Best New Restaurant 2009

Gold: La Quercia

Silver: Cibo
Bronze: Voya
Honourable Mention: La Brasserie & Les Faux Bourgeois

La Quercia takes top prize for being “the perfect neighbourhood restaurant in the right place at the right time”—our judges loved the ever-evolving menu of Italian classics and chef/owners Lucais Syme and Adam Pegg (ex-Parkside and Cioppino’s) for constructing “a room with heart and, more importantly, superlative food.” Silver to Cibo, where ex-River Café chef Neil Taylor turns out plate after plate of intensely flavoured rustic Northern Italian fare. Voya nabs Bronze for Marc-Andre Choquette’s small-plates prowess—“the impressive lineup is an unmistakable homage to his time helming the kitchen at Lumière.” Honourable Mentions to La Brasserie for addressing the West End’s need for a no-nonsense bistro (bonus points for the ridiculously low markup on Champagne) and to Les Faux Bourgeois with its smart menu brimming with French classics in a room that truly buzzes.