Cuisine Good Food Awards celebrate NZ's best dining at the Auckland museum.

The best in New Zealand's restaurant scene have been announced, with stalwart The French Cafe ending up on top.

The Auckland restaurant took out two of the top awards in the 2016 Cuisine Good Food Awards, best restaurant and best metropolitan restaurant.

The awards were announced at the Auckland Museum on Monday night, with many of New Zealand's most recognisable chefs, restaurateurs and critics in attendance.

Jay Creaghan The French Cafe has triumphed as Simon Wright, left, and Creghan Molloy-Wright fuse their considerable skills to create an international dining experience.

A panel of 40 judges canvassed the country's best restaurants to find a winner and ended up awarding more hats than ever before.

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Tony Nyberg Vittoria Coffee Chef of the Year Sid Sahrawat's evolution and consistant improvement sealed his spot as top chef.

Head of the assessment board Kerry Tyack said The French Cafe was consistently a restaurant of international calibre.

It had "impeccable style, consistency and a core of refined and expertly modulated dining in all respects", Tyack said.

"It must be a standard setter, a beacon of quality for others to emulate."

Maarten Holl The Larder's Jacob Brown and Kenwood Restaurant Personality of the Year Sarah Bullock.

Along with the top title, The French Cafe also won Sanpellegrino Best Metropolitan Restaurant.

Sid Sahrawat, chef-owner at Sidart and Cassia in Auckland, took out chef of the year.

Tyack said Sahrawat impressed with his passion, innovation, commitment and consistency – a chef "clearly in the ascendancy".

Tony Nyberg Sid Sahrawat's carrot cooked in sauternes, sorrel and basil, which is served at Sidart.

Sarah Bullock from The Larder was named restaurant personality of the year, with the judges praising the maitre d' as someone who "embodies the concept of service" and understands the importance of hospitality.

Cuisine editor Kelli Brett expressed her congratulations to all the winners.

"New Zealand's food story is evolving. It is such an exciting time as chefs and restaurants work to establish an identity that will showcase the incredible ingredients we have here," Brett said.

"This year we have awarded more hats than ever before, which indicates the steady growth of our restaurant industry."

A total of 74 hats were awarded in 2016.

For full profiles of the winners and other top restaurants listed in the Cuisine NZ Good Food Awards 2016, go to cuisinegoodfoodawards.co.nz or get the guide free with the September issue, on sale 15 August 2016.

WINNERS

Cuisine Restaurant of the Year: The French Cafe

Sanpellegrino Best Metropolitan Restaurant: The French Cafe

Runner-up: Pescatore

Vittoria Coffee Chef of the Year: Sid Sahrawat, Sidart, Cassia

Runner-up: Michael Meredith, Merediths

Monteith's Best Specialist Restaurant: Cocoro

Runner-up: Cassia

Ora King Salmon Innovation Award: Tom Hishon, Orphans Kitchen

Stuff.co.nz Best Regional Restaurant: Pacifica

Runner-up: Victoria Street Bistro

Whitestone Cheese Best Winery Restaurant: Pegasus Bay

Runner-up: Amisfield

​Negociants New Zealand Best Wine Experience: Apero

Kenwood Restaurant Personality Of The Year: Sarah Bullock, The Larder

Neighbourly Best New Regional Restaurant: Bistronomy

Opawa Wine Best Drinks List: Charley Noble

Neat Meat Best New Metropolitan Restaurant: Phil's Kitchen

2016 HAT RECIPIENTS

Scores out of 20 determine a restaurant's hat rating. One hat is (15/20) is considered very good, two hats (16-17) is great to excellent and three hats (18-20) mean a restaurant is consistently amazing and among the very best.

THREE HATS

Cocoro, Auckland

Kazuya, Auckland

Merediths (Runner-up Vittoria Coffee Chef Of The Year (Michael Meredith)), Auckland

Roots, Canterbury

Sidart, Auckland

The French Cafe, Auckland

The Grove, Auckland

TWO HATS

Amisfield (runner-up Whitestone Cheese Best Winery Restaurant), Central Otago

Baduzzi, Auckland

Cassia (runner-up Monteith's best specialist restaurant), Auckland

Clooney, Auckland

Orphans Kitchen, Auckland

Pacifica, Hawke's Bay

Pegasus Bay, Canterbury

Pescatore (runner-up Sanpellegrino Best Metropolitan Restaurant), Canterbury

The Grill by Sean Connolly, Auckland

The Larder, Wellington

Victoria Street Bistro (Runner-up Stuff.co.nz Best Regional Restaurant), Waikato

ONE HAT

Apero, Auckland

Bistro Gentil, Central Otago

Bistronomy, Hawke's Bay

Black Estate, Canterbury

Botswana Butchery, Central Otago

Bracken, Dunedin

Bracu, Auckland

Cazador, Auckland

Charley Noble, Wellington

Depot, Auckland

Elephant Hill, Hawke's Bay

Field & Green (runner-up Neat Meat Best New Metropolitan Restaurant), Wellington

Fishbone, Central Otago

Gusto at the Grand, Auckland

Hippopotamus, Wellington

Ima, Auckland

Jano Bistro, Wellington

Logan Brown, Wellington

Masu, Auckland

Mister D, Hawke's Bay

Ortega Fish Shack, Wellington

Palate, Waikato

Phil's Kitchen, Auckland

Ponsonby Road Bistro, Auckland

Rata, Central Otago

Soul Bar & Bistro, Auckland

Te Awa, Hawke's Bay

The Engine Room, Auckland

The Sugar Club, Auckland

WBC, Wellington

Whitebait, Wellington

An earlier version of this story incorrectly included Terroir at Craggy Range on the list of one-hat restaurants.

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