New Pokolbin restaurant Muse has swept to success, gaining a coveted one chef's hat rating in the widely respected Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide.
The restaurant, established in March 2009 by Megan and Troy Rhoades-Brown, was the only Hunter restaurant to go up in ranking in the guide.
Restaurant II and The Old George and Dragon have lost their hatted status.
Bolton Street's Restaurant II changed ownership in April this year while The Old George and Dragon, at East Maitland, could not hold its ranking despite being hatted 13 times in its history.
Both restaurants lost their one chef's hat ranking, while King Street restaurant Bacchus maintained its one-hat status along with Nelson Bay's Zest and Bistro Molines at Mount View.
Rock Restaurant at Pokolbin remains the pinnacle of Hunter dining, maintaining its status as the region's only two-hatted restaurant.
It was a night of surprises, as internationally renowned restaurant Tetsuya's lost a chef's hat.
The Sydney restaurant, run by the chef and owner Tetsuya Wakuda, now has two chef's hats instead of three. Tetsuya's has been awarded the top prize of three hats every year since 1992.
The Sydney restaurant is one of Australia's best-known, and recognised internationally as No.38 on the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants list. with SMH
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