No 2 Oak Street in Bellingen has been named the region’s top place to dine in the 2009 Restaurant & Catering NSW Awards for Excellence for the Northern NSW region. The restaurant also won the Lower North Coast Contemporary Australian Restaurant category.

More than 30 restaurants and caterers whose businesses are located in the region were recognised at the ceremony last night (June 29) at the Novotel Pacific Bay Resort, Coffs Harbour to acknowledge excellence in food and service.

Joining No 2 Oak Street in the winners’ circle was Pronto Catering in Tamworth who was named the region’s Caterer of the Year and Wedding Caterer.

Both No 2 Oak Street and Pronto Catering will now compete with venues from across NSW in the regional finals in early September this year.

The Region extends to the plains of Moree from Tweed Heads, down to Tamworth, across to Foster and up the Coast to Coffs Harbour. CEO, Robert Goldman commented, “the Northern Region represents several of the states tourism and dining treasures. The restaurants and caterers reflect the rich use of regional produce making the region unique in comparison to other regions.

The Awards represent an important moment as the industry paused to honor these outstanding venues who were reviewed on the whole dining experience rather than a single dimension. The awards are judged by a team of 50 judges who anonymously visited the venues to determine the winners”.

Restaurant & Catering NSW represents 2200 restaurants and caterers in NSW. Each year over 900 members are reviewed. For the most definitive restaurant guide visit www.restaurantandcatering.com