The finalists on the Australian Financial Review Top Restaurants list are spread across Australia’s capital cities and some regional venues.

The Zin House chef and owner, Kim Currie said it’s very nice to be apart of the list, especially with the restaurant industry getting tougher and tougher – with 127 new restaurants vying for a spot on the list this year.

So what is the secret ingredient to the Mudgee hatted restaurants success?

“Authenticity. We have a sense of place and try to stay true to the goals I had from the start – which was to grow as much produce as we could, support other local producers and to cook and present food from scratch.

“What we’ve increasingly added to that was the complete dining experience – so it isn’t just about the food or the garden or the beauty of where we are in Mudgee – but it’s also about allowing people to have time to reconnect with each other.

“We give people the gift of time,” she continued.

“The experiences I love watching are those were people put their phones aside, you see their shoulders relax, they start to smile and start sharing stories with each other – really creating special memories.

“We have to find the balance of being a top regional restaurant and maintaining our integrity of being rustic and authentic.

“So many people are looking for Sydney-style food on a plate – for us it’s a pleasure when we get the balance of people understanding our food is cared for and produce driven – it’s not plating driven. So to keep that authenticity and still be regarded as one of the top restaurants in Australia, is important to me,” she said.

Each restaurant will now vote for 10 other restaurants on the list. The most popular will make the annual rankings of Australia’s Top 100 Restaurants on June 19.