Unlucky 13 lose their hats at Good Food Guide Awards 2016

While Bridge Room pulled off the restaurant equivalent of an Edmund Hillary at The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards presented by Vittoria and Citi on Monday night, planting a flag at the three-hat summit. It was a different story back at base camp in the one-hat level.

It could be dubbed the Night of the Long Knives, with no less than 13 restaurants losing a toque. The casualty list included Flying Fish, Cafe Sopra, Bar H, Aki's and 4Fourteen, all eliminated from one-hat status.

Throw in a couple of one-hat restaurants that suffered an even worse fate: one-hatted Fish Face and Arras closed their doors, so they are also off the list.

On the flip side, seven restaurants were bumped up from no hats to one. New Guide editor Myffy Rigby's first year in the chair ushered in a good mix of old and new, with Paddington's Guillaume debuting with two hats (as did the Quay-backed restaurant in Guillaume Brahimi's​ old digs at Bennelong). Stalwart Cottage Point Inn climbed to two hats, as did the pop up quickly bedding itself as a permanent fixture on the Sydney dining scene, Cafe Paci.

The big winner on the night was Sydney's next generation (apart from Momofuku Seiobo,​ which got knocked off the three-hat perch) – the new one-hatted names include: ACME, LPs, Firedoor, Sagra, Ajo and 10 William.

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2016 will be available for $10 with the Herald this Saturday. It can also be purchased in selected bookshops and online at smhshop.com.au/smhgfg2016 for $24.99.