Bespoke Port Melbourne dining experience The Graham Hotel has taken out the 2014 Victoria Metropolitan Restaurant Award for ‘Best restaurant in a pub, club and tavern’ category.
Given by Restaurant and Catering Australia – the national association representing 35,000 catering businesses across Australia – the award comes as the business run by Peter and Tony Giannakis has expanded, with two new dining areas added to the classy, crisp feel of the original dining room.
While The Graham has been a popular fixture on the Melbourne gastropub scene for more than a decade, this latest award suggests its ascent as a fine dining experience is set to continue.
Peter Giannakis told Neos Kosmos that the award reflected The Graham’s intention to “raise the bar” for a restaurant already recognised as a top performer.
“It’s something we keep striving for,” says Giannakis, who opened The Graham with brother Tony 13 years ago.
“Dining has become so sophisticated in Melbourne, and between our kitchen team and our front of house team, we’ve been making small changes to the style of service, the structure of the menu, and even aesthetic changes to the building, all to present the product better.”
Following recent refurbishment of the historic 1870s building which houses The Graham, the restaurant broke its record for the number of covers in an evening, with over 100 meals being served.
“We’ve created a different dynamic here now,” says Giannakis. “We can accommodate more people, so it’s a bigger beast to manage”.
Increasing business has also meant three extra staff jobs have been created – one in the kitchen and two to maintain The Graham’s silky-smooth customer service in the larger but no less intimate environment.
The Graham’s Restaurant and Catering Australia award comes a month before the prestigious Good Food Guide Awards run by The Age, which bestows Chef’s Hats as the ultimate commercial dining accolade in Victoria.
“Last time we missed out on a Chef’s Hat by half a point,” says Giannakis, “so this is timely for us.”
In winning the RCA award, The Graham Hotel beat fellow finalists including The Grand Dining Room in Richmond, which has held on to a coveted Chef’s Hat for the past four years.