The Age Good Food Guide awards

Melbourne?s chefs are a passionate bunch and last night was an emotional time for many of them at The Age Good Food Guide Restaurant Awards.





Arnaldo Terzini, 77, who collected the Professional Excellence Award with his son Maurice, 45, had to brush a tear from his cheek as Maurice acknowledged the honour.





Jacques Reymond, who has been awarded enough hats to make a milliner happy, and last night took away Vittoria Restaurant of the Year, spoke gently of the job that makes him happy every day he goes to work.





Chef of the Year, Andrew McConnell, who opened both Cumulus Inc and Best New Restaurant Cutler & Co in the past year, admitted sometimes it could all be ?a pain in the arse?. Earlier he'd told Epicure  ?I?m tired, I?m wrecked, actually, but happy.?



A beaming Ryan Sessions and partner Kirstyn White were awarded Country Restaurant of the Year for their Merrijig Inn in Port Fairy while Nicolas Poelaert, Embrasse, was named Young Chef of the Year.



Greg Malouf of MoMo took the Dish of the Year Award with his veiled quail.





Frank Camorra saw MoVida Next Door take out the Donlevy Fitzpatrick Award and retained two hats for MoVida itself.



Some restaurants were awarded hats for the first time ? others had them taken away. As one young one-hatter confessed before the awards were announced, losing a hat would be a totally devastating blow because of the amount of time and effort that went into achieving that standard. He was beaming happily for the rest of the night after the list was read out.



Restaurant of the Year: Jacques Reymond

Chef of the Year: Andrew McConnell, Cumulus Inc and Cutler & Co

The Age Young Chef of the Year: Nicolas Poelaert, Embrasse

Best New Restaurant: Cutler & Co

Country Restaurant of the Year: Merrijig (Port Fairy)

Best New Country Restaurant: Provenance (Beechworth)

Donlevy Fitzpatrick Award: MoVida Next Door

Wine List of the Year: Taxi Dining Room

Country Wine List of the Year: Royal Main Hotel (Dunkeld)

Best Short Wine List: Gills Diner

Wine Service Award: Lincoln Riley, Taxi Dining Room

Service Excellence Award: Chris Young, Jacques Reymond

Professional Excellence Award: Maurice Terzini, Arnaldo Terzini

Dish of the Year: Veiled quail at MoMo



City

Three Hats

Jacques Reymond, Vue de Monde



Two Hats

Attica, Cafe Di Stasio, Circa the Prince, Cutler & Co, Donovans, Ezard, Flower Drum, Grossi Florentino, Matteo?s, MoMo, MoVida, Pearl, Rockpool Bar & Grill, Taxi Dining Room, The Press Club, Verge.



One Hat

Abla?s,  Bacash, Balzari, Becco, Bistro Guillaume, Botanical, The Brasserie by Philippe Mouchel, Canvas, Cecconi?s Cantina, Centonove, Church St Enoteca, Cicciolino, Coda, Comme Kitchen, The Court House, Cumulus Inc, David?s. The Deanery, Embrasse, Esposito, Estivo, Gilla Diner, Gingerboy, Giuseppe Arnaldo & Sons, Il Bacaro, The Italian, Kenzan, Koots Salle a Manger, Ladro, Longrain, Maha, Melbourne Wine Room, Mercer?s Restaurant, Ocha, The Point Albert Park, Sapore, Sarti, Shoya, Stokehouse, Syracuse, Tempura Hajime, Yu-u.



Country

Two Hats

Lake House(Daylesford), Merrijig Inn (Port Fairy), Royal Mail Hotel (Dunkeld), Simone?s Restaurant (Bright), Stefano?s (Mildura)



One Hat

Annie Smithers? Bistrot (Kyneton), Athelstane House (Queenscliff), Bella Vedere (Coldstream), Eleonore?s (Yerring), Montalto (Red Hill South), Neilsons (Traralgon), The Outpost Retreat (Noojee), Pettavel Winery & Restaurant (Waurn Ponds), Provenance Restaurant (Beechworth), Royal George Hotel (Kyneton), Sourcedining (Albury), Sunnybrae (Birregura), Tea Rooms of Yarck (Yarck), Teller (Mooroopna), Warden?s Food & Wine (Beechworth).