Good Food Guide 2023: Meet the NSW New Restaurant of the Year finalists

When the first Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide was released, almost 40 years ago, yum cha was the hottest dining trend. A decade later, sushi had taken hold. When the new edition of the guide is published in less than two weeks, it will be Spanish food's time to shine.

The Good Food Guide 2023 is set to include six Spanish-influenced restaurants; four more than last year thanks to a string of new openings specialising in pintxos, tapas and legs of luscious, fancy ham. Two of the venues are finalists for the guide's New Restaurant of the Year award, too.

Representing north-east Spain's autonomous Catalonia community is Potts Point's Parlar. In the corner for the Basque Country (found further to Spain's north) is Gildas in Surry Hills.

Gildas' owner-chef Lennox Hastie plays down the regional rivalry and says it's fantastic to see more Sydneysiders being introduced to different styles of Spanish cuisine.

"In Australia, we often categorise Spanish food as all being the same," he says. "But when you dig a bit deeper, there's so much to it. It took us a while to understand the various regions of Italy, for example, but there's similar diversity in Spain."

Broadly, Basque food is big on cured meats, salted fish, incredible dairy and vegetables, says Hastie, who spent five years cooking in the region and opened Gildas largely because he misses the area's flavour profiles.

The Basque Country's relative isolation also means a lot of food is preserved. Cooking over fire is common and toothpick-spiked snacks – pintxos – are a staple of San Sebastian bars.

In Catalonia, where tapas-loving Barcelona is the capital, dishes tend to be highly seasonal thanks to an abundance of markets. The mar i muntanya (sea and mountains) often come together on the same plate, such as squid stuffed with minced pork.

"When I think of Catalan cooking, I think of big-flavoured, wholesome dishes with a lot of tomatoes, peppers and paprika," says Parlar chef Jose Saulog. "I think of a lot of stews.

"However, because we're aiming to deliver a two-hatted fine-dining experience, we can't just put super traditional stuff on the plate. I'm also taking inspiration from restaurants in Barcelona, where the new kids on the block are using ingredients from all over Europe and even Asia."

Restaurateur Andrew Becher says he was inspired to open Parlar after several trips to Spain.

"Barcelona has loads of Michelin-starred restaurants and it's a melting pot of cuisines. When I came back to Australia, I was blown away that Catalan-style food was so under-represented especially when we have such good produce in NSW."

A signature Parlar tapa is the "pan tomate" featuring thinly sliced yellow and red tomato layered across toast like tiny terracotta tiles. At Gildas, unsurprisingly, the go-to is the gilda, a skewer of anchovy, olive and preserved pepper.

Gildas can also be found at Enmore's new tapas destination Bar Louise, not to mention several Mediterranean-inspired restaurants listed in The Good Food Guide's forthcoming edition such as Coogee's Una Mas and Newtown's Continental Delicatessen.

Other New Restaurant of the Year finalists are gilda-free zones, but Kiln at Surry Hills' Ace Hotel might have the closest thing to an Australian version of the snack – anchovy and butter on a Jatz.

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2023 New Restaurant of the Year Finalists

Aalia, Sydney

Chef Paul Farag plays with ideas from Lebanon, Egypt and beyond, building in detail, acidity and beautifully puffy breads. One of the CBD's most ambitious restaurants.

Gildas, Surry Hills

A sherry-heavy taverna heightened by modern Sydney glam. Attractive inner-easters flock here to order vermouth martinis and the namesake skewer of green olive, Olasagasti anchovy, piparras pepper and preserved lemon.

Kiln, Surry Hills

Perched on the rooftop of Ace Hotel, Kiln attracts a lively, arty, crafty crowd who are just plain happy to be there. Almost every dish on chef Mitch Orr's tight menu is touched by smoke, ash or fire, aligned with a contemporary focus on seafood and vegetables.

Parlar, Potts Point

A smart, considered package from opening salt-cod croquette to closing crema Catalana. This is high-end tapas to suit an intimate, plush dining room.

Viand, Woolloomooloo

Salted duck-egg relish with scampi and sweet, caramelised, aged pork? Those who know their Thai food will immediately recognise that Viand is something special. Chef Annita Potter makes every paste, relish and broth from scratch.

The Good Food Guide 2023 magazine is on sale from November 22 for $9.95 at newsagents and supermarkets or pre-order from thestore.com.au.