An intimate farm-style eatery with just 30 seats has been crowned Australia’s best restaurant of the year.
Tedesca Osteria, set in an early 20th-century weatherboard house overlooking 27 acres of Red Hill farmland on the Mornington Peninsula, was named 2022 Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year at a virtual ceremony on Sunday night.
But diners looking to make a reservation will not be able to get a table until next year as the restaurant confirms it’s officially booked out for the remainder of 2021.
A farm-style eatery with just 30 seats has been crowned Australia’s best restaurant of 2022
Tedesca Osteria, set in an early 20th-century weatherboard house overlooking 27 acres of Red Hill farmland on the Mornington Peninsula, was named 2022 Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year at a virtual ceremony on Sunday night
Chef and owner Brigitte Hafner (pictured) spent more than a decade dreaming of opening the restaurant, which seats between 30 and 35 diners for intimate, slow-paced lunches
Chef and owner Brigitte Hafner spent more than a decade dreaming of opening the restaurant, which seats between 30 and 35 diners for intimate, slow-paced lunches.
‘Tedesca sprung from something I’d been thinking about for a long time,’ she said.
‘I grew it in my heart, from my thoughts, from conversations and how I like to cook.’
Gourmet Traveller praised it for being ‘sophisticated and elegant yet operating in a way that is both humble and intensely personal’.
Tedesca Osteria offers a fixed menu dining experience for $155 per head. A typical menu might consist of antipasto, hand made pasta, a seafood course, a meat course and dessert, but this will change with the seasons.
Gourmet Traveller praised it for being ‘sophisticated and elegant yet operating in a way that is both humble and intensely personal’
Tedesca Osteria offers a fixed menu dining experience for $155 per head. A typical menu might consist of antipasto, hand made pasta, a seafood course, a meat course and dessert, but this will change with the seasons
The restaurant has received near-perfect reviews on Google, with many customers insisting it’s ‘the best dining experience of my life’.
‘We love this little space so much, we don’t even know where to start. The food is to die for and the open kitchen feels so warm and inviting, it’s like dining at a friend’s house in the Italian countryside. This place is an absolute gem,’ one diner wrote.
Another said: ‘Incredible dining experience. Felt like a beautiful meal in someone’s impeccably designed home.’
While one added: ‘This was one of the most delightful food experiences we have had. The food was fresh, innovative and a beautiful balance of flavours and textures. Staff were highly proficient and most welcoming. A must if you visit the Peninsula.’
Gimlet, Andrew McConnell’s restaurant set in 1920s-era Cavendish House in Melbourne’s CBD, won Best New Restaurant, while Jung Eun Chae of Melbourne’s Chae restaurant was named Best New Talent.
Daniel Puskas of Sixpenny in Sydney was named Chef of the Year, in the night’s only peer-voted award. The restaurant pivoted to a successful bakery model amid the state’s lockdown.
‘This year has been enormously challenging for the restaurant industry but it has also sparked new depths of creativity and resilience, particularly from our restaurant award winners,’ Gourmet Traveller editor Joanna Hunkin said.
‘As Sydney and Melbourne reopen and regional travel resumes, what better time to celebrate the joy of dining out and the people who make it so special.’
But diners looking to make a reservation will not be able to get a table until next year as the restaurant confirms it’s officially booked out for the remainder of 2021
The restaurant has received near-perfect reviews on Google, with many customers insisting it’s ‘the best dining experience of my life’
Sydney emerged from lockdown in mid-October, with Melbourne following on Friday.
Melbourne is considered the most locked-down city in the world, having endured a total of 263 days under stay-at-home orders since March 2020, with the flow-on effects bringing many hospitality venues to their knees.
A who’s who of the industry will gather in Melbourne in February to celebrate the award winners and the resilience of the hospitality industry.
Details of Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Award winners and the Restaurant Guide featuring Australia’s Top 80 restaurants are featured in a special Gourmet Traveller Celebration issue on newsstands on Monday, October 25.