Sydney Chef Neil Perry’s flagship restaurant has taken out the title of Gourmet Traveller’s Restaurant of the Year.
The annual awards were held last night at Sydney’s Carriageworks entertainment centre, where restaurants from all over the nation competed to be recognised as Australia’s best restaurateur.
The honour, however, went to Neil Perry, whose flagship restaurant, Rockpool, beat out the competition.
Rockpool’s success, according to Gourmet Traveller’s editor, Anthea Loucas, was in its ability to bring a “classic” dining experience into the “new age”.
“We always think, ‘What are you promising to the diner?’ and ask ourselves how well the restaurant delivers on that promise,” Ms Loucas told news.com.au.
“It’s always a lovely story to find a restaurant that has been celebrated in the past and has re-imagined itself for the new age,” she added, “And that’s what Neil and his team have done.”
Rockpool has undergone a successful reinvention after its initial opening in 1989, something which Ms Loucas agreed definitely swayed the judges.
“There aren’t many restaurants that have survived in this very tough industry for so, so long, particularly at the pointy end of the game,” said the magazine editor.
Rockpool’s ‘survival’, Anthea notes, is partly due to its commitment to the tradition of classic, formal dining.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that the growth in the mid-range is extraordinary and the value for money is fantastic,” she continued.
“But if you look at Rockpool, you look at Quay and you look at the new Bennelong, they are busy. It’s hard to get a reservation in those places and that is a good thing. The appetite [for formal dining] is certainly there.”
Neil Perry’s Rockpool, Sydney.
Gourmet Traveller’s Restaurants of 2015
Restaurant of the Year: Rockpool, Sydney, NSW
Chef of the Year: Dan Hunter, Brae, Birregurra
Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality: Joost Bakker, sustainability activist
New Restaurant of the Year: Bennelong, Sydney, NSW
Wine List of Year: Billy Kwong, Sydney
Sommelier of the Year: Raffaele Mastrovincenzo, Kappo, Sydney
Maître d’ of the Year: Vanessa Crichton, Rosetta, Melbourne
Best New Talent: Lennox Hastie, Firedoor, Sydney
Regional Restaurant of the Year: Three Blue Ducks, Byron Bay, NSW
Bar of the Year: The Gresham, Brisbane
Three Star Winners
The Bridge Room, Sydney
Sepia, Sydney
Vue de Monde, Melbourne
Momofuku Seiobo, Sydney
Quay, Sydney
Brae, Birregurra
Attica, Melbourne
Rockpool, Sydney
