Surprise Result in Metro Corbans Restaurant Awards

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Surprise Result in Metro Corbans Restaurant Awards

A restaurant on Auckland's North Shore has been named the Supreme Winner of the prestigious Metro Corbans Restaurant of the Year competition in a ceremony this afternoon.

The judges said The Engine Room in Northcote Point was a "near-perfect example of its genre that proved that a local restaurant could offer a truly excellent dining experience".

It is the first time in the history of the Auckland awards that a neighbourhood restaurant has won the top prize.

The French Café won the coveted Best Formal Restaurant award for a fourth year in a row. Eight.Two in Birkenhead also took out two major awards including Best New Restaurant.

A panel of Metro magazine judges including editor Lauren Quaintance, food and wine writer Vic Williams and former editor of Cuisine Simon Wilson visited 110 restaurants during an eight-week judging period. More than 50 restaurants were visited two or three times making the Metro Corbans awards the most thorough restaurant competition in the country.

Guest judge Australian chef Matt Moran said that while The Engine Room did not offer fine dining, it was exactly the kind of restaurant that people wanted to go to on a regular basis.

"The service was fantastic, the space was great and the food was real," he said. "I think this is exactly the kind of direction that Auckland restaurants should be going in."

Moran was less impressed with some other Auckland restaurants. "Too often I thought Auckland chefs were trying too hard and not letting the produce speak for itself."

Details of the restaurants recognised in the 2007 Metro Corbans Restaurant of the Year Awards will be published in the May issue of Metro (on sale April 30) which also includes a detachable 52-page guide to Auckland restaurants.

Matt Moran will be Live Online at www.metrolive.co.nz on Thursday May 3 at midday to share his views on Auckland restaurants and to answer any other reader questions.

Metro Corbans Restaurant of the Year Awards 2007 winners

Supreme Winner The Engine Room Best Formal Restaurant The French Café Best Smart Casual Restaurant Eight.Two Best Local Restaurant The Engine Room Best Italian Restaurant Toto Best Chinese Restaurant Empress Garden Best Thai Restaurant Red Elephant Best Japanese Restaurant Gion Best Seafood Restaurant Hammerheads Best New Restaurant Eight.Two Best Room Clooney Best Wine List Partington's Best Dessert Dine by Peter Gordon Best Service Josselin de Gésincourt, Partington's/Matthew Aitchison, The French Cafe

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