Sky Grove Media
Presenting the finalists for Best Destination Dining
Next month, we will reveal our winners and the full guide to Australia’s best restaurants at a glamorous gala evening at Catalina in Sydney and in our September issue.
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And the nominees are…
Chauncy
Heathcote | VIC
Sommelier Tess Murray and her husband, chef Louis Naepels, once ran a bistro in the French Basque region. Now their finely tuned French bistro in Heathcote emphatically proves the value of experience. From the elegantly fresh, light-filled room to Naepels’ remarkably deft cooking, the stringent local sourcing of ingredients and Murray’s beautifully formed wine list, Chauncy takes its best leads from the French model, most importantly by managing to feel very much of its place and time in regional Victoria.
In short: An afternoon in France.
Elementary by Soul Co
Mount Gambier | SA
Opening a 35-seat fine-dining restaurant in Mount Gambier, a small regional city best known for its vivid Blue Lake and volcanic terrain, was a bold move. The dark, industrial space feels like something you’d find hidden in a Tokyo back street. By contrast, the connection to Limestone Coast growers and community is hyper-local. Neighbours and farmers often turn up on chef Kirby Shearing’s doorstep with excess fruit and vegetables destined for what Shearing describes as an “Australian omakase” menu. Obscure Mount Gambier wine producers sit comfortably alongside an impressive sake collection and inventive non-alcoholic concoctions.
In short: A regional showcase in an unexpected setting.
EXP. Restaurant
Hunter Valley | NSW
EXP.’s dark dining room doesn’t have vineyard views. Nor are there on-site vegetable plots, sculpture gardens or any of the other blue-chip destination dining trimmings. Yet what you’ll find at this ambitious 30-seater is an uncommon eye to technique and detail coupled with an obvious desire to do things the hard way. It pays off across six (or more) courses, each one as intricate as the last, all equally keen to spotlight Hunter Valley produce at the height of its power.
In short: Pocket rocket.
Nu Nu
Palm Cove | QLD
For 20 years, Nu Nu has been a flag-bearer for dining in Tropical North Queensland. During that time, it’s been through some changes, including moving location in 2014. Right now it’s red hot. Chef-owner Nick Holloway is turning up the flavour dial to 10, with punchy dishes like kangaroo and kimchi skewers flavoured with red curry, and caramelised pork rib, topped with green chilli sauce and finger lime. Contemplating a trip to the tropics? Let this be your prime motivator.
In short: An old favourite in peak form.
Wills Domain
Margaret River | WA
There’s something in the water at this soigne cellar door restaurant overlooking Yallingup’s beautiful Gunyulgup Valley. Or at least in the wine: a celebration of regional strengths that feels evermore refined each year. And there’s undoubtedly something in the gratifying, painterly plates leaving the kitchen. A study in both assured technique and careful sourcing, the food here confirms the partnership between culinary director Jed Gerrard and head chef Sergio Labbe is blossoming and that Wills is, once again, an essential Margaret River address.
In short: There’s a fire at Wills.
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