FRENCH champagne was flowing freely as Newcastle’s Restaurant Deux reclaimed its ‘‘chef’s hat’’ at last night’s Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards.
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The fine dining restaurant, owned by chef Lesley Taylor and Pauline Sazdanoff, joined Bacchus in Newcastle, Nelson Bay’s Zest, and the Hunter Valley’s Bistro Molines and Muse, which were again awarded chef’s hats.
Restaurant Deux, previously known as Restaurant II, lost its hat during a change in ownership within the review period last year.
The absence of Pokolbin’s ROCK Restaurant was felt at this year’s awards, as until its closure in May, it was the Hunter Region’s only two-hatted restaurant.
Central Coast restaurant Manfredi at Bells, Killcare, took home regional wine list of the year, the Good Living sustainability award, and a chef’s hat.
A team of more than 40 reviewers combed Sydney and regional NSW, and the major capitals, to put together more than 400 scored reviews for the 2012 Good Food Guide that hits shelves today.
Reviewers dined at least once at every restaurant listed, booking anonymously and paying for the meal to ensure each review was completely independent.
Last night’s big winners included Sydney restaurants Bilson’s, est., Marque, Quay and Sepia, which were each awarded three chef’s hats.
Peter Gilmore, of Quay, was named chef of the year.
