Dishes
of the
year
The editors of the GT
Restaurant Guide
enjoyedplatesall
aroundAustraliathis
year.Here’swhat
they’velovedthemost.
POTATOSALAD
Pilot,Ainslie,ACT
UnderstatementisthewordatPilot.
What’slistedasroastchookturns
outtobetheDIYchickensandwich
ofsuburbanfeverdreams,while
thepotatosaladisanythingbut
basic.Creamedpotato,crispradish
andcelery,aspiraloftranslucent
greenapple,chives.Freshness,
crunchandawholelotofclever
combined.DavidMatthews
OYSTERMUSHROOMS
WITHWAKAMESABAYON
Franklin,Hobart,Tas
OystermushroomsfromTunnelHill
arearegularfeatureonAnaliese
Gregory’smenuatFranklinandit’s
easytoseewhy.Char-grilledand
OOMSWITHWAKAMESABAYON
GREEN APPLE AND ARTICHOKE
BLUEMANNACRABTOAST
teamedwithafrothybraised
wakameandsabayon,theybring
levelsofvelvetytextureandrich
umamiflavourthatborderon
thesublime.MichaelHarden
VENISONTARTARE
WITHFERMENTED
CELERIAC,ROASTED
SESAMEANDGARLIC
Joy,FortitudeValley,Qld
It’stestamenttothemeticulous
approachtakenatthistiny10-seater
thatthreetypesofgarlicfeaturein
itstakeonvenisontartare.Golden,
lightlybittergarlicchipsbringbite,
fermentedsmudgesofblackgarlic
addsweetnessandfunk,and
delicatesociety-garlicflowers
ensureeverythinglooksasgood
asittastes.Theinterplaybetween
therawvenison,earthysesame
andtranslucent,lightlyfermented
celeriacconfirmsthistartareas
acharttopper.FionaDonnelly
FRESHHOUSEMADE
NOODLESWITHOFFAL
SuperLing,Carlton,Vic
MichaelLi’slunchtimenoodles
areaholytrinityofskill,price
andflavour.Thenoodles,
laminatedfortextureandjust
$13,aremadedailywiththe
choiceoffiveversions,from
eggplanttooal.Gothelatter
(youchoosetwofromshin,tripe,
earandtongue),andpairwith
asideofChinesedoughnuts.
MichaelHarden
FRESH CITRUS AND HONEY
FRANGIPANE WITH RICOTTA
AND HIBISCUS LEAF
Pipit, Pottsville, NSW
Ben Devlin’s use of local seafood
is astute, his work with vegetables
from Northern Rivers growers
impressive. But a simple dessert of
honey frangipane cake cooked to
order in a skillet is most memorable.
Served warm with a scoop of ricotta
and fresh seasonal fruit, it’s the
rare dessert that combines comfort
with good sense and confi dence.
More please. David Matthews
BLUEMANNACRABTOAST
LeRebelle,MountLawley,WA
Thistwo-bitewonderhastaken
overmyInstagramfeed,andfor
goodreason.Thecombination
ofcrabmeat,mayoandpickleson
fatbriochefingersisasgratifying
asitissimple.Theperfectspirit
dishforLeRebelle’sbrandof
fun,new-schoolFrench.
MaxVeenhuyzen
TUNAWITHGREENAPPLE
ANDARTICHOKE
HentleyFarm,Seppeltsfield,SA
AtHentleyFarmintheBarossa,
chefLachlanColwillachievesan
idealtexturalbalancewithafatty
cutoftunabellypiquedbyrich,
savourykangaroogarum.Artichoke
puréeandcrispfriedartichoke
tendrilsaddwarmingnotes,
withGrannySmithappleshavings
refreshingthemixwithbright
acidity.It’sthebesttwistyeton
araretunadishColwillhastoyed
withformanyyears.DavidSly
FRESH CITRUS AND HONEY FRANGIPANE
VENSION TARTARE WITH FERMENTED CELERIAC
POTATO SALAD
GOURMET TRAVELLER 79
ILLUSTRATIONS MELISSA MARTIN.