Waterline Restaurant takes out top gongs in state awards

The Waterline Restaurant at Keppel Bay Marina was recognised alongside the best restaurants in Queensland on Tuesday night at a gala presentation in Brisbane City Hall.

The Waterline was a finalist in three categories and won the state award for Best Tourism Restaurant and for Contemporary Australian Cuisine for North Queensland.

Executive chef Matt Smith said being acknowledged by the industry's peak body for excellence was a great credit to The Waterline team and great recognition for the region.

The Waterline Restaurant's chef Jacob Saunders, executive chef Matt Smith and chef Phil Scott with their awards.

"Our restaurant was judged against the best restaurants across the State, so to have a restaurant from the Capricorn Coast take home two awards really builds the profile of the coast as a dining destination," he said.

The Restaurant and Catering Awards recognise excellence in food, service, commitment to excellence and industry best practice.

"It is a great acknowledgement for our staff and a great motivation to keep the team striving to improve the customer experience" Mr Smith said.

Restaurant and Catering Australia chief executive John Hart said the winners were judged and rigorously reviewed among 1,500 entrants in one of the most objective awards systems.

"The awards look at the entire dining experience, rather than a single food or service dimension," he said.

The Waterline also recently won the Best Regional Red Meat Restaurant at the Red Meat Innovation Awards held during the Brisbane Exhibition.

The winning businesses will now compete with other regional finalists in the National finals to be held at Royal Randwick in Sydney on Monday, October 28.

Source: The Daily Mercury, 13 September 2013