Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards 2017 Winners

07 Sept 16

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Considered the 'gourmet bible' for dedicated NSW foodies, the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide is a compendium of the state's best cuisine. Edited by Myffy Rigby, one of the most respected food writers in Sydney and with contributions from restaurant reviewer Terry Durack, the Good Food Guide highlights some of New South Wales and Sydney's best places to eat and drink.

Showcasing Sydney city's vibrant dining and café culture, the SMH Good Food Guide includes the winners of Chef of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, Café of the Year, Best New Restaurant and the People's Choice Award. The cream of the crop are also awarded the coveted Chefs Hat symbols as a testament to their excellence and consistency. To ensure the advice provided in the guide is independent, reviewers pay for their meals and dine anonymously.

The winners were revealed at the annual awards ceremony which saw plenty of industry legends standing next to many up-and-coming restaurants. Unsurprisingly, Peter Gilmore's Quay was once again named Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of the Year. Held at Streets of Barangaroo's Cirrus Restaurant (which is not yet open to the public) the awards brought together New South Wales' top performing chefs, restaurants, sommeliers and bar to celebrate their achievements.

The winners across all categories were diverse and a whopping 15 new restaurants were award one and two hat ratings. On the night, Bar Brosé was celebrated for Best Bar Food and was also awarded a one hat rating while Dead Ringer received The Streets of Barangaroo People's Choice. Merivale's The Paddington was also awarded a one-hat rating while Automata received a coveted two-hat rating.

Unsurprisingly, Restaurant Hubert took out Best New Restaurant as one of Sydney's most talked about new restaurants. Chef Dan Pepperell has teamed up with sommelier Andy Tyson and bar stalwarts Jason Scott and Anton Forte to create this fantastic full-service restaurant which was also awarded a two-hat rating.

Good Food Guide Editor Myffy Rigby explained that although there were more hats awarded this year, the new minimum score to receive the honour had risen to 14 points meaning any restaurant scoring below 14 points had exited the guide to make space for a more in-depth coverage of unsung area, cheap eats and Sydney's bourgeoning café culture to be more representative of the city.