Our top restaurant reviewers had a *hard year in 2015, all that non-stop dining at the hottest new eateries in their respective towns. From the best new burger joint to knock-out haute-cuisine and a crowd-funded noodle bar, herewith their favorite nosh joints to open, and where you should definitely book in to stat. (*not even slightly hard)
Scott Pickett opened two complementary restaurants this year – the high end Estelle by Scott Pickett, ESP , which is a definitive Melbourne degustation, and Estelle Bistro, where high-end smarts are deployed on accessible bistro classics. It’s a neighbourhood restaurant that welcomes all. Reviewer: Dan Stock.
When word was out that the crew at Quay would also dock at the Sydney Opera House, perceptions were universal. Chef Peter Gilmore and his team had a duty to deliver something special at Bennelong. And they did. Our reviewer was so blown away, he asked the ultimate question: is it Australia’s best restaurant? Reviewer: Anthony Huckstep
Not only one of the best surprises of the year, restaurant-opening wise, but also one of our favourites. This tiny nook in Brunswick Heads is enough reason alone to visit Byron Bay, and then get out of there with a drive north. This place is bordering on perfect. There are inventive snacks – think veal sweetbread schnitzel sandwiches with anchovy mayo – and a wine list that’s natural leaning. We also love the service. It’s a tiny space, and with everyone seated at the one slick bar it feel likes a dream dinner party where you get the best food and company, but don’t have to speak to other guests. Reviewer: Kate Gibbs.
The Fat Duck captured the headlines and Australia’s imagination, but it’s Dinner by Heston that’s the real win. Quite simply Melbourne’s best restaurant experience. Reviewer: Dan Stock.
The Lobster doughnut burger gets the “Likes”, but the interesting menu – with not a smashed avo in sight – has us joining the queue for new kid on the Armadale cafe block, Mammoth. Reviewer: Dan Stock.
Located half way between glitzy Gold Coast and relaxed Byron Bay, is Cabarita Beach and it’s nothing like either of its neighbours. A sleek, relaxed boutique hotel has opened up right there, bringing an old motel to life with 21 rooms showcasing bright wallpapers, lots of white, patterns and Palm Spring cool. Noma alumnus Ben Devlin heads up Halcyon’s restaurant Paper Daisy, named after the Australian wildflowers that grow on the headland. The chef does Australian classics and innovative dishes – think paperbark-grilled cod and a prawn roll with avocado, mayo and iceberg lettuce. It’s one hell of a hotel restaurant. Reviewer: Kate Gibbs. This is why you should get to Halcyon House and Paper Daisy, today.
Behind the sliding steel clad “Firedoor” in downtown Surry Hills lies a world of deliciously hot hot coals. Two furnaces power Chef Lennox Hastie’s daily changing menu with the heat and smoke accentuating the best of each seasonal share plate ingredient. Reviewer: Anthony Huckstep.
Meat doughnuts, brilliant bbq meat in buns, great booze. Preston, Melbourne has got itself a brew crew and eatery winner in Dexter. Reviewer: Dan Stock
Chef Matt Stone (Brothl, Greenhouse) and his sous-chef Jo Barrett (Tivoli Road Bakery) have moved into the Yarra Valley and Oakridge Wines in Coldstream. Arguably the country’s most sustainable chef, Stone is doing locally sourced dry-aged beef with local oyster mushrooms cooked in beef fat, the chef makes his one XO with local trout that he cures, smokes and dehydrates, and his custard is made with local eggs and whey from Yarra Valley Dairy. It’s local dining in a place that feels a world away from here. Reviewer: Kate Gibbs.
David Thompson’s second iteration of Long Chim and no doubt not the last. The hottest Perth opening this year, literally and figuratively with the spicy Thai menu bringing the heat. Reviewer: Max Brearley.
Chef Darren Robertson’s new project in Byron Bay is a ground-breaking move that makes you excited about where the food scene is going. Robertson grows his own produce or sources it locally, there’s a restaurant and café, a yoga studio, a produce store, there’s often a beast roasting over hot coals. Wander around and visit the chickens (prolific egg layers), the pigs, and see tractors in action. It’s a buzz for city dwellers, it’s educational and beautiful, but the food is as good as we’ve come to expect from this innovative chef. Three Blue Ducks on The Farm Byron Bay Reviewer: Kate Gibbs.
On famous food mecca, Lygon Street Melbourne The Roving Marrow serves up mod oz yum cha in this refashioned old boozer. Hayden McMillan is a revelation in the kitchen. turning out punch-above-weight clever dishes with real class. Reviewer: Dan Stock.
Automata in The Old Clare Hotel redevelopment in inner-city Sydney, is the quintessential example of the new dining frontiers – hero native ingredients, aesthetic sophistication and simplicity, and, of course, putting the fun back into dining. Reviewer: Anthony Huckstep.
Two Wrongs in cool kid Chapel St, South Yarra is a cheeky, fun locale with laid-back service that’s secretly sharp, and great surprises coming out of the kitchen. Think pork doughnuts. So many shades of right. Reviewer: Dan Stock.
A brave spin on Chinese, Master in edgy Surry Hills, Sydney is all about the pork jowl. Chef and co-owner John Javier slow cooks it for a whole day in Peking sauce until it’s soft, gooey, sweet and unctuous. Reviewer: Anthony Huckstep.
