Magill Estate wins SA award

The Magill Estate has again scooped the SA Restaurant & Catering Awards for Excellence.

Extraordinarily, it has been named South Australia’s best restaurant for the third time in four years at the local industry awards.

The prestige diner is well known around Australia as part of the Penfolds cellar door complex.

It was a big night for Magill Estates. It was by far the biggest of more than 60 winners in the SA Restaurant & Catering Awards for Excellence.

And it scored a place in the awards’ Hall of Fame category, sitting alongside Red Cacao (Bakery/Patisserie/Dessert Bar), Gaucho’s (Steak) and Golden Boy (Thai).

And the awards featured some other big winners too.

These included Concubine (Chinese), Indii of Clare (Indian), Chianti (Italian – formal), Hortas, Port Noarlunga (Seafood) and Level One at Electra House (Asian).

The Cafe of the Year award went to Cafe Alere at Flinders University and the National Wine Centre won the Caterer of the Year award.

The Lifetime Achiever Award went to Vittorio Ventura, one of the first restaurants to bring Italian food to Adelaide in the 1960s. It also operated a string of restaurants including Campari, Via Veneto, Settebello and Al Fresco Gelateria,

Ventura is still working and more recently, he has been involved in Ruby Red Flamingo, Tony Tomatoes and Spaghetti Crab, with his son, Walter, along with some other partners.

“He is a stalwart and has contributed an enormous amount to the food scene in the state,” Sally Neville, the deputy chief executive for Restaurant & Catering Australia told the Adelaide Advertiser.

“He has made a significant mark on hospitality in Adelaide and continues to do so.”

Ms Neville also made special mention of Magill Estate and singled out the cooking of chef Scott Huggins.

“It’s a fine dining experience but the food is still approachable,” she told the Adelaide Advertiser.

Winners will be competing in the national awards, announced in Sydney in October.

17th July 2018