Trawool Estate took on the big guns of the Melbourne hospitality scene on Thursday, August 18.
After being nominated in four categories at the 2022 Victorian Accommodation Awards for Excellence, Trawool took home the award for ‘best regional hotel restaurant of the year’.
The award was for the Estate’s newest offering, Turbine Bar — a restaurant originally intended as a bar, which grew into a 50-seat restaurant offering.
A different aesthetic to the rest of the venue, the speakeasy-themed restaurant has the ambience of a late-night cocktail bar. The menu features elevated Asian cuisine, which reflects the heritage of executive chef Eric Kwek, who was also nominated in the category of ‘Chef of the year’.
Erik is constantly looking to include local produce in the Estate’s culinary offering, with Mount Bernard Olive Oil from Avenel being some of the best he has tasted.
Food and beverage manager Jess Chiapolino said the estate also worked with Brave Goose winery and Wine by Sam.
“We really love supporting them and they support us in return, and our supplier network is, you know, building that nice community feel,” she said.
Jess said the award was an exciting achievement given they were up against stiff competition from the larger hotel groups.
“Turbine’s definitely been a passion project for a lot of people here,” she said.
Over winter, the estate is doing live music lunches on Sundays, which the local community is welcome to attend.
Meanwhile, preparations for an outdoor pizza restaurant are under way in time for the warmer months. Jess said it would be an affordable option with a laid-back vibe compared to the estate’s other spaces.
“This is something we really want to push for locals and for people driving past,” she said.
“We're big advocates for the locals feeling like this is for them as well.”