EXP. restaurant has been named best regional NSW restaurant at the 2020 Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence.
The Pokolbin restaurant owned and operated by chef Frank Fawkner also took home the best formal contemporary Australian restaurant award in the NSW Regional Restaurant section. Other major awards in the regional NSW category were handed to Robert Molines (Bistro Molines) for restaurateur of the year, and Sprout Catering (Broadmeadow) for caterer of the year.
Other Hunter Region winners were Nagisa Japanese Restaurant (best Asian restaurant); eRemo Restaurant (best Italian restaurant); The Galley Kitchen at The Anchorage Port Stephens (best restaurant in a hotel/resort); Commonwealth Hotel, Cooks Hill (best restaurant in a pub/club/tavern); The Gates Restaurant, Leogate Estate Wines (best restaurant in a winery); The Wild Herring at The Anchorage Port Stephens (best seafood restaurant); and Vines Restaurant at Hollydene (best tourism restaurant).
In the NSW Regional Catering Awards, Sprout Catering was named best event caterer, while Vines Restaurant at Hollydene took home the consumer vote award.
Christmas collection at Doughheads
Keep an eye out for Doughheads' Christmas collection. There's Pavlova (filled with passionfruit curd and raspberry coulis and topped with meringue); Low Gluten White Chocolate Gingerbread (white chocolate buttercream and housemade low-gluten gingerbread); and Vegan Low Gluten Candy Cane (peppermint icing with crushed candy cane). Yum.
Branching out
Schilly Thai Fusion are opening their second eatery any day now, and it's at Jesmond Central. Also, Bao Brothers Eatery are opening at Westfield Kotara in 2021. More on their plans for world domination next week.
Taco frenzy
Guzman Y Gomez has launched a new $35 Taco Night Bundle with 10 beef mince tacos, family fries plus tomato sauce and chipotle mayo. Fun fact: GYG has sold 1.8 million $3 tacos so far this year.
Winnies at The Junkyard
Chef Jamie Thomas is reviving Winnie's Jamaican at The Grand Junction in Maitland.
"I've been in talk with the guys at the Grand Junction for over three years now about Winnies but the timing has just never been right," he says.
"I am going to open Winnies at the Junkyard and it will still be the Jamaican inspired restaurant it was and cooking the same food I did before - lots of jerk chicken, curries and loads of vegan and gluten-free options."
He hopes to open in early January.
