Southern eatery voted NZ's best

Bevan Smith, manager and chef of Riverstone Kitchen, 12km from Oamaru. Photo / The Oamaru Mail

A restaurant on a quiet stretch of the Waitaki Plains in North Otago has been voted New Zealand's best.

Riverstone Kitchen, 12km from Oamaru, was yesterday named supreme winner of the Cuisine magazine NZ Restaurant of the Year Awards from 49 other entries.

The judges were unanimous in their praise for Riverstone Kitchen, which this year's guest international judge, Simon Thomsen, a food critic for Sydney's Daily Telegraph, said struck the perfect balance between city and country.

"The restaurant has a vibe somewhere between a city bistro and a country lodge ... Chef Bevan Smith has something bold to say about what it means to be Kiwi," Thomsen said.

The awards were announced in Auckland last night.

Cuisine editor Sarah Nicholson said the competition was one of the toughest in the awards' six-year history and standards were high throughout the country.

The awards also recognised excellent restaurants in a number of other categories:

* Best casual dining (regional): Riverstone Kitchen, Oamaru

* Best casual dining (metropolitan): Soul Bar & Bistro, Auckland

* Best smart dining (metropolitan): The French Cafe, Auckland

* Best smart dining (regional): First equal - Bouterey's, Nelson, and Deco, Whangarei

* Best neighbourhood restaurant: Ambeli, Wellington

* Best specialist restaurant: O'Sarracino, Auckland

* Best winery restaurant: Pegasus Bay Winery, Waipara, Canterbury

- NZPA