2008 Best on the Best: Bruno Loubet, chef, Baguette, Brisbane

The Chefs

*Alla Wolf-Tasker, chef/owner, Lake House, Daylesford

*Andrew McConnell, chef, Three, One, Two, Melbourne

*Peter Gilmore, chef, Quay, Sydney

*Bruno Loubet, chef, Baguette, Brisbane

*Nick Holloway, chef/co-owner, Nu Nu, Palm Cove

*David Coomer, chef, Star Anise, Perth

*Chui Lee Luk, chef/owner, Claude’s, Sydney

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

*Jason Peppler, chef/owner, Isis, Brisbane

*Shannon Bennett, chef/owner, Vue de Monde, Melbourne

My favourite food shops are Rosalie Gourmet Market (164 Baroona Rd, Rosalie, Qld, 07 3876 6222) – it’s really like a deli we’d had when we lived in France and England; and Chouquette Boulangerie (19 Barker St, New Farm, Qld, 07 3358 6336). This bakery has only been opened a few months but it is so busy. Again, it’s just like home. My favourite café? Freestyle Tout (1000 Ann St, Fortitude Valley, Qld, 07 3252 0214) at Emporium has great coffee and my daughters love all the desserts. My favourite cheese right now would be a ripe Le Blochon, a cheese very similar to Reblochon made by Maleny Cheese. My favourite Australian food products are wagyu beef, lilly pilly berries, finger limes, and Cobram Estate olive oil.

**ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Kitchenware supplier** Myer Indooroopilly (Westfield Shoppingtown, Indooroopilly, Qld, 07 3720 4100) for china and home kitchenware and Executive Chef (132 Merivale St, South Brisbane, 07 3844 4413) in South Brisbane for the professional stuff.

Bottle shopVintage Cellars in Indooroopilly (34 Coonan Street Indooroopilly, Qld 07 3878 9444) has a fantastic selection of both local and European wines.

Winery The Sirromet Mount Cotton winery. We love going there for Sunday lunch. The setting is superb and so is the view. It’s very kid friendly and great to take our visiting relatives for the winery tour.

Drinking hole Cru Bar in New Farm (221 James St, Fortitude Valley, Qld 07 3252 2400), and the bar at Belle Époque (1000 Ann St, Fortitude Valley, Qld, 07 3852 1500) in the Emporium, having said that, the best place would be our home where we do lots of entertaining.

RestaurantAbsynthe (Q1 Resort, Gold Coast Hwy, Surfers Paradise, Qld, 07 5504 6466) on the Gold Coast for serious food, Montrachet (224 Given Tce, Paddington, Qld, 07 3367 0030) for the whole package, and 100 Acre Bar (St Lucia Golf Links, Carawa St, St Lucia, Qld, 07 3870 3433) in St Lucia for a family brunch/lunch with a great setting and atmosphere. Then there’s Tukka (145B Boundary Street, West End, Qld, 07 3846 6333) where a French chef cooks with bush ingredients.

Baguette, 150 Racecourse Rd, Ascot, Qld, (07) 3268 6168, www.baguette.com.au.

The Gourmet Traveller Team

Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking, dining, travelling and shopping. Our critics bring the expertise of years of critical eating, drinking and writing to the table. Plus, as the country’s leading title in the luxury sector, Gourmet Traveller works closely with Australia’s leaders in the travel and hospitality industries to give our readers exclusive access. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.