Gourmet Traveller has announced the finalists for its annual Restaurant Awards, which comprise seven categories including New Restaurant of the Year, Wine List of the Year and Best New Talent.
The awards are the official launch of the magazine’s Australian Restaurant Guide, with winners announced on 19 August and the guide available the following day.
“There’s lots here to like,” said chief restaurant critic Pat Nourse. “It’s been a really busy year, and lots of young Australians have been putting the hard yards to up the stakes with their food and their restaurants. They haven’t made our jobs as judges easy, but we’re lucky to have them, and however the chips fall with these awards, Australian drinkers and diners are the winners.”
Sydney's Firedoor restaurant, which opened in April, is up for two awards, Best New Restaurant and Best New Talent (for chef Lennox Hastie).
This year’s finalists are:
BEST NEW TALENT
- Tyson, Blayne, & Chayse Bertoncello, O My, Melbourne, Vic
- Lennox Hastie, Firedoor, Sydney, NSW
- Federico Zanellato, LuMi Dining, Sydney, NSW
NEW RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
- Firedoor, Sydney, NSW
- Africola, Adelaide, SA
- Franklin, Hobart, Tas
WINE LIST OF THE YEAR
- Billy Kwong, Sydney, NSW
- Fleet, Brunswick Heads, NSW
- Farmhouse Restaurant at Pialligo Estate, Canberra, ACT
SOMMELIER OF THE YEAR
- Raffaele Mastrovincenzo, Kappo, Melbourne, Vic
- Ian Trinkle, Aria Brisbane, Qld
- Cassaly Fitzgerald, Appellation, Marananga, SA
MATRE D’ OF THE YEAR
- Randoph Cheung, Minamishima, Melbourne, Vic
- Vanessa Crichton, Rosetta, Melbourne, Vic
- Cam Fairbairn, Acme, Sydney, NSW
REGIONAL RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
- Brae, Birregurra, Vic
- Fleet, Brunswick Heads, NSW
- Three Blue Ducks, Byron Bay, NSW
BAR OF THE YEAR
- Bar Clarine, Melbourne, Vic
- The Gresham, Brisbane, Qld
- This Must Be the Place, Sydney, NSW