Time Out Sydney Magazine Food Awards

If you do not live under a rock, you are familiar with Time Out Magazine. In essence, Time Out employs a team of expert critics to deliver a credible guide to city life on the market. Each month their team of local editors and experts pour their passion into your respective city’s pre-eminent art and entertainment magazines. Time Out magazines are highly-curated, best-of bundles of features, original photography and critics” picks. Each month they curate and package the best of city life, for their audience of social butterflies and cultural explorers, e.g. independent reviews and previews across art, film, food and drink, music, theatre and more. The Time Out Food Awards is the one night of the year when the go-to guide for everything that is relevant in the city you are visiting recognises Sydney’s champions of the restaurant scene.

On September 25, 250 of the city’s culinary experts, professional eaters and Time Out readers gathered at the original Porteño site for the 2017 Food Awards celebrating the best of Sydney’s restaurants, from the cheapest of snacks to the fanciest fine dining. The night began with Champagne from Lanson, followed by a food and beer pairing care of Beer the Beautiful Truth and the Porteño kitchen: Porteño chorizo, paired with White Rabbit Dark Ale; smoked chicken wings with adobo sauce and arepas with queso fresco paired with the Kirin Megumi; and pumpkin and feta empanadas, vitello tonnato finger sandwiches, corn and saffron arancini, and slow-cooked beef with chimichurri matched to the James Squire 150 Lashes Pale Ale. Southern Comfort brought cocktails to the mix, while Alpha Box and Dice supplied the wine times.

The room was packed with head chefs, hot talent, industry legends and a whole lot of people who truly love dining out in Sydney. Argentine restaurant and host Porteño took home the coveted People’s Choice Award. Ester, was crowned Time Out’s Restaurant of the Year for 2017, reprising its victory from 2014. Danielle Alvarez from Fred’s took home Chef of the Year, and as for who to watch next, the Hot Talent winner was Alanna Sapwell from Saint Peter.Cornersmith Annandale took out the Best Café award; 10 William Street is home to this year’s Drinks Service Award; and the Japanese-style burgers at Bar Ume nabbed them the Best Cheap Eat award. Best New Restaurant went to mod-Korean diner Paper Bird in Potts Point; Best Casual Diner went to spicy-smoky Long Chim, who have reignited Sydney’s Thai-food love affair; and the Best Degustation was awarded to Momofuku Seiobo, who make sitting and eating for three hours an even more enjoyable experience than it already is.

Late-night Cantonese palace, Golden Century, took home this year’s Legend Award, mainly due to its past glory. Following the formal part of the evening it was party time with party tunes spun by DJ Flex Mami. Time Out Sydney knows how to throw a party to remember and the fact that the awards night has become an aspiration across the board of Sydney’s hospitality scene is testament to its relevance.