Best new restaurant

Winner

Rockpool Bar and Grill, Sydney

There’s only so much cut-price-credit-buster--global-financial-crisis buzzword mania that people can put up with before they say to hell with it and order the $89,510 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and a $110 aged sirloin. Enter the era of damning the credit crunch. Enter Neil Perry’s newest restaurant, Rockpool Bar and Grill. Sydney has never seen dining on this scale. Set in the City Mutual Life Building, the most beautiful Art Deco office block in town, RB&G features incredibly high ceilings, leather and wood everything and private dining rooms including a dress circle upstairs. It also smells great. Breathe in a heady mix of grilled meat, woodsmoke and leather – it's like something out of Mad Men.

The menu is huge and filled with things you’ll want to eat. Best bet is to have an entree each then share a few proteins:  Start with the slow-cooked hen’s egg on brioche, share the whole John dory, then tackle the steaks; choose between grass fed, grain fed and wagyu, then select your cut. Whatever you do, don’t miss the sides. The creamed corn is a must, there’s mac and cheese (!) and if the organic carrots are on the menu, don’t leave without trying them.

Runners-up

Sepia, Sydney
Martin Benn and Vicki Wild's first solo venture meshes flawless technique with exciting produce. The bar is also excellent - order some Champagne and eat a whole baked cheese.

Spice Temple, Sydney
Neil Perry's Chinese restaurant features dishes from eight different provinces of China and none of them Cantonese. The spiciest dishes are marked out in red.

Etch, Sydney
It's all the goodness of Justin North's restaurant Bécasse, only lighter, more casual and a little more playful. It's also cheaper.

The Beresford, Darlinghurst
Danny Russo creates refined Italian food out the back of this excellent pub. We're just sad they got rid of the jukebox

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