1<\/span> of 1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n We grabbed tonight\u2019s MC, Adam Liaw, for a quick chat before the ceremony commences. Here\u2019s what he had to say:<\/p>\n This is not the first time you\u2019ve hosted the Good Food Guide<\/em> awards, you did it last year. Tell us why you\u2019ve come back (why you want to be involved).<\/strong><\/p>\n Restaurants know how important this is to them, and I\u2019m lucky enough to get to be the one to read out their name on stage in a moment that for a lot of the awardees is one they\u2019ll remember for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n People put their heart and soul into restaurants, and receiving a hat (or two or three) is recognition of something that starts as an idea, and which becomes reality through a lot of blood, sweat, tears and a mountain of stress and worry. I consider it to be a real privilege to be able to be a part of a moment that recognises that for so many people.<\/p>\n Adam Liaw hosting last year\u2019s Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards at Shell House.<\/span>Credit: <\/span> <\/cite><\/p>\n The Good Food Guide<\/em> is considered Australia\u2019s most respected food and beverage title, and its coveted hats \u2013 from one to the pinnacle of three hats \u2013 are recognised as the industry gold standard. What do the awards mean to the industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n It really is hospitality\u2019s night of nights. These awards are the ones all the hospitality people talk about, and the hats are what they all want to win. I spend most of my time filming with chefs from all around Australia and the hats come up in conversation daily. Everyone in the room wants to know who\u2019s getting a hat, or who might be moving up (or down), and outside the room the rest of the industry follows the event live on socials. Restaurateurs know that the Good Food Guide<\/em> is the one publication people will pick up whenever they\u2019re deciding where to go out for dinner. It\u2019s that important.<\/p>\n Tell us about the vibe of the event<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s a celebration of everything that makes hospitality great. For an industry where so many people are working while the rest of the world is having fun, it\u2019s a rare chance to get glammed up and share a night with colleagues you\u2019ve been in the trenches with, but might not have seen for a long time. There are plenty of nerves for the chefs before the hats are awarded, but after the pressure is released people really let their hair down.<\/p>\n What are you looking forward to most on the night?<\/strong><\/p>\n Drinks and snacks.<\/p>\n Anything else you\u2019d like to say?<\/strong><\/p>\n The Good Food Guide<\/em> really does have the pulse of Australian dining. It\u2019s not just fancy food at special occasion restaurants. There\u2019s a real diversity of awardees. This year one of my longtime favourite places (I won\u2019t mention which one) is getting a hat for the first time. They\u2019ve been around for more than a decade, and it\u2019s been the kind of place you could walk into on a Friday night and snag a table for a great, affordable meal with friends. It\u2019s great to see them succeed (but it might be a little harder to get a table there now)!<\/p>\n Each venue that\u2019s visited is given a score out of 20:<\/p>\n If a place gets 15 it scores one hat, 16 and 17 equals two hats, and 18 above is a three-hat restaurant<\/p>\n<\/p>\n This edition of The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide<\/em> includes a few exciting updates, with no change to the rigour of how we review (see previous post). Critics\u2019 Picks<\/strong> are a new addition, designed to recognise restaurants that don\u2019t quite reach the score for a hat, but our reviewers are big fans of regardless. Give me a great sandwich over a middling $180 tasting menu any day.<\/p>\n Icons and Institutions<\/strong> is a new section that celebrates venues delivering memorable or singular dining experiences more than two decades after they opened, and we\u2019ve welcomed more schnitzels and schooners into the fold with a dedicated Pubs<\/strong> section. Also, the Cafe of the Year<\/strong> award is back!<\/p>\n Which is why the Guide<\/i> is more useful than ever. We\u2019ve ditched awarding two points (out of 20) for \u201cX-factor\u201d and now consider value instead. I\u2019m more than happy to pay $59 for line-caught coral trout at Neil Perry\u2019s Margaret; less thrilled about the thought of forking over $50 for farmed barramundi fried into oblivion at a swanky new wine bar. If we\u2019re going to dine out and pay these prices, the restaurant better be good.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s getting harder to sort the great from the bad. Restaurateurs and hospitality groups increasingly know the right graphic designers, architects and PR firms to engage, but the talent in the kitchen isn\u2019t up to scratch. I\u2019ve travelled thousands of kilometres to find new restaurants to include in the Guide<\/i> this year, often lured by a snazzy Instagram account and on-trend menu. \u201cHey, look \u2013 there\u2019s a place in Armidale serving caviar on a hash brown!\u201d<\/p>\n But the hash brown is soggy. The caviar is avruga. The substance doesn\u2019t live up the style.<\/p>\n Hence, the Good Food Guide<\/i> review team has done the hard yards and dry toasts for you. Every venue listed is somewhere we\u2019ve visited and experienced a delicious night out, terrific lunch, or just a bloody great sandwich \u2014Callan Boys, Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2024<\/em><\/p>\n Good evening! My name\u2019s Annabel Smith and I\u2019m on deck to help guide you through tonight\u2019s Good Food Guide Awards ceremony, presented by Vittoria Coffee and Oceania Cruises. <\/p>\n What history will be made? Who will be crowned Chef of the Year? Who will gain a hat? Will anyone lose a hat? Follow along to find out.<\/p>\n In the meantime, here\u2019s everything you need to know about the Guide<\/em>. <\/p>\n The Good Food Guide<\/i> comes out annually and is a compilation of almost 500 independent reviews of restaurants, bars and cafes in NSW and the ACT, visited by our team of critics in the past six months. (They visit plenty of other venues that didn\u2019t make the cut, too.)<\/p>\n Home to the renowned chef\u2019s hats, Good Food has been recognising the country\u2019s leading restaurants for more than 40 years by awarding venues its coveted hats \u2013 from one to the pinnacle of three hats (more on that later…).<\/p>\n This year\u2019s Guide<\/em> spans everything from long-adored institutions, CBD bistros, cafes, pubs, suburban gems, no-frills pizza shops, regional destinations, hole-in-the-wall noodle shops and more, and it covers a broad range of budgets.<\/p>\n It\u2019s being launched tonight, alongside 14 awards, including the big ones: Oceania Cruises Chef of the Year, Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of the Year and Aurum Poultry Co New Restaurant of the Year.<\/p>\n You can get your hands on the 148-page Good Food Guide 2024<\/em> magazine from tomorrow (Tuesday, October 24), when it goes on sale for $14.95.<\/p>\n The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2024 Awards are being held at the Art Gallery of NSW\u2019s North Building (otherwise known as Sydney Modern), where 300 chefs, restaurateurs and industry legends from the NSW and ACT dining and drink scenes will gather as the gongs, along with the hats, are handed out.<\/p>\n Guests will snack on a menu by MOD Dining chef Clayton Wells, and sip on cocktails and wines from the likes of Vittoria Coffee (hello espresso negroni!), Archie Rose, Penfolds and Clover Hill.<\/p>\n The ceremony kicks off at 7pm, hosted by cookbook author, TV host and of course, beloved Good Food<\/i> recipe columnist, Adam Liaw. <\/p>\n I\u2019ll be with you the whole way, sipping my bone-dry martini and providing hot takes and updates on all the winners, along with any goss as the night unfolds. <\/p>\nKeep up to date with who\u2019s winning what<\/h2>\n
And now it\u2019s time for a note from our host, Adam Liaw<\/h2>\n
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Your frequently asked questions, answered<\/h2>\n
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Here\u2019s how the scoring is broken down<\/h3>\n
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Keep up to date with who\u2019s winning what<\/h2>\n
A note from the editor (and what\u2019s different in this year\u2019s Guide)<\/h2>\n
Welcome to the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards<\/h2>\n
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What\u2019s the SMH Good Food Guide?<\/b><\/h3>\n
What happens at the Good Food Guide awards ceremony?<\/b><\/h3>\n