Chef Hat Award Winning Restaurants for 2011
Nominations for the Australian Good Food and Travel Guide's coveted Chef Hat Awards for 2011 are now being considered!
The Australian Good Food and Travel Guides Chef Hat's have been awarded to discerning Chefs around Australia since 1982 (See: Our History). These awards are the result of careful consideration and deliberation. Inspectors appointed by the AGFG dine anonymously. Their reviews and the votes of the dining public, who generously send in their comments throughout the year, determine these results.
The 2011 Chef Hat Award winners will be released early in 2011. If you would like to nominate a restaurant for an award, please do so by voting on the AGFG website. To vote simply click the 'I Like It' button on the restaurant(s) of your choice. Voting is now open!
Current Award Winning Restaurants
Currently there are a total of 443 restaurants throughout Australia that have been awarded Chef Hats for 2010. Every year since the guide's inception this number has increased as more and more Australian chefs push the boundaries of culinary excellence and produce quality, innovative and superb dishes.
The Australian restaurant scene remains rich with cultural influences from Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, America and Polynesia, and continues to cement its reputation as a destination for globetrotting restaurant enthusiasts. World renowned, Sydney and Melbourne maintain their positions at the forefront of Australia's fine dining scene, however a blossoming food culture exists right throughout the country. A concentration of award winning restaurants can also be found in Brisbane, The Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide, Perth and Darwin.
Numerous other Award winning Restaurants can be found throughout the states.
Fairness and Accuracy of Chef Hat Award Winning Restaurants
The Australian Good Food and Travel Guide maintain a high respect for chefs and industry professionals, priding itself on the fairness and accuracy of its ratings. As an independent, national guide, we are committed to awarding establishments for excellence based on what we believe to be level, balanced and proven criteria.
Inspectors continue to maintain a mute ‘Michelin' model of rating using symbols, not words to express their judgment of culinary excellence. By not publicizing the exact quality level required for the various awards, we believe it encourages creativity and individuality, and avoids standardisation. That being said here is an insight as some of the things taken into account.
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Award Winning contenders are somewhat reader driven.
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Quality of ingredients is a major part. The use of local/seasonal ingredients is also a big step in the right direction.
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Consideration is given to how true ingredients are to their individual flavours. Likewise the ability to highlight individual ingredients for their beauty and freshness is important.
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How flavours compliment each other and marry is imperative.
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Individuality, creativity and technical culinary craftsmanship are obviously a central focus.
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Presentation has a noticeable impact.
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Portion size and whether it's worth the price demanded is also a factor.
For any diner, consistency in relation to the whole dining experience is fundamental, as it is for our AGFG inspectors. For any restaurant to receive top reviews, the establishment's entire operation has to be orchestral, so the dining experience is akin to the elation felt from the creative precision of a masterful ensemble flawlessly performed. We acknowledge it takes a remarkable amount of focus and discipline to maintain that level of distinction whereby even the extravagant seems simple so anyone could walk in, dine, relax and enjoy.
Your Opinion about Chef Hat Award Winning Restaurants
At the AGFG we acknowledge that all reviews are truly subjective. What we consider exceptional you may consider average or even terrible, and just like that the food critic debate is born.
The internet gives rise to a new kind of dining journalism, one that opens up the doors to personal diners and chefs alike to tell their side of the story. By opening up our site to your comments and considering them in our Awards the whole process is more democratic, and potentially open to debate. Supporters can reinforce positive assertions, and contenders can argue their estimations; after all, a ‘well-thought-out' reader comment has proven to hold as much weight as a Chefs Hat Award.
We encourage all budding food enthusiasts to contribute their thoughts and opinions on the establishments they visit, but remember a true critic is dedicated to fairness and accuracy. Not every review need be auspicious, nor should every evaluation be critical. But every opinion should demonstrate thought, balance and truth.
