A degustation-only fine-dining restaurant in Canberra's south which will open its doors for the first time in months has topped the list of ACT eateries in the 2024 Australian Good Food Guide.
The Table by Canberra Gourmet in Greenway received 15 hats in the latest AGFG guide, which chef Thomas Heinrich said was a "very nice surprise" given he had only recently taken the gamble and reopened in response to encouragement from his previous clientele.
The Table owes its name and origins to having just one long table for all diners but the new restaurant will seat about 30 at separate tables, while retaining its trademark one-price, degustation fine dining.
Chief and front-of-house Thomas is the former head chef at Sage Dining Rooms.
"We opened during the first COVID lockdown period with a small premises and it was a struggle to sustain it, so we decided to move out to The Truffle Farm [at Mt Majura]," he said.
"Up until only recently we were considering opening a Filipino food takeaway, where we could offer some cheaper food to our customers.
"But we've been very fortunate in that we have a loyal group of people, regulars who have supported us through the tough times and they encouraged us to reopen as The Table again, so we found a new location at Greenway.
"It will be a slightly different restaurant concept but the menu will be very similar to what offered previously, with five courses but really a lot more, palate cleansers in between, lots of natural ingredients, truffles, of course, when in season, and a strong interaction between the kitchen and the customers.
"The south [of Canberra] is in dire need of fine dining options so people don't have to drive into Civic and Kingston".
While The Table was the only Canberra restaurant to receive 15 chef's hats in the online people's choice awards, four other restaurants - The Boat House, Les Bistronomes in Campbell, the much-loved Raku Japanese restaurant in Civic and Kingston's ever-popular Otis Dining Hall - all finished just behind it.
Grazing at Gundaroo, one of the region's most highly regarded restaurants, also received the same number of recommendations.
Ranked slightly behind these four in the ACT were Monster Kitchen and Bar, Pilot, Inka, Rebel Rebel, Onzieme, Alcove, Vincent in Braddon.
