I'm extremely happy and proud. The whole team is extremely proud. It's been a great journey. We've only been open for two and half years. We can't be happier.
- Jordy Moffat
EAST Maitland's Valley Restaurant has taken home a silver medal during a prestigious national hospitality awards ceremony.
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The restaurant won silver in the best restaurant in a pub/club/tavern in Australia category at the Savour Australia Restaurant and Catering National Awards 2019.
Chef Jordy Moffat and his team claimed the title at an awards night in Brisbane over the weekend.
"I'm extremely happy and proud. The whole team is proud. It's been a great journey," he said.
"We've only been open for two and a half years. We didn't win the first year that we entered, and this year we won regionals. Then we had a win at nationals so we couldn't be happier."
The ethos of the restaurant is about offering customers a unique and diverse dining experience.
"It's a different style. Everywhere else in the area is general pub food. We've got 20 different sides and 10 different sauces to choose from," he said.
"It puts a lot of extra pressure on the kitchen because every docket is different. Everything is made from scratch. It gives the customers a better dining experience.
"From when we first opened, it took off from the very start which I was extremely surprised about. But we've been flat out ever since."
The extensive menu of sides includes pear and goats cheese salad, sauteed green beans and bacon, mushroom risotto and southern style creamy coleslaw.
Main meals include char-grilled pork cutlet, rib eye steak and snapper fillet which can be served alongside an impressive list of housemade sauces such as Lemon caramel, teriyaki sauce, red wine jus and nan jim.
Since the age of 14, Chef Moffat has been in the industry and even worked in at a number of hatted restaurants across the globe.
In fact, hospitality runs through his veins with his family behind Port Stephens' Moffat's Oyster Barn and Fisherman's Village Resort.
But Chef Moffat said the main ingredient of the restaurant's success was employing and keeping good staff.
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