Moonah

The waterside 12-seater in Connewarre, near Torquay, is this year’s Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of the Year.

The Guide says: Ingredients come from no further than 200 kilometres away, in a tribute to this part of Victoria. Chef of the Year finalist Tobin Kent and his team have most likely grown, foraged or fermented what’s on the menu, whether that’s abalone, duck sausage, an heirloom apple or fresh curd cheese. They will pour you wine from small vessels made of clay, that’s dug from the restaurant’s nearby farm.

Some dishes may remind you of the salty breeze that blows along the Great Ocean Road, others of the nearby Otways forest. This is hyper-regional cooking, fundamentally connected to the place where you’re dining.

“The biggest compliment, for me personally, the reason, is to be understood and appreciated for what we do, and [those words, above, show Good Food] understands exactly what we do. And for [Good Food] to see that and share that with all you, is the biggest compliment,” Kent says.