The Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide to NSW’s best restaurants launches today after Firedoor was named as the Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of the Year at the Good Food Guide 2023 Awards tonight in Sydney.
Returning after a three-year hiatus with hats and scores to recognise the best restaurants and chefs in NSW, the glamorous awards ceremony – supported by long-term co-presenting partner Vittoria Coffee and new co-presenting partner Oceania Cruises – was held at Shell House Dining Room & Terrace in the Sydney CBD.
Owners and chefs from NSW’s leading restaurants gathered as 12 awards, along with the coveted hats – from one to the pinnacle of three hats – were handed out. The glossy 136-page Good Food Guide 2023 NSW magazine is on sale from tomorrow (Tuesday, November 22) and is the definitive guide to the state’s restaurants, cafes and bars.
The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide includes more than 400 independent city and regional reviews including Sydney’s top 20 cafes and bars, and top 10 lists for each Australian state and territory.
Highlighting more suburban venues, there’s also a new rating – a heart – for places that aren’t awarded a hat, but that the Good Food Guide critics still love and would cross town to experience. The new edition of the Guide also includes the most coveted awards in Australian dining: Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of the Year, Oceania Cruises Chef of the Year, and New Restaurant of the Year.
Edited by Callan Boys, The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide reviews have been undertaken by a team of esteemed critics including Boys, Terry Durack, Jill Dupleix and David Matthews, all of whom review independently and anonymously.
Pipit in Pottsville was named Regional Restaurant of the Year; Tim Foster of Ele by Federico & Karl took home the Young Chef of the Year Award while Annita Potter of Viand in Woolloomooloo was named Oceania Cruises Chef of the Year.
“While there are significant staff shortages across the hospitality industry, restaurants are still opening at a rate comparable to pre-pandemic times, if not higher,” said Boys. “Dining in NSW and the ACT has never been better either, with more hats awarded than ever before in the history of the Guide.”
“Firedoor was awarded Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of the Year for the way its chef Lennox Hastie and his young team transform beautiful Australian produce into the most delicious version of itself using fire, smoke and ash,” said Boys. “It’s not just the best steak you may ever experience, but the best coral trout, aged lamb and Hawkesbury school prawns too. A top-notch wine list and smart service complete the package.”
Meanwhile, Annita Potter was named Oceania Chef of the Year for forging her own path and creating truly unique Thai food, said Boys. “It takes courage, determination and skill to only offer a tasting menu when many people still expect Thai food to be cheap-ish and casual. It also takes a lot of self-belief to open a self-funded restaurant at the level of Viand.”
The awards were attended by more than 350 chefs, restaurateurs and industry professionals who were treated to a menu by Shellhouse Dining Room & Terrace chefs Joel Bickford and Aaron Ward. Cocktails were supplied by Four Pillars Gin, Diageo and Santa Vittoria, Mumm Champagne by Pernod, wine by Nick Smith Wines and Kirin beer by Lion.
The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2023 award winners:
Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of the Year: Firedoor, Surry Hills
New Restaurant of the Year: Kiln, Sydney
Regional Restaurant of the Year: Pipit, Pottsville
Oceania Cruises Chef of the Year: Annita Potter, Viand, Woolloomooloo
New Regional Restaurant of the Year: Bistro Livi, Murwillumbah
Vittoria Coffee Legend Award: Eric and Linda Wong, Golden Century
Service Excellence: Michael Stoddart, Oncore by Clare Smyth, Sydney
Sommelier of the Year: Bridget Raffal, Where’s Nick, Marrickville
Oceania Cruises Wine List of the Year: Shell House Dining Room & Terrace, Sydney
Young Chef of the Year: Tom Foster, Ele by Federico & Karl, Sydney
Food for Good: Refettorio OzHarvest, Surry Hills
Bar of the Year: Ante, Newtown
