Head chef of top Australian restaurant Gimlet lists his FIVE favourite places to dine – including the hidden gem serving ‘the best sushi in the country’
- Top chef Andrew McConnell has shared his favourite Australian restaurants
- The head chef at Gimlet said Tipo 00 serves the ‘best pasta’ in Melbourne
- He said Minamishima does the ‘best sushi’ while Flower Drum is ‘best Chinese’
- Mr McConnell also named an upscale eatery in country VIC a ‘must-visit’
A top Australian chef at the helm of one of the country’s finest restaurants has revealed his five favourite places to dine Down Under – and three are in Melbourne.
Andrew McConnell, head chef of upscale eatery Gimlet at Cavendish House, clearly endorses the city’s reputation as Australia’s culinary capital, with its 3,500 restaurants serving up food from more than 70 countries.
Mr Connell told Daily Mail Australia that Italian bistro Tipo 00 in the CBD serves the ‘best pasta’ while Japanese fine dining venue Minamishima in Richmond makes the ‘best sushi’.
The award-winning chef, who has been handpicked to create a bespoke menu for the Gourmet Traveller Awards gala dinner on October 27, named three-hatted city restaurant Flower Drum the ‘best Chinese’ in the country.
Award-winning chef Andrew McConnell says three-hatted Melbourne restaurant Flower Drum serves the ‘best Chinese’ food (dishes pictured) in Australia
Mr McConnell also raved about Brae, an ultra-upmarket eatery in Birregurra where the chef’s ever-changing tasting menu (pictured) costs an eye-watering $300 per person – without drinks
Mr McConnell also gave special mention to regional Victorian restaurants Du Fermier and Brae, calling the latter a ‘must-visit’ for the ‘best paddock to plate dining experience in Australia’.
For breakfast, the chef said he can’t look past trendy Collingwood spot Cibi where he loves to stop for a traditional Japanese feast with his wife before work.
Mr McConnell said Tipo 00 is home to ‘without doubt some of the best pasta in Melbourne’.
‘I love the simplicity and confidence of their cooking,’ he added.
The chef’s selection menu of starters, pasta and dessert will set you back $85 per person, while single pasta mains cost anywhere from $32 to $42.
Mr McConnell said Japanese fine dining venue Minamishima in Richmond makes the ‘best sushi’ (pictured) in Australia
For authentic Japanese cuisine, Mr McConnell said you won’t get better than Minamishima, an award-winning restaurant in Melbourne’s east.
‘The best sushi in the country served in an understated fine diner,’ he said.
A traditional ‘omakase’ tasting menu at Minamishima costs $225 a head.
Mr McConnell said he has been getting his fix of fine Cantonese food at city spot Flower Drum for as long as he can remember, calling it ‘a well-oiled machine with the best service’.
Flower Drum’s five course tasting banquet will set you back $130pp while a six course selection chosen by the chef costs $225pp.
Outside Melbourne, Mr McConnell said he loves to visit five-star rated French farmhouse bistro Du Fermier in Trentham, where four courses (one pictured) cost $120 a head
Outside Melbourne, Mr McConnell said he loves to visit five-star rated French farmhouse bistro Du Fermier in Trentham, where four courses cost $120 a head.
He said chef and owner Annie Smithers ‘effortlessly creates wholesome, honest and outrageously delicious dishes’ that are some of the tastiest in Australia.
Mr McConnell also raved about Brae, an ultra-upmarket eatery in Birregurra where the chef’s ever-changing tasting menu costs an eye-watering $300 per person – without drinks.
‘A lunch or dinner at Brae should be on every visitor’s must-do list,’ Mr McConnell said.
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