Wenty Leagues scoops ClubsNSW 2021 Perfect Plate Awards
NSW’s top club feeds have been announced as venues prepare for their post-lockdown comeback.
NSW
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Punters have more than a cold pint to look forward to as clubs reopen post-lockdown.
They can also prepare themselves for top-notch cuisine, with the state’s best club feeds announced in the ClubsNSW 2021 Your Local Club Perfect Plate Awards on Wednesday night.
Proving that you don’t need to go to an inner-city hotspot for great food and wine, Western Sydney watering hole, Wenty Leagues, claimed the top gong with its smoked 1.2kg Junee lamb shoulder.
The win is a glimmer of light for the club which has been shut since June.
Wenty Leagues chief executive Glenn Kovacs said fine dining was booming in the suburbs, and with heightened competition across the hospitality industry, venues have had to lift their game.
“Everyone’s a home chef now — they have high expectations when they go out,” he said.
Award ambassadors Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge sampled Perfect Plate entries on a tour of NSW clubs pre-lockdown and for Feildel, it was an eye-opener.
“I hadn’t spent very much time in clubs (before), but the calibre of food is incredible,” he said.
“You don’t need to go to a fine dining restaurant — it’s right there at your local club.”
Wednesday night’s Zoom ceremony saw Feildel announce 16 winning dishes, as voted by diners, from nearly 160 clubs.
As clubs in some regional areas begin to resume trade, ClubsNSW boss Josh Landis encouraged the public to celebrate the end of lockdowns with a club feed.
“Clubs in NSW plate up some of the best food in the country,” he said.
Recent years have seen clubs invest millions in world-class facilities and, with localism forecast to be a lasting post-pandemic trend, Mr Kovacs is preparing to be busy once doors reopen.
“After the last lockdown, the restaurant queues on Friday and Saturday night stretched a good 500 metres out the door,” he said.
“We can’t wait to welcome people back.”
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