The Country's Best Red Meat Dish Has Been Revealed

Wellington's Chameleon Restaurant has taken out the fancy sounding title of Premier Master of Fine Cuisine at the annual Silver Fern Farms Premier Selection Awards— one of the more prestigious carnivore award ceremonies in the country.

Now in its fourth year, the awards celebrate the creativity of New Zealand red meat chefs by inviting them to produce an original dish using cuts of lamb, beef or venison.

Seventy-three entrants from Paihia to Winton were in the running this year, but none could compare to chef Paul Limacher's signature 'Chameleon' creation of: Silver Fern Farms' beef tenderloin, mushroom ragout, roast Parmesan gnocchi, button onion and asparagus. Judges called the dish 'consistent and faultless'.

Paul and Chameleon also won awards for Best Beef Dish and Best Metropolitan Restaurant, while Daniel Hill of Central Otago's Pitches Café and Restaurant accepted the runner's up gong for the mysteriously titled dish, Eye of the Mist, and the award for Best Regional Restaurant.

The best part is that diners can experience the winning dishes for themselves until the end of February 2017. See the participating restaurants here.