Kakadu Lodge sets the gold standard

Head Chef Cameron Loftus and Kakadu Lodge General Manager Peter Wilson bring home the 2014 AHA Gold Plate Award to the Lodge's Poolside Bar and Bistro in Jabiru. Kakadu Lodge won the Award for Best Wayside Inn Dining in the Northern Territory.

JABIRU may be a remote community, but it boasts some of the finest dining experiences in the Northern Territory. For locals in the know, this has never been in doubt. But Kakadu Lodge now has the official, gilt-edged proof straight from the Australian Hotels Association (AHA).

The local Poolside Bar and Bistro picked up the Award for Best Wayside Inn Dining at the 2014 AHA (NT) harbottle on-premise Gold Plate Awards Gala Dinner on Monday 27 October.

Kakadu Lodge General Manager Peter Wilson said he was extremely pleased with the win, especially since it was the first time they had entered the Awards.

"Kakadu Lodge also placed in the top three for Casual Dining in the Northern Territory, which was the most competitive category," Mr Wilson said. "I'm really pleased for our three chefs, and our bar manager Alice, who have all been with us for some time. They work pretty hard, so the pleasure for me is really for them."

With some staff away on holidays, it was up to Head Chef Cameron Loftus to join Mr Wilson, and restaurateurs from around the Territory, at the Double Tree By Hilton Esplanade Darwin for the Awards. There they were presented with the Gold Plate Award in front of an audience of more than  300 people, including Northern Territory Chief Minister Hon Adam Giles, Darwin's Lord Mayor Katrina Fong Lim and Minister for Tourism Matthew Conlan.

AHA NT Chief Executive Amy Corcoran said the Awards were a prime opportunity to showcase the best of the Territory's restaurants and dining establishments, and to recognise, promote and reward excellence and best practice in the hospitality industry.

"Our regional dining options continue to impress the judges, with five regional winners this year, reflecting that great dining experiences can be had in all the regions," Ms Corcoran said.

Mr Wilson said the Kakadu Lodge's fresh, ever-changing menu played a major part in the win.

"We've provided our chefs the freedom to be innovative and creative, with no fixed menu," he said. "We change our menu almost daily, making the most of opportunities to source different ingredients locally. We have a supply of fresh meat from Gunbalanya, fresh mangoes and Kakadu plums right here, and we source local fruit and veg from local wholesalers to maintain quality."

The Kakadu Lodge Poolside Bar and Bistro also drew diners in with its own brand of laid-back ambiance, he said.

"It's not a pub environment, so you don't get all the noise that comes with that," Mr Wilson said. "A lot of families will come here, even the Mayor will come and eat here. When you've got a lot of kids using the pool it can get a bit noisy, but most of the time it's pretty quiet, and the waterfall and pool add to that relaxed atmosphere."

And it seems that family dining atmosphere extends close to home for Mr Wilson.

"When I first told my daughter we'd won a Gold Plate she asked if she could eat off it," he laughed.

The 2014 Restaurant of the Year went to Cicada Lodge in Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) 
National Park. This is the first time since 2005 that a regional venue has won this prestigious 
award.  

Venues that enter the Gold Plate Awards are judged anonymously by independent judges. 
The quality of food receives the most attention by the judges; however the whole dining 
experience is evaluated, including ambience, service and the presentation of the premise
and staff.