This Restaurant Has Been Named the Best in Auckland

A Ponsonby fine dining restaurant has been named Supreme Winner of the Metro Restaurant of the Year 2018.

For 16 years the awards have celebrated excellence in the Auckland dining scene through food, service, fit-out and ambience — as determined by a judging panel made up of restaurant critics, food writers and people from the hospitality business.

Sidart (named Restaurant of the Year in 2014) is the brainchild of restauranteurs Sid and Chand Sahrawat. Found in Three Lamps, Sidart showcases the best of New Zealand produce with every single ingredient sourced locally, including olive oil, salt, wasabi and chocolate. The restaurant's multi-course menus have been designed to take guests on a "culinary voyage" across the country.

It's not the first time the couple has taken top honours; their Fort Lane eatery Cassia has been the titleholder for the past two years. This year the contemporary Indian restaurant was named runner up.

It was a clean sweep for the restauranteurs who scooped Restaurant Personality of the Year (Sid and Chand Sahrawat), Best Fine-Dining Restaurant (Sidart), Best Chef (Sid Sahrawat) and Best Smart-Dining Restaurant (Cassia). Cassia's Prateek Arora was also awarded Restaurateur of the Year.

METRO RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2018 WINNERS

Winner: Sidart

Runner up: Cassia

Best Fine-Dining Restaurant: Sidart

Best Smart-Dining Restaurant: Cassia

Best Inner-City Bistro: Hugo's Bistro

Best City-Fringe Bistro: Ponsonby Road Bistro

Best Neighbourhood Bistro: Cazador

Restaurateur of the Year: Prateek Arora, Cassia

Best Chef: Sid Sahrawat, Sidart and Cassia

Restaurant Personality of the Year: Sid and Chand Sahrawat (joint), Sidart and Cassia

Food for Good: Gemmayze St

Best Service: Apéro

Best Wine List: O'Connell Street Bistro

Best Drinks List: Pasture

Best New Restaurant: Cotto

Best New Fit-Out: Hugo's Bistro

People's Choice Award for Best Destination Restaurant: Casita Miro

Image: Josh Griggs.