Celebrity chefs Matt Moran and Courtney Roulston have embarked on a road trip across NSW in search of the best club meal.
As ambassadors for the 2024 Your Local Club Perfect Plate Awards, Moran and Roulston visited four Central Coast clubs on Monday, May 20, in their quest to find the perfect plate taking in Doyalson Wyee RSL Club, Halekulani Bowling Club, Shelly Beach Golf Club and The Ary Toukley.
The pair will be sampling as many of the 170-plus competition dishes as possible, which range from the Seared Canadian Scallops with Green Pea and Bacon Risotto at Dee Why RSL to the Slow Braised Duck and Mushroom Ragout Pappardelle Pasta at the Belmont 16s Sailing Club.
The public is encouraged to visit participating NSW clubs — of which there are 148 — taste the Perfect Plate dish or dishes on offer and give them a score out of five by scanning each eatery’s unique QR code or filling out a simple paper form.
ClubsNSW CEO Rebecca Riant said the Perfect Plate Awards were designed to showcase the incredible quality and diversity of food on offer in NSW clubs.
“We are thrilled to have Matt Moran and Courtney Roulston back as ambassadors for the competition again this year — their names are synonymous with culinary excellence in Australia and they both started their careers in clubs, which is very fitting,” Riant said.
A new category has been introduced for the 2024 Perfect Plate Awards, Best Dessert, which has attracted a sweet selection of entries including Cessnock Leagues Club’s Salted Caramel and Apple Pudding and The Verandah Beecroft’s Cinnamon Creme Brulee with Candied Orange and Almond Biscotti.
While diners can only vote for each Perfect Plate dish once, they are encouraged to taste as many competition dishes at as many NSW clubs as possible to boost their chances of winning a prize.
A $100 eftpos gift card will be given away every day of the competition and the two diners who vote for the most Perfect Plate dishes will win a foodie getaway for two valued at more than $3,000 each.
The 13 clubs that receive the highest average score for their dishes based on patron ratings will be crowned the winner of their respective region.
There will also be three statewide winners announced in the small, medium and large club categories, as well as one statewide winner in the new Best Dessert category.
Moran, who started his career at Parramatta RSL (now known as Club Parramatta), said he was keen to visit clubs in rural areas on his travels as an ambassador for Perfect Plate.
As a fourth-generation farmer, he’s hoping club chefs take the chance to highlight local produce in their competition dishes.
“I want to see clubs utilise as much fresh, local produce as possible and plate up dishes that take them out of their comfort zone a little bit,” he said.
“An award-winning dish to me is great produce that’s perfectly balanced.”
Roulston began her career at the beloved “bowlo” in Putney, which she went on to manage for 11 years, and she is equally as excited to hit the road for the Perfect Plate competition.
“I think chefs always cook better if they’re cooking something they’re familiar with, something from their heritage, or something that they have a passion for,” she said.
“That’s when they do their best cooking and that’s what I’m looking forward to seeing this year.”
The Your Local Club Perfect Plate Awards are now in their fourth year, with a lobster dish taking out the top spot in the statewide large club category in 2023, challenging the notion of what many would consider a typical club meal.
To find out more about the Perfect Plate Awards, including details about participating eateries and competition dishes, visit perfectplate.com.au.