Restaurants is the only national restaurant awards program of its kind decided by the votes of the chefs and restaurateurs themselves.
The Australian Financial Review Australia’s Top Restaurants was launched in 2015. The overall list of Australia’s top 500 restaurants is first compiled by directors Durack and Dupleix in conjunction with an Australia-wide panel of Good Food Guide editors, reviewers and industry experts. These restaurants form an academy of voters, with each restaurant asked to nominate their top ten restaurants from the list of 500. It’s these votes that decide Australia’s Top 100 Restaurants, as well as Australia’s Top Chef and the Qantas Top Service Team.
Australia’s Top 100 Restaurants for 2017:
1 Brae, Birregurra VIC
2 Attica, VIC
3 Ester, NSW
4 Sixpenny, NSW
5 Sepia, NSW
6 Franklin, TAS
7 Tipo00, VIC
8 Embla, VIC
9 Automata, NSW
10 Restaurant Hubert, NSW
11 Saint Peter, NSW
12 Igni, Geelong, VIC
13 Momofuku Seiobo, NSW
14 Bennelong, NSW
15 Flower Drum, VIC
16 Supernormal. VIC
17 Fleet, Brunswick Heads, NSW
18 Mr Wong, NSW
19 The Bridge Room, NSW
20 Quay, NSW
21 Firedoor, NSW
22 LuMi Bar & Dining, NSW
23 Fred’s, NSW
24 Tetsuya’s, NSW
25 Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, VIC
26 Bentley Restaurant & Bar, NSW
27 Billy Kwong, NSW
28 Cutler & Co, VIC
29 Africola, SA
30 Cumulus Inc., VIC
31 Orana, SA
32 Vue de Monde, VIC
33 Fratelli Paradiso, NSW
34 Biota Dining, Bowral, NSW
35 MoVida, VIC
36 est., NSW
37 The Apollo, NSW
38 Lee Ho Fook, VIC
39 Ormeggio at the Spit, NSW
40 Oscillate Wildly, NSW
41 The Town Mouse, VIC
42 10 William St, NSW
43 Minamishima, VIC
44 Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, NSW
45 France-Soir, VIC
46 ACME, NSW
47 Cafe Di Stasio, VIC
48 Wasabi Restaurant & Bar, Noosa Sound, QLD
49 Bar Liberty, VIC
50 Anchovy, VIC
51 Chin Chin, VIC
52 Magill Estate Restaurant, Magill, SA
53 LP’s Quality Meats, NSW
54 Lume, VIC
55 Estelle by Scott Pickett, VIC
56 Pilu at Freshwater, NSW
57 Bar Lourinha, VIC
58 Gerard’s Bistro, QLD
59 Ides, VIC
60 Wildflower, WA
61 Golden Century, NSW
62 Provenance, Beechworth, VIC
63 Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney, NSW
64 Bar Brose, NSW
65 Lake House, Daylesford, VIC
66 Templo, TAS
67 Sean’s Panaroma, NSW
68 Cirrus Dining, NSW
69 Paper Daisy, Cabarita Beach, NSW
70 Hentley Farm, Seppeltsfield, SA
71 Fino at Seppeltsfield, Seppeltsfield, SA
72 Porteno, NSW
73 Ezard, VIC
74 Lulu La Delizia, WA
75 Long Chim, Sydney, NSW
76 Tonka, VIC
77 Pope Joan, VIC
78 Il Bacaro, VIC
79 Tulum, VIC
80 Botanic Gardens Restaurant, SA
81 Marion, VIC
82 Vasse Felix Restaurant, Margaret River, WA
83 Long Chim, Perth, WA
84 esquire, QLD
85 Bread in Common, Fremantle, WA
86 Stokehouse, Melbourne, VIC
87 French Saloon, VIC
88 Amaru, VIC
89 Aubergine, ACT
90 Monster Kitchen & Bar, ACT
91 Aria, Sydney, NSW
92 Spice Temple, Sydney, NSW
93 Muse Restaurant, Pokolbin, NSW
94 Continental Deli Bar Bistro, NSW
95 Saint Crispin, VIC
96 Grossi Florentino Upstairs, VIC
97 Stanbuli, NSW
98 Lucio’s, NSW
99 Dainty Sichuan, South Yarra, VIC
100 Nu Nu, Palm Cove, QLD
Image: finedininglovers.com
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