It appears that critics are unanimous in their opinion of Sydney restaurant Quay as the best Australia has to offer at the moment, following the Savour Australia National Awards for Excellence run by the Restaurant and Catering Association of Australia.

The Awards, which were held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre last night, saw Quay take the coveted honour as Australian Restaurant of the Year from a quality field of state and territory winners. The harbourside restaurant, which also won Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year, led a dominant night for NSW, with restaurants, cafés and caterers in the state taking home 17 out of the 34 awards on offer. Queensland, Victoria and South Australia claimed four awards each, Western Australia three and Tasmania two.

Executive Chef at Quay, Peter Gilmore, gratefully accepted the award which capped a sensational year for the Sydney institution. They also took the prize as Restaurant of the Year from the Gourmet Traveller Magazine and were adjudged Best Sydney Restaurant by the Sydney Morning Herald.

”The calibre of competition this year means Quay is very honoured to have taken out such an accolade,” Mr Gilmore said.

Matt Preston, the Chair of Judges, believed Quay represented a “superb”example of quality fine dining and a deserving winner of the prestigious award.

The top gong for Australia’s Best Caterer went to another NSW entrant – the Australian Jockey Club Convention Centre in Randwick. They also received the Function/Convention Centre Catering Award.

All of the award winners are listed below:

Restaurant of the Year: Quay Restaurant, Circular Quay West (NSW)

Caterer of the Year: AJC Convention Centre, Randwick (NSW)

Entertainment Restaurant: Lowenbrau Keller, The Rocks (NSW)

European Restaurant: Zest, Nelson Bay (NSW)

Family Establishment: The Gardens Restaurant, Mt Annan (NSW)

Fine Dining Restaurant: Quay Restaurant

Function/Convention Centre Catering: AJC Convention Centre

Informal Dining: Oscillate Wildly, Newtown (NSW)

Italian: Pilu at Freshwater, Freshwater (NSW)

New Restaurant: Pendolino, Sydney (NSW)

Pizza: Hugo’s Bar Pizza, Kings Cross (NSW)

Pub/Tavern/Club Restaurant: Terrace on Pittwater Restaurant, Newport (NSW)

Restaurant in a Winery: Rock Restaurant, Pokolbin (NSW)

Seafood: Rockpool, The Rocks (NSW)

Site Caterer: Trippas White Catering, Art Gallery Sydney (NSW)

Thai: Longrain, Surry Hills (NSW)

Wedding Caterer: Memories Function Centre, Wallsend (NSW)

Corporate Caterer: Spotless at Deloitte, Melbourne (VIC)

Specialty Cuisine: Verge, Melbourne (VIC)

Steak Restaurant: The Point, Albert Park (VIC)

Tourism: Lake House, Daylesford (VIC)

Breakfast: Chianti Classico, Adelaide (SA)

Event Catering: Blanco Catering, Trinity Gardens (SA)

Hotel/Motel Restaurant: Shiki at the Hyatt Regency, Adelaide (SA)

Indian: Jasmin Indian Restaurant, Adelaide (SA)

Asian: Wasabi, Sunshine Beach (QLD)

Contemporary Australian: E’cco Bistro, Brisbane (QLD)

Industrial Caterer: Riviera Marine , Coomera (QLD)

Themed Restaurant: Spirit House, Yandina (QLD)

BYO Restaurant: Clarke’s of North Beach, North Beach (WA)

Coffee Shop/Tea Room: milkd, North Perth (WA)

Venue Caterer: AEG Ogden, Perth (WA)

Café Restaurant: Angasi, Binalong Bay (TAS)Chinese: Me Wah Restaurant, Hobart, Sandy Bay (TAS)