Overview
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.