Restaurnat of the Year: Sacré Bleu! – They’ve Done It Again

Media release restaurant – 1
Monday 22 April 2013

Sacré Bleu! – They’ve Done It Again
The French Café takes out Restaurant of the Year for the fifth time

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Photo: Ken Downie

After a five-year absence, Auckland institution The French Café is again the winner of the supreme award in the Metro Emirates Restaurant of the Year Awards 2013.

The French Café has also been judged Best Fine Dining restaurant and the establishment with the Best Service while co-owner Simon Wright wins Best Chef. It is the fifth time the Symonds Street restaurant has taken out the top honour in the awards.

Now in their 11th year, the Metro Emirates Restaurant of the Year Awards 2013 have been announced at a function in Auckland tonight (April 22).

Other notable achievements include last year’s top restaurant Depot Eatery & Oyster Bar being judged Best Casual Bistro and, repeating his 2012 win, Ganesh Raj from Kumeu’s The Tasting Shed is Restaurant Personality of the Year.

The evergreen Totó has taken out Best Italian restaurant while Best New Restaurant is fine dining European-Japanese fusion eatery Kazuya. Mexico has been judged best value for money. Te Whau Vineyard Restaurant on Waiheke Island has taken out the Best Rural award.

Metro Restaurant of the Year Awards judge and Metro editor Simon Wilson says it’s a good time to be a restaurant customer in Auckland.

“Right now there are lots of new places opening and the overall standard continues to rise.

“On the other hand it’s pretty tough for a lot of the restaurants. There are just too many in the city now, and that has led to some high-profile closures in the past year, including some places that were barely a year old.”

Wilson says the standout feature of the awards this year is not that new places are setting the pace, but that several older places have responded to the challenge of more competition by raising their own game.

“The French Café hasn’t won for five years, but it has comprehensively overhauled everything it does, and has fought its way back to the top.

“Similarly, on Waiheke, Te Whau used to be our regular Rural Restaurant winner, but it lost that spot a few years ago. Now it’s back. And the best Upmarket Bistro and best Smart Dining restaurant are also two old favourites among Auckland diners: The Engine Room, and O’Connell Street Bistro.”

The awards are judged by a panel of 10 experienced food industry people – a combination of critics and professionals. The bookings are normally made under false names, the visits are not announced and all meals are paid for. The judges make repeat visits when necessary.

Wilson says that the key question in judging is ‘How much do we want to come back?’.

“Lots of restaurants are pretty good. But when you ask yourself, would it matter if I never have this experience again, it’s remarkable how often you realise the restaurant may have been good, but it really hasn’t been special.”

Metro Emirates Restaurant of the Year Awards 2013 results are:

SUPREME WINNER The French Café
Runner-up The Engine Room
Also in top 10 Cocoro, Depot Eatery & Oyster Bar, Kazuya, O’Connell Street Bistro, Ortolana, Sidart, Te Whau, The Grove
BEST FINE DINING The French Café
Runners-up Sidart, The Grove
BEST SMART DINING O’Connell Street Bistro
Runner-up Cocoro
BEST UPMARKET BISTRO The Engine Room
Runner-up Te Whau
BEST CASUAL BISTRO Depot Eatery & Oyster Bar
Runner-up Ortolana

BEST CHEF Simon Wright (The French Café)
Highly commended Ben Bayly (The Grove)
Nick Honeyman (The Commons)
Michael Meredith (Merediths)
Sid Sahrawat (Sidart)
Makoto Tokuyama (Cocoro)
Kazuya Yamauchi (Kazuya)
BEST SERVICE The French Café
Runners-up Soul, Kazuya
BEST RURAL Te Whau
Runners-up Bracu, Casita Miro
BEST ASIAN Cocoro
Runner-up Ebisu
BEST ITALIAN Totó
Runner-up The Refreshment Room
BEST DRINKS LIST Cocoro
Highly commended Clooney, Molten, Number 5, The French Cafe
BEST SHORT DRINKS LIST Ponsonby Road Bistro
Highly commended Eight.Two, Depot, Sidart, Sunday Painters
BEST NEW RESTAURANT Kazuya
Runner-up Ortolana
BEST VALUE FOR MONEY Mexico
Highly commended Kazuya
PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR Ganesh Raj (The Tasting Shed)

Visit http://www.facebook.com/metroNZ for further details.

ENDS

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