Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2023 i Gourmet Traveller

SUBSCRIBE NOW magshop.com.au/gmt Details p146 Bigger is not always better, particularly in the case of restaurants. But when it comes to magazines, size matters. The bigger your book, the healthier your brand – and the more brilliant content you get to share with your readers. Which is why I am thrilled to present this issue – a whopping 190 pages of GT goodness, including our Annual Restaurant Awards and Guide. The Guide, which celebrates Australia’s best dining experiences, has grown to showcase 95 exceptional restaurants across the country this year. It is our biggest Guide – and issue – in five years; the result of a whole community of people who believe in our brand and continue to support us. From the reviewers who eat their way around each state (and…

GT TEAM FAVOURITE 1. LAGOON DINING XO Most good restaurants do a house-made XO, and Lagoon Dining lets you take home a jar of its secret sauce to recreate some of the Carlton diner’s greatest hits. Serve with steamed veggies or drizzle over grilled fish for an easy upgrade to your weeknight dinner. $18 for 240gm, lagoondining.com 2. ROCKMAN XO SAUCE Big notes of scallop and crustaceans jump forward in this pungent XO making it ideal to spoon into a crab stir-fry or fried rice. With a crunchy bite and solid whack of chilli and garlic, this flavour bomb should be used sparingly. $12.30 for 180gm, asiangroceronline.com.au 3. HOTLUCK CLUB XO This deeply savoury mushroom XO uses the caramelised sweetness of black garlic to offset ginger, chilli and shallots. Made in…

Incredible farmers and winemakers inspire me every day. Whenever I’m feeling like I’m in a slump, I go and visit a farm or a wine region and see people who are super passionate about what they are doing. It makes me want to be better and get their stories out. At The Blue Door, 98 per cent of the wine list is from New South Wales. We wanted to showcase the diversity of wine in our state particularly because we felt no one else in Sydney was doing it and it feels more congruous with our food offering. If we serve and celebrate New South Wales produce, we should be celebrating New South Wales wine. It just makes sense to us. We change the menu weekly based on whatever our ethical and…

VEGETARIAN GLUTEN FREE DAIRY FREE Warm mixed bean, chickpea and mozzarella salad SERVES 4 //PREP TIME 10 MINS //COOK 10 MINS 150 gm marinated mixed pitted olives, sliced1 long red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped60 ml (¼ cup) lemon juice1 tbsp each chopped oregano and flat-leaf parsley1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed100 gm green beans, trimmed100 gm Roman beans, trimmed100 gm sugarsnap peas1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil400 gm can chickpeas, drained, rinsed250 gm medley tomatoes, halved200 gm buffalo mozzarella, torn 1 For dressing, combine olives, chilli, lemon juice, herbs and fennel seeds in a large bowl. Season to taste; set aside. 2 Preheat a lightly greased chargrill pan over high heat. Toss beans, sugar snap peas and oil together in a bowl; season to taste. Chargrill beans and sugarsnap peas, in…

COLD EXTRACTION TECHNOLOGY Enjoy the refreshing Cold Brew function on the De'Longhi Eletta Explore. In under five minutes, it delivers that cool, smooth flavour you crave thanks to a unique pump system that uses ambient water temperature, and infuses the coffee under low pressure, so you can make the most of a variety of iced coffee recipes. 50+ CAFÉ STYLE RECIPES Indulge your every coffee mood with more than 50 hot and cold drinks at a tap of the user-friendly touchscreen. Or connect remotely with the Coffee Link app to adapt your flavour extraction, discover new recipes and access exclusive content. De'Longhi ECAM45086T, Eletta Explore Automatic Coffee Machine, $1799. HARVEYNORMAN.COM.AU online / mobile / instore tip Access over 100 creative recipes on the Coffee Link app to take your coffee…

It seems impossible that Hugh Allen has not yet hit 30. His career, which started at 15 when he began working as an apprentice at Rockpool, has encompassed a multitude of experiences, accolades and television appearances. So many they seem as if they should belong to someone less fresh-faced. Now we can add another to that list: being named GT’s Chef of the Year, not by us (though we wholeheartedly embrace the verdict) but by the Australian chefs who vote to decide this award every year. Let’s think about that; his peers have overwhelmingly named Hugh Allen, not yet 30 years old, as their choice for Chef of the Year. Possibly one of the toughest jobs Allen has faced in a career that has included a three-year stint at the…

One of the most telling signs of the presence of hospitality greatness is the ability to make it look effortless. Anyone who’s had the pleasure of witnessing Louise Radman work the room at her brilliant Hobart wine bar Institut Polaire will get this because of the ease with which she can make a room full of people feel entirely at home. Aptitude for the job is obviously strong in Radman but her natural ability comes with the impressively varied amount of work that she’s packed into an extraordinary 30-plus-year career. There’s the scholarship she won early on in her career that enabled her to travel and gain experience in the likes of London’s River Café and Willie’s Wine Bar in Paris. Then time working in five-star hotels and as a…

The year was 1993. Paul Keating was Prime Minister, Sydney had just won the bid to host the 2000 Olympics, and Australia was still recovering from “the recession we had to have”. A young Sean Moran had returned to Australia from overseas filled with ideas for a new kind of restaurant. One that championed fresh, seasonal produce grown in his own kitchen garden; a place that would bring families and friends together for relaxed long lunches and dinners, free of the pomp and ceremony of traditional fine-diners. A boy from Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, Moran first learned to cook in French restaurants, serving up “frogs’ legs and snails”. It wasn’t until he made his way to Italy and learned about their seasonal approach to cooking that he found his calling. “I’d…

CHANEL ROUGE COCO BAUME No longer the tween gateway to bold lips, the 2023 lip balm is a luxurious marriage of hydration and hue. Chanel’s take has a hint of shimmer (1, in 918 My Rose). Swipe once for subtle colour or three times for more intense pigment. $57, chanel.com/au HOLME BEAUTY LIP GLOSS With the return of Y2K beauty trends, glosses are shining once more. This time around formulas supersede stickiness for a smoother glide. This one (2, in Drip) gives sheer colour, multi-faceted shine and no tack. $36, holmebeauty.com ROSE INC LIP TREATMENT At the base of any statement-making pout is a smooth canvas. This overnight mask (3) delivers just that with an infusion of smoothing, hydrating, lip-loving ingredients. $35, mecca.com.au FRESH SUGAR LIP TREATMENT Sitting pretty at…

STATE WINNER Millbrook Old Chestnut La, Jarrahdale (08) 9525 5796 millbrook.wine Chef Guy Jeffreys & Justin Wong Price guide $ Bookings Essential Wheelchair access Yes Open Lunch Thu-Mon AUSTRALIAN Lunch at Millbrook is saddled with considerable expectations, which only seem to build as you make the hour-long drive to this seachanger’s fantasy in the Perth Hills. Thankfully, the team is up to the task, from the cellar-door crew that bid you welcome to the cheery waitstaff that patrol the cosy upstairs dining room. The kitchen is also in on the act, highlighting ingredients grown in the property’s sprawling garden. Italy is a key influence; scallops get flash-cured in acqua-pazza-like fermented tomato water, while blistered porchetta slices share plate space with braised Calabrian white beans. A delicious frugality is also in…

Never Never Distilling Co Grenache Gin Promising tasting notes of fresh blackberries and buttered crumpets, Australian distillery Never Never has outdone itself with its grenache gin. neverneverdistilling.com.au Togo It’s been 50 years since Ligne Roset launched this iconic sofa into the world, inspired by “a tube of toothpaste”. To celebrate the milestone, this limited-edition print is now available. domo.com.au Hydroconquest GMT First launched in 2007, the much-loved Hydroconquest collection has been redesigned to feature Longines’ exclusive GMT movement, giving it a power reserve of up to 72 hours. longines.com Orange Wine Festival New South Wales’ cool-climate wines will be front and centre at the Orange Wine Festival, which will see a month of wine-centred events take place in October. orange360.com.au…

It’s been a year since Restaurant Botanic won Restaurant of the Year. What has the year since looked like? It’s been a wild ride. I said on the night [of the Awards] coming to Australia and then winning that award, has been like a dream. After it was announced everyone around me was saying, “That’s you!” but I just had to sit there and let it soak in. Coming back from Sydney, I remember saying to the team we’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing. Can you explain the Restaurant Botanic philosophy? It’s about the Botanic gardens. Not just the food, but how it’s served, how you eat it. Lots of things are served with rocks and leaves. Not for aesthetic purposes, but because it gives a sense…

When Lucky Kwong was being built, I took local Elder Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo in for a sneak peek. She looked around the space, quietly taking it all in and the first thing she said to me was, “Kylie, I can feel Lucky’s spirit in here very strongly.” I am very fortunate to call Aunty Beryl a close friend and mentor of more than 10 years. She has taught me so much about her ancient culture and tradition, and through her Job Ready program has transformed the lives of many young First Nations students. Aunty Beryl puts it best, “I always say ‘education is key, when you’ve got education, you’ve got a voice, you’ve got a choice.’” Let’s begin with the Johnny cakes. Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo is a master of them.…

MUDGEE FEST Mudgee Wine and Food Month explodes across the region this September with a program of events with flavour at their core. The signature event Go Grazing (on September 16) will see a five-course dégustation held at historic Craigmoor vineyard prepared by Ngemba Weilwan woman Sharon Winsor of Indigiearth. mudgeewinemonth.com.au LANGTON’S LUXE WINE TOUR Join GT columnist and Master of Wine Ned Goodwin on a carefully curated Langton’s tour through South Australia’s fine wine destinations across McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and the Adelaide Hills. The experience includes a private tasting and lunch with Roman and Alex Bratasiuk at Clarendon Hills, as well as a grenache masterclass at boutique Noon Winery (both of which rarely open to the public). After leisurely days tasting, rest your head at the likes of…

MILK YOUR WAY Create barista-quality silky milk coffees for every taste with Breville’s Auto MilQ feature. Boasting smarter tech, the new alternative milk settings for soy, oat, almond and dairy milk will calibrate temperature and air injection time for your favourite milk, to deliver perfectly textured microfoam. It also features an auto purge steam wand for easy cleaning. STEP-BY-STEP BARISTA GUIDANCE The Barista Touch Impress features simple step-by-step guidance that lets you select from eight pre-set coffees or program six custom coffees of your own. Plus, Breville’s Impress Puck System with automatic dosing and assisted tamp makes every brew a breeze. Breville The Barista TouchTM Impress Coffee Machine, BES881SST2JAN1, $1999. Stainless Steel BES881BSS2IAN1 Matte Black BES881BTR2IAN1 HARVEYNORMAN.COM.AU online / mobile / instore tip Pre-program up to six drinks, then make them…

Filipino food has not been a major player on the Australian restaurant scene until recently. Its many influences – varied Indigenous cuisines mixed with imports from Portugal, China, Spain, Malaysia, the US and Japan – have engendered more puzzlement and questions, even dismissal, in this country than it has accolades. Then along comes Serai, chef Ross Magnaye’s boisterous Melbourne laneway diner that opened in 2022 and immediately lodged the cuisine on the map. The shift in thinking Serai has introduced is not purely about novelty, though. For starters, dining at Serai is a whole lot of fun, its stripped back concrete-industrial look and booming soundtrack an invitation to party as seriously as you dine against a backdrop of flash and flame from the wood fire in the open kitchen. The…

Witnessing a neighbourhood bar solidify its place in a community’s heart is a magical thing. When husband and wife Wilson and Isabelle Shawyer opened their bar in Goodwood in December 2020, they did so quietly, intent on getting to know their immediate neighbours. That said, everyone is treated like a local in this friendly, suburban space (including their dogs). The young couple was inspired by the sitcom Cheers and their bar, on the corner of Goodwood Road and Gilbert Street (hence the name) exudes warmth. Wilson spreads charm and conversation, moving between window benches and bistro-style sidewalk seating, often taking a perch at tables to describe the generous wine list. There’s something for everyone; from affordable small batch treasures to DRC by the glass. “In our industry, a lot of…

That Brae has clocked a decade on a remote patch of beautiful countryside in regional Victoria should be worthy of applause, trophies and confetti cannons alone. Not that Dan Hunter and his superb paddock-to-plate fine-diner have been devoid of praise up until now. Consistently ranked among the best restaurants in Australia, Brae has always kept up its end of the bargain. Still with a food scene that’s often obsessed with the new, it’s not outside the realm of possibility for a regional restaurant to slip off the radar, despite the effort, talent and skill that goes into running such a specific type of restaurant. Especially one like Brae that further adds to the degree of difficulty by strictly adhering to a philosophy of growing as much as you can and…

The sun is setting and the bossa-nova beats are rising. Surfers are riding their last barrels into shore as bartenders shake ice-cold Jackfruit Coladas and Papaya Spritzes. Around me, young couples in techno-black swimwear are casting dancing shadows and sun-drunk families are squealing in the pool. It’s a familiar snapshot seen every few years. The kind of mythical beach town – Sayulita, Taghazout, Canggu – where the surf is steady and time drips like honey. This year, it’s Sumba in Indonesia. An off-grid island with a raw energy and knotted jungles, rock pools and reliable waves in the Indian Ocean on the edge of the Savu Sea, only 50 minutes from Bali by turboprop plane, but double the size. People might say it’s the new Gili or Komodo Island with…

GT team favourite HAUTE HAVEN Heritage style finds its high-design edge in this space thanks to a few well-placed future classics. GOGREEN A swathe of verdant marble and olive cabinetry ups the ante in the kitchen.…

It is with great pleasure that S.Pellegrino is the presenting sponsor of the Gourmet Traveller Annual Restaurant Guide. Celebrating gastronomy and exemplary culinary talent is integral to the S.Pellegrino philosophy. Whether it be a casual family dinner or joining friends at one of the world’s top restaurants, all great meals are best enjoyed in great company. We believe this ritualistic expression of love, beauty and sociability continues to represent our extraordinary food culture and our responsibility in working together to further extend our values of inclusivity, sustainability, and resilience. Congratulations to all restaurants featured in this guide. We look forward to celebrating and sharing in your success. PRICE GUIDE Average cost per diner, not including drinks. $ = under $100 $$ = $100 to $175 $$$ = $175 to $250…

STATE WINNER Aalia 25 Martin Pl, Sydney (02) 9182 5880 aaliarestaurant.com Chef Paul Farag Price guide $$ Bookings Recommended Wheelchair access Yes Open Lunch Tue-Sat; Dinner Mon-Sat MIDDLE EASTERN Aalia’s signature waraq simsim could well be Sydney’s most photographed dish. Yet, no picture can convey the joy that comes with rolling the finger of uni-topped rice in a whole perilla leaf and popping it in your mouth. It’s approachable yet unfamiliar, as delicious as it is refined; a bellwether of Paul Farag’s novel and exciting cooking, which channels his Egyptian heritage and broader Levantine traditions. It’s easy to get lost in the gold mine that is the menu’s mezze section, where deeply spiced eggplant mes ’a’ aha and skewered king prawns piped with tarama vie gamely for table space with…

STATE WINNER Agnes 22 Agnes St, Fortitude Valley (07) 3067 9087 agnesrestaurant.com.au Chef Ben Williamson & Alex Gregg Price guide $$  Bookings Essential Wheelchair access Yes Open Lunch Fri-Sat; Dinner Tue-Sat AUSTRALIAN A little smoke goes a long way, but restraint is one of chef Ben Williamson’s triumphs at wood-fired-only Agnes. While the menu leans unapologetically meaty and the flavour of the grill is put to excellent use, the brilliant ingredients never taste like they’ve escaped a house fire. Instead, stewed leeks and almonds have a fine, clean, acidic balance, perfect with spectacularly tender lamb sweetbreads or slivers of grilled ox heart lifted by gorgeously rounded miso hollandaise. Other dishes, meanwhile – a betel-leaf roll filled with prawn and pork mince; sweet clams with frothy potato velouté and house-made hot…

Reine and La Rue, Melbourne This jammy guava paste and duck liver parfait is your first siren’s call to get to Reine and La Rue, Nomad Group’s new Melbourne temptress. The next is the former bank chamber location with its high ceilings and soaring vibes, then the sharp-shooting French brasserie menu. Jordan Kretchmer, news editor L’Enclume at Bathers’ Pavilion, Sydney It’s not often you eat with your hands at a three Michelin-star restaurant. But L’Enclume’s Sydney residency threw out the rules, starting its multi-course feast with “finger food” like this sensational Rice Krispie-esque pork and smoked eel fritter. Cordelia Williamson, digital editor Shell House, Sydney The bright ruby tones of southern bluefin tuna paired with the snap and crackle of seaweed deliver a multi-sensory opening to a long lunch at…

South Australian chef Robin Wagner, who turned 30 this year, is set to represent Australia on a global stage next month, when he flies to Milan for the prestigious S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy grand finale. This is the last stage of the global culinary contest, which selected its finalists from regional rounds across the globe. Wagner will be joined by industry veteran Peter Gilmore, who will mentor him throughout the competition. Gilmore was one of the judges who crowned Wagner the regional winner last year, after his signature dish of smoked celeriac, Granny Smith apple and crisp taro impressed the panel of top Australian chefs. “What blew me away was the levels of texture and flavour that he achieves essentially from just three ingredients. It’s a credit to him and…

Spring is the time when papayas, or pawpaws, are at their absolute best. At this time of year, temperate fruit trees, such as apples and pears, are still waking up from winter dormancy, but the tropical papaya tree, which never seems to be without at least a few fruits, crops most abundantly. I hated papaya the first time I tried it. The musky perfume and lack of tang turned me off. It wasn’t until a friend suggested trying it with a squeeze of lime juice that I finally understood what the fuss was about. Papaya with lime is a match made in heaven. In those days, we were more likely to call it a pawpaw. In recent years, we seem to have come round to the American custom of calling…

As a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be an artist. My great-grandmother and my grandmother were painters and I always watched what they were drawing and painting. When my mother eventually gave me everything I needed to paint and draw myself, it was the best gift she could have given me. When did you know that working in the family business was the path for you? I grew up only ever thinking about what I wanted to do, not what was expected of me – I studied art, and I started working for myself as an artist. I only ended up realising that Taittinger could be a part of my life when my father fought to rebuy the company after…

In a cocktail landscape growing ever more crowded with Spritzes and Highballs, it’s easy to lose sight of the Buck – that timeless, foolproof cousin of the Collins, which brings a spirit together with citrus and ginger beer over ice. It’s a category that’s given rise to undying classics including the Moscow Mule and Dark ’n’ Stormy, but the absurdly simple formula leaves it open to all manner of reinvention. This family of drinks is thought to have sprung to life somewhere in the mid-to-late 1800s, as ginger beer became increasingly popular as a digestive aid. Among the more famous variations to emerge is the Mamie Taylor, a Scotch and ginger number often considered to be the Moscow Mule’s precursor. To welcome guests to GT’s Annual Restaurant Awards at Sydney’s…

Rib bone in, spine out. The Frenched cutlet of a fish is a perfect cut for crumbing, as, apart from the single rib bone, these cutlets are completely boneless. To attempt this cut, be sure to start with a fish that has been gutted, scaled and is no less than 2kg, anything smaller will not have bones that are structurally strong enough. 1 Position the fish on the cutting board with the head to your left and tail to the right. Using a short sharp knife, cut from right to left from the anal vent under the tail of the fish in a straight line towards the collar, being careful not to cut through the rib bones that sit immediately below the collar. As with a rack of lamb, the…

All the conversations around Brisbane’s current food game being lifted to never-before-seen heights coalesce beautifully at Agnes. Most satisfyingly, this dark-hued, wood-fired bistro in a Fortitude Valley backstreet triumphs as a sum of its parts. Chef Ben Williamson’s mastery of Agnes’s multiple fire pits is obviously the main draw and with good reason. In many restaurants that centre fire and smoke, you can leave feeling like you’ve been chewing on a lump of coal. Williamson understands the value of light and shade with wood-fired cooking, turning the smoke factor up when necessary (as with brilliant dishes such as slivers of grilled oxheart teamed with a miso hollandaise) but then muting it to little more than a whisper in a dessert that partners charred lemons and white chocolate or a leek…

In recent years, it seems as though Byron Bay’s irresistible coastal siren song has been tuned specifically to lure chefs to its sandy shores and verdant hinterlands, with many celebrated culinary talents packing their aprons and their surfboards and heading north. Among them is fresh Byron arrival Ollie Wong-Hee, who has stepped up to his first head chef position at Bar Heather, crossing the threshold from rising talent to seat-filling drawcard. Like his former stomping grounds Franklin, Ester and Sixpenny, Wong-Hee’s freshman menu defies simple categorisation. Classic French techniques are slickly deployed in service to the region’s superlative produce, and while the chef shows deft restraint with his careful use of Southeast Asian, South Asian and Middle Eastern colour, it’s his regular meetings with local producers and suppliers that ultimately…

When Sasha and Ben McDonald opened the Glenarty Road cellar door in 2017, they marked the occasion by putting a buzzer on the property’s gate. That way they’d know when somebody had dropped by for a tasting and they could come in from the vineyard, pour some vino, and maybe sell a few bottles. After all, the then-little-known Glenarty Road was half an hour south of Margaret River in the pastoral hamlet of Karridale: who’d want to visit them? As it turns out, a lot of people. And what began as an earnest husband-and-wife show supplemented by wraps, slow-cooked meats and other home-style dishes has evolved into something far more polished. These days, your car will be one of many parked up at the McDonalds’s 240-acre farm and you’ll be…

Linguine with shredded lemon, chilli and parmesan SERVES 4 //PREP TIME 25 MINS //COOK 15 MINS “We have served this pasta since day one,” says chef Sean Moran. “In my mind, it’s a dish with a perfect balance.” Juice of 1 lemon180 gm rocket, shredded100 gm finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve2 garlic cloves, crushed400 gm dried linguine SEAN’S CHILLI OIL 1 kg long red chillies, halved, seeds removed2 litres olive oil12 garlic cloves, sliced 1 For chilli oil, place chilli, oil and garlic in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to low-medium and fry gently until all moisture evaporates and chilli and garlic are deep golden. Using a slotted spoon, lift out chilli and garlic pieces, place on a tray…

Buckle up Why belts are back, lipsticks to love, new season scents, most-wanted interior finds and covetable cutlery.…

STATE WINNER Etta 60 Lygon St, Brunswick East (03) 9448 8233 ettadining.com.au Chef Rosheen Kaul Price guide $ Bookings Recommended Wheelchair access Yes Open Lunch Sat; Dinner Tue-Sat CONTEMPORARY Is it possible to improve on alt-bistro perfection? Clearly, yes. Etta has gone from strength to super-strength with the arrival of chef Rosheen Kaul, who has cemented star status at this intimate Brunswick East bar and dining room. Mining her mixed-Asian heritage, the snacky menu specialises in flavour broadsides from left field, whether that’s wood-grilled skewers of abalone and lardo with a fragrant sprinkle of Kampot pepper, say, or the sweet freshness of raw scallops with nectarine, dragon fruit and Thai basil. Regulars, meanwhile, need not fear the signature hits (the crisp rice salad with red-curry pork sausage and mussels; the…

STATE WINNER Onzieme 5/39 Kennedy St, Kingston 0424 894 763 onzieme.com.au Chef Louis Couttoupes Price guide $ Bookings Recommended Wheelchair access Yes Open Dinner Tue-Sat AUSTRALIAN Nothing appears to work too hard at this handsome 30-seater. Not the pendant lights, bentwood chairs or trim list of low-intervention wines. Nor a small bowl of smoky onion consommé or the textbook duck terrine that kickstart proceedings. Yet, it becomes clear pretty quickly just how much paddling goes on beneath Onzieme’s relaxed surface. Chef-owner Louis Couttoupes changes his menu daily, coaxing huge flavours from hyper-local produce at its seasonal peak, often in the wood oven. In early autumn, that might mean gorgeously blackened thick-cut carrots and crisp-fried curry leaves resting on a bed of labne. Or a blistered cobia fillet with gently wilted kale in…

STATE WINNER Peppina 2b Salamanca Pl, Hobart (03) 6240 6000 peppinarestaurant.com Chef Massimo Mele Price guide $ Bookings Recommended Wheelchair access Yes Open Lunch Friday; Breakfast and dinner daily ITALIAN If the tomatoes are on, order them. Certainly Peppina offers more complex dishes than a single tomato – sliced, seasoned, served with basil leaves and doused in excellent olive oil – but its treatment speaks volumes about chef Massimo Mele’s approach at this large, glamorous hotel restaurant. Hint: it’s all about the ingredients. Brilliant prosciutto is teamed with buffalo mozzarella and cime di rapa. Textbook gnocchi bonds beautifully with a tomato sauce crunchy with pangrattato. An exemplary pork chop, grilled over charcoal, is accompanied by sweet glazed carrots and salsa verde. Classic Torte Caprese is turbocharged with tart rhubarb and clotted…

STATE WINNER Restaurant Botanic Plane Tree Dr (via Friends’ Gate), Adelaide (08) 8223 3526 restaurantbotanic.com.au Chef Justin James Price guide $$$$$ Bookings Essential Wheelchair access Yes Open Lunch Sat; Dinner Thu-Sat AUSTRALIAN At Restaurant Botanic, the line between the kitchen and the surrounding Adelaide Botanic Garden is all but invisible. Head chef Justin James works directly with the gardeners to grow rare ingredients such as blue quandong, oyster leaf and Mexican tarragon, with the intention of telling the story of Australia’s diverse flora and fauna. The result is 28 enthralling flavour combinations (and counting) marked by dazzling technique: a bite-sized apple “flower” sporting a pistil of green ants, say, or a “Coat of Arms tasting plate” comprising cured emu, seared kangaroo and a single warrigal-green leaf topped with drops of…