After yet another turbulent year for the hospitality industry, the Australian Good Food Guide has announced its Chef Hat Awards - with 18 Canberra restaurants named in the list.
Aubergine in Griffith came out on top for ACT's award winners, with a score of 16. It was followed by The Boat House, Otis Dining Hall, Raku and Pilot with a score of 14. Meanwhile, Table By Canberra Gourmet, Les Bistronomes, Monster Kitchen & Bar and Courgette were all awarded with a score of 13.
Morks, Vincent, Italian and Sons, Pomegranate Restaurant, Bar Rochford, Temporada, Corella Restaurant and Bar, Waters Edge and XO Restaurant completed the list of ACT winners, with scores of 12.
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For Aubergine, the win is a bittersweet one as it comes at a time when the industry is still impacted by COVID.
"It's always nice to have the work that you do be recognised, especially in the way the world has been in the past couple of years," Aubergine manager Caitlin Baker said.
"From our position is it's amazing to receive awards, we're just trying to not jump up and down about it too much considering what the hospitality industry is going through and how many of our friends are in a bad way at the moment.
"It feels wrong to celebrate or make too big of a deal about something when so many businesses and obviously ourselves have been affected so much."
Along with the list of this year's winners, the Australian Good Food Guide noted that the field had not been level due to the pandemic and the pressures and restrictions that came with it.
"This year's awards are a credit to the phenomenal efforts of those who have managed to endure, but in no way take away from the incredible efforts and creativity of some of those forced into closure," a statement read.
"We concede too that lockdowns and border restrictions have obstructed our judges' efforts this past year and acknowledge that we have not visited as many restaurants as we otherwise would have liked."
Australian Good Food Guides Chef Hats have been awarded to discerning chefs around the country since 1982.
It runs on a scoring scale from 0-20 points; 12 to 13 points is commended, 14 to15 points is worth a stop on the way, 16 to 17 points is worth a detour, and 18 to19 points is worth a special journey.
