The West Australian Good Food Guide Honours the Best of the Best in WA Hospitality at the 2021 WAGFG Awards

For the first time since 2019, the best and the brightest in WA hospitality gathered together on Monday night at Optus Stadium for the 2021 West Australian Good Food Guide Awards.

The West Australian Good Food Guide is the country’s leading state-based dining and drinking guide – a comprehensive, independent annual survey of the state’s finest restaurants, bars, operators and producers.

A fitting total of 21 awards – the most ever handed out in the Guide’s decade-long history – were presented across a variety of categories, acknowledging and rewarding the best venues in WA, along with the top talent both front and back of house.

“What these awards and lists demonstrate is how deep the talent pool in WA really is. This state is continuing to stand proudly on its own two feet as a must-visit food and drink destination,” says WAGFG director Georgia Moore. “Whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, snacks or a regional degustation, there’s never been a better time to eat and drink in the west.”

One of Australia’s preeminent winery fine-dining restaurants, Vasse Felix in Margaret River, took out the coveted Restaurant of the Year award, with Perth-born head chef Brendan Pratt also being named Regional Chef of the Year. Chef of the Year, meanwhile, went to Joel Valvasori of Subiaco trattoria Lulu La Delizia, while Emily Jones took home the Young Chef of the Year prize for her cooking at distillery-bar Republic of Fremantle.

WAGFG editor David Matthews believes this year reflected the strength of the WA hospitality scene in adversity. “It’s been a tough couple of years to be in hospitality, but what this year’s awards show is that the pandemic hasn’t dampened our ambition.” he says. “We were thrilled to cover so many in-credible new openings, and to continue to spotlight those venues we’ve grown to love. Our award winners and our Top 100 are a testament to the strength of the industry and all the people – from careerists through to casual staff – who make it tick.”

“For our readers, our new format ensures that this list covers a wide range of territory. Whether it’s at a café for brunch, a market stall for a snack, a regional fine diner for lunch, or a rooftop bar for a nightcap, this guide has it covered.”

Other big winners included Glenarty Road in Karridale, known for its self-sustaining and off-grid approach, which was awarded Regional Restaurant of the Year. KCH, the modern Malaysian eatery in North Perth, earned the title of Best Casual Dining, and Fleur – the contemporary 45-seat restau-rant inside The Royal – was crowned Best New Restaurant.

Women had a stronger showing than ever before, taking out every single front-of-house honour of the night. Le Rebelle co-owner Sarah Atkinson was recognised for Excellence in Front of House, with Rachael Hughes of Shadow Wine Bar and Voyager Estate’s Claire Tonon capturing Sommelier of the Year and Regional Sommelier, respectively. On the

bars front, Shirley Yeung received the Bar-tender of the Year gong for her work at CBD basement bar Foxtrot Unicorn, which captured the prize for Bar of the Year.

Awards for Wine of the Year and Beer of the Year, overseen by WAGFG drinks director Mike Ben-nie and writer/consultant Guy Southern, were also given to Margaret River’s Stella Bella for the ‘Luminosa’ cabernet sauvignon and Otherside Brewing Co in Fremantle for its Anthem IPA.

“Western Australia has stepped up again as the contender state for producing Australia’s most diverse and premium array of beer and wine,” says Bennie. “The cavalcade of exciting entries into this year’s Wine and Beer Awards has delivered imperial standards of regional wine classics, high-quality alternative wine styles, intriguing and innovative beers, a raft of brews that nail traditional-style briefs and between all this a sense of adventure that captured the imagination and energy of judges.

“It’s been a brilliant judging season yet again and we can’t underline enough just how important the support of the beer and wine communities of WA means to us.”

The award ceremony coincides with the release of the 2021 West Australian Good Food Guide – a list of the overall 100 best eating and drinking experiences in WA, comprising lists of the Top 50 Restaurants, Top 25 Casual Dining and Top 25 Bars. The guide is available on wagoodfoodguide.com and will be appearing for the first time as a lift-out in the Saturday edition of The West Australian on October 23.

All of the 2021 WAGFG Awards winners are now live at wagoodfoodguide.com along with the Top 100 list, Top 50 Restaurants, Top 25 Casual Restaurants and Top 25 Bars, as well as the Top 25 Wines and Top 25 Beers.