RESTAURANT RECEIVES THIRD TOP GONG IN A ROW AT RESTAURANT INDUSTRY AWARDS

Steamers Bar and Grill has again won the “Contemporary Australian Restaurant – Informal” category at the 2022 NSW Australia Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence, their 3^rd win in as many years!

Following their 2019 success, in the aforementioned category and subsequent silver at the national awards in the same year, the annual awards ceased during covid – a demonstration on how the pandemic rocked the hospitality industry.

Business owner Caroline Brinsmead commented on the award “Paramount to the success of any business is undoubtedly the team which executes your aspirations and we have the best in the restaurant game.” She continued, “From the leadership team, to kitchen and front of house staff, including our trainee waiters who are still at school, the customer journey is paramount to everything we do at Steamers Bar and Grill. We represent a highly enthusiastic and committed staff, each aspiring to provide the best possible dining experience for our guests.”

Recently celebrating their 5th year, Steamers Bar and Grill has quickly become an institution in the Wollongong food scene.

At the helm of the Steamers ship is Executive Chef Paul Hamilton. Commenting on the award, Chef Hamilton says “I’m so incredibly proud of our crew, this is undeniably a team effort and is a reflection their dedication and passion for our craft”

He continued, “with staff heralding from around the globe, we’re inspired to bring these international influences to our dishes to deliver a diverse collision of flavours to the menu – the character representing the street food scene from around the world.”

With dishes like wood-fired jerk chicken, kung pao bao buns, Tuscan goat pie, Louisiana creole gumbo and Sicilian ravioli to name a few, the menu is guaranteed to take you on a globe hopping gastronomic exploration.

More than 250 local restaurants, cafes and catering businesses gathered to celebrate the achievements of their peers who were judged in over 80 categories, with the winners announced at the Awards for Excellence ceremony held at Royal Randwick Racecourse.

The Awards for Excellence is a nationally recognised, independently judged awards program that celebrates exceptional service and culinary talent across the state. The Awards for Excellence is the only program in Australia where the judging criteria is determined by consumers who rank what is important to them in the dining experience.

The Awards are judged by an independent team of trained judges who anonymously visit the venues to determine the restaurant/café winners. The scores are based on the entire dining experience from food to the customer service experienced when the judges anonymously dine.

Restaurants are assessed on all aspects of their business including operations, exceptional food, outstanding service, efficient staffing and event/site outcomes to determine the category winners.

R&CA CEO Belinda Clarke says, “Steamers Bar and Grill should be immensely proud of this win. The past two years have been incredibly tough for the entire hospitality industry in Australia but success stories like this show how far hard work can take you. With the right mix of staff, products, produce and service, the results can be extraordinary.”

Restaurant Manager, Romain Bastaniel commented “It has been a tough couple of years for the hospitality industry, but it also compelled us to be innovative, dynamic and resilient and in turn we have emerged stronger.

Not only does this award recognize the exceptional offering here at Steamers; but with three local restaurants taking home winners in category in these awards, it demonstrates that Wollongong is an established hub in the bar and restaurant scene.”

R&CA is the industry association representing tens of thousands of restaurant and catering businesses across Australia. To view the full list of category winners in the 2022 Australia Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence, visit the R&CA website at www.rca.asn.au.

Images attached. Pictured (Left to Right) Restaurant Managers Majdouline Dhabi & Romain Bastianel, Bar Manager Joshua Storey, Supervisor Lola Brown, Executive Chef Paul Hamilton, Managing Director Jim Eddy, Owner Caroline Brinsmead, Supervisor Neil Cavill