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The recently announced 2011 Australian Good Food Guide Chefs Hats Awards has once again reaffirmed the Hunter Valley as a food lovers sanctuary with 6 of its restaurants receiving the highly covered Chef Hat awards.

Rock Restaurant was the Hunter Valley’s most highly awarded restaurant, receiving 15 chef hats. Andrew Clarke continues to impress judges and diners alike with his continued focus on a stunning mixture of Australian cuisine with a touch of classical French influence. Closely following Rock is Muse Restaurant who scored a 14 chef hat rating with Robert Molines, Bistro Molines, taking out the Hunter Valley’s third highest rating with 13 chef hats.

One of the Hunter Valley’s newest dining experiences, Emerson’s at Pokolbin, made an impressive entrance to the AGFG, receiving 12 chef hats.  First established in 1982, Emerson’s head chef Emerson Rodriguez, has given the iconic restaurant a new lease on life, using his 16 year’s of experience in the industry to create a stunning menu that showcases some of the Hunter Valley’s finest local produce.

Rounding out the top 6 restaurants was one of the Hunter Valley’s most iconic dining venues, Robert’s Restaurant and Broke Fordwich’s Margan Restaurant, both receiving 12 chef hat awards. 2011 has already proved to be a successful one for Margan Restaurant who were awarded Sustainable Restaurant of the Year and Best Regional Wine List of Year with the 2011 SMH Good Food Guide Awards. Located on 320 acres of vineyards in the beautiful sub-region of Broke Fordwich, Margan Restaurant focuses on simple Mediterranean inspired cuisine which is changed monthly to reflect the season and so as the freshest possible produce can be sourced from the local area.

The Australian Good Food and Travel Guides Chef Hat's have been awarded to discerning Chefs around Australia since 1982. These awards are the result of careful consideration and deliberation. Inspectors appointed by the AGFG dine anonymously. Their reviews and the votes of the dining public, who generously send in their comments throughout the year, determine these results.