Revealed: The people’s pick for NSW’s best restaurant in the delicious.100

Talk about turning the tables. Public voters defied the critics to pick a neighbourhood bistro in Randwick as the best restaurant in NSW in the delicious.100.

The people have spoken. A neighbourhood bistro in Randwick has won the public vote to be named the best restaurant in NSW.

Following the release of the delicious.100 earlier this month, the wider public were invited to take on the role of reviewer and vote for their own number one.

As per the annual tradition, many of the critic’s top picks got the thumbs down from by the wider public, while others made tremendous leaps and bounds towards the top of the list.

Clove Lane was one such restaurant, which was ranked #100 in NSW by the delicious. food critics. In a surprise twist, the suburban diner jumped 100 places to take out the number one spot in the People’s Choice Award.

Chef-owner of Clove Lane Emile Avramides was surprised to hear the news on Monday morning.

The Clove Lane team at work in the kitchen. Picture: Supplied

“Just to be included in the delicious.100 in the first place was incredible. It’s overwhelming to find out we’ve been voted as number one. We’re a small neighbourhood bistro so to see that support from the community has blown us away.”

The delicious.100 review for Clove Lane praised the diner for bringing fine-dining sensibility to the suburbs, while still maintaining neighbourhood prices.

Great tastes: Some of the fare served up at Clove Lane. Picture: Supplied

“Clove Lane looks like any other neighbourhood bistro. Inside, polished floorboards and a burgundy paint job give nothing away. It’s only when you see a menu that you realise there’s something different about this place,” the review reads.

“Raw kingfish is cloaked in a chilli coconut laksa-style dressing. Stracciatella is dusted in a hemp seed dukkah. Blackened barbecued potatoes are served in their skins, crowned with whipped ricotta and crispy chicken skin.”

Despite recent challenges, Avramides has worked hard to keep his prices within reach.

Lankan Filling Station was a close second in the popular pick for best restaurant. Picture: Supplied

“When food prices started to go up, we sat down as a team and decided we weren’t going to cut corners or compromise on the quality of our produce. Instead, we decided we were just going to have to work harder, using different cuts or ingredients, and rely on our skill to bring them up to that level.”

Close behind in the 2022 delicious.100 People’s Choice Award was Lankan Filling Station, a Sri Lankan diner in Darlinghurst which was named the second best restaurant in NSW.

Chippendale smokehouse LP’s Quality Meats headed up by hospo heavyweight Luke Powell took out third place.

LP’s Quality Meats has recently announced that it will close its restaurant to focus on its wholesale business, but will still be available to try at Sydney’s Carriageworks Markets.