Chef of the Year and Restaurant of the Year awards
The Brisbane Times 2017 Good Food Guide is coming out next Tuesday, July 19 and the finalists for the restaurant of the year and chef of the year have been announced.
There are five finalists for the Citi Chef of the Year.
First off is Argentinian born Alejandro Cancino from Urbane in Brisbane. He not only works at Urbane and its sister restaurant, The Euro, next door. He also make burgers at the Urbane Group’s laneway bar.
Another contender is El Salbador born Josue Lopez at GOMA Restaurant in South Bank whose dishes draw their inspiration from the Queensland bush.
Ben Russell from Aria in Brisbane has already received accolades, picking up the Young Chef of the Year award.
Another one is Ryan Squires at Esquire in Brisbane.
And finally, there is Ben Williamson at Gerard’s Bistro in Fortitude Valley.
The five restaurant finalists are just as impressive.
First off is Aria in Brisbane. With a really comfortable dining room, staff en pointe and terrific views of the river, it’s one of the most popular spots in Brisbane.
Esquire in Brisbane is another one in the running. Critics say the food served up there is world class.
The Scando chic Gauge in Brisbane has received many reviews for its dishes which include everything from blood tacos to native thyme and mushroom duxelles, house-made cavatelli pasta, witchetty grubs and mixes with smoked celeriac and apple.
Gerard’s Bistro mixes up different cuisines from southern Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa.
And finally there’s Urbane which has something for everyone with its focus on omnivore and herbivore dishes.
The winners will be announced at the Brisbane Times Good Food Guide Awards, presented by Citi and Vittoria, on Monday. For those keen to know, they can pick it up on Good Food Instagram and Twitter accounts.
by Leon Gettler, July15th 2016
