Presenting the finalists for Best New Talent
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…
Sofika Boulton | Sonny’s
Perth | WA
Soft-spoken kitchen talent Sofika Boulton carries a big gift: her ability to absorb information and influences and transform them into polished, faff-free dishes. At free-spirited wine bar Sonny’s, she oversees a tight menu that’s by turns resourceful (steeping strawberry tops in white vinegar to make an oyster mignonette), smoky (the hearth does everything from grill coral trout to char flatbread) and technical (that jiggly Basque cheesecake!). More importantly, her cooking also ticks the box for delicious.
In short: The quiet achiever.
Jun Hwang | White Horse
Sydney | NSW
Korean-born Jun Hwang has consulted here and there, and held head chef roles in the past. Under executive chef Jed Gerrard, however, he’s now leading the charge at the White Horse, one of Sydney’s most impressive new openings in what has been a very crowded race. Pulling off dishes like the show-stopping beetroot “millefeuille” or high-minded veal tongue French toast require not just needle-sharp technique, but a nuanced understanding of native ingredients and layered flavour – and Hwang’s got the goods.
In short: Mod Oz mastery in the making.
Simon Ming | Odé
Adelaide | SA
Young chef-turned-restaurateur Simon Ming has given North Adelaide’s O’Connell Street exactly what it needed; an elegant place in which to dine and imbibe. Before opening Odé with sommelier Bhatia Dheeraj (whom he worked with at Arkhé), Ming quit an engineering job in China to pursue life as a chef, training at Le Cordon Bleu before hitting the tools in kitchens at Brae, Orana, and Jolley’s Boathouse. At Odé he tiptoes a sword’s edge between fine dining and fresh, approachable bistro vibes. And it works beautifully.
In short: From China to Adelaide, with love and an open mind.
Pietro Segalini | Pilloni
Brisbane | QLD
Taking over the kitchen at Pilloni – featuring a wood-fired grill, an elegant dining room, and a Sardinian approach – is no small challenge, but Pietro Segalini has handled it brilliantly. The young chef, who hails from Emilia-Romagna, is a wiz when it comes to seafood. Whether it’s impeccably grilled kingfish collar with salmoriglio sauce, spaghetti with sweet scampi, or a whole blue lobster, cooked over embers and topped with grated house-cured bottarga, Segalini shows respect for both produce and tradition.
In short: A chef in his element.
Mischa Tropp | Toddy Shop
Melbourne | VIC
First appearing on Melbourne’s dining radar via an enthusiastically embraced stint at a pub and his series of We Are Kerala pop-ups, Mischa Tropp made it official late last year when he opened Toddy Shop in a Fitzroy side street. Tropp’s drive is substantial; to make the food he wants to eat (the dishes his Malayali mother cooked when he was growing up) available in Melbourne. His creativity is just as significant, bringing style, wit and vibrant flavourin equal measure.
In short: Hot shot.
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