The awards keep coming in for Ainslie restaurant Pilot, with the team picking up ACT Restaurant of the Year at Monday night's Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards.
The annual awards, which were held at a gala event at Sydney's Catalina restaurant, recognise the depth and diversity of Australia's dining landscape. Every year it names the best restaurants from each state and territory, as well as the overall winners in categories including Restaurant of the Year, Readers' Choice Icon Award and Chef of the Year.
Since opening its doors in 2019, Pilot has picked up a slew of awards, including Gourmet Traveller's ACT Restaurant of the Year award in 2021 and 2022.
And with two hats to its name, it's easy to see why the Ainslie restaurant - owned by Malcolm Hanslow, Dash Rumble and Ross McQuinn - is so loved.
"Pilot is fabulous. They're incredible professionals and their sibling restaurant, Such and Such, has also risen to the mark," Gourmet Traveller editor Joanna Hunkin said.
"That's in the top five of ACT's best restaurants as well. So I think it is an incredible reflection on Dash, Malcolm and Ross, who are the owners. They run such a slick operation and it is at a national standard. It's not simply good for Canberra, it's good for Australia."
When The Canberra Times reviewer Jasper Lindell dined there earlier this year he said the reason people say Pilot is excellent is quite simply because it is excellent.
"Pilot uses the word nostalgic to describe its flavour interests," he wrote.
"In practice, this means inventive takes on familiar food. Pilot takes on Australia's hodge-podge culinary traditions and imbues their creations with technical accomplishment and humour. This is not cultural cringe cooking, taking the piss; instead it's laughing with and not at."
Also recognised at this year's Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards was The Agrarian Kitchen Restaurant in New Norfolk, Tasmania. Encompassing a cooking school, a takeaway kiosk and restaurant, all centred around a one-acre walled kitchen garden on the grounds of a former psychiatric hospital, The Agrarian Kitchen made history by becoming the first Tasmanian restaurant to claim the prestigious prize in the award's 45-year history.
The Readers' Choice Icon Award went to Victorian restaurant Lake House, while Sydney-based chef Pasi Petanen (from Cafe Paci) was named Chef of the Year.
While the awards come after another hard year for the hospitality industry, Ms Hunkin said those still doing well tended to offer a great overall experience.
"Hospitality is always at the front line of any kind of economic turmoil or downturn. It is discretionary spending," she said.
"But the one thing we've seen this year when it comes to revisiting some of those great restaurants and seeing who's still maintaining standards and performing at that top level is that what separates the people who are navigating it well and succeeding, are delivering a great experience.
"Because the thing is that when there's pressure on the economy, diners' standards get higher. People expect more if they're going to spend money, and that means they won't accept mediocre."
