Connaught Regional Award Winners Announced!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TOP RESTAURANTS IN CONNAUGHT ANNOUNCED AT
IRISH RESTAURANT AWARDS 2014
OVER THIRTY RESTAURANTS, HOTEL RESTAURANTS & CHEFS
HONOURED AT PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS
April 2nd 2014, Mayo, Ireland.
The Connaught Regional Final of the Irish Restaurant Awards in association with LIFE Magazine took place in Hotel Westport, Mayo, last night and named the top restaurants in the West for 2014.
Over 250 restaurant owners and staff celebrated their hard work and achievements at the Awards, which saw many well-known restaurateurs of Connaught turn out to see if they had won one of the prestigious awards.
Speaking at the awards last night, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland Adrian Cummins said; “The Irish Restaurant Awards celebrate their sixth year this year and have become the Island’s biggest food awards. The credibility that these awards have is reflected in the amount of nominations they received this year- over 19,000 votes were cast across nine categories, showing that these are the awards that everyone wants to win.
“The Irish restaurant scene is internationally recognised for its high calibre of restaurateurs and chefs. These awards celebrate the people that make the restaurant sector the dynamic and exciting industry it is. They are the people who provide 64,000 jobs to our economy and generate revenue in excess of €2 billion. We’re recognising the talent, hard work and commitment that everyone here gives to the food industry. Tonight, everyone is a winner.”
Kai Café and Restaurant took home the prize for best restaurant in Co. Galway, with head chef Jessica Murphy also winning Best Chef in Galway. For a full list of winners, see below.
Food outlets were nominated under the categories of Best Customer Service, Best Gastro Pub, Best Casual Dining, Best Hotel Restaurant, Best Chef, Best Restaurant, Best Wine Experience, Best Restaurant Manager and Best Kids Size Me.
All County winners now compete for the Regional and All Ireland Title which will be announced at the Irish Restaurant Awards in the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel, Dublin on Monday 9th June, 2014.
There are 3 components to phase two of the process. Each element is independently assessed by Ernst and Young.
1. Mystery Guest Visit (55%) This component of the awards is conducted by Prism Consulting headed by Hugo Arnold, independent food writer and consultant. All County Winners receive a mystery guest visit throughout the month of April and May.
2. National Awards Academy (35%) Our National Awards Academy is made up of representatives from each of the regional judging panels and will meet in May to Judge the County Winners. The Academy members include food writers, journalists, academics and hospitality magazine editors.
3. Menu Judging (10%) All County winners and the Dublin Shortlist in each category are asked to submit a copy of their food menu and wine list for judging. These menus are then independently reviewed by Bord Bia.
Voting in the Industry categories has been extended until Friday, 11th April. Voting in these categories is exclusive to Restaurants Association of Ireland members only, with members competing for:
Best Private Dining and Club Restaurant
Best Seafood Experience
Best World Cuisine
Best Newcomer
Best Café
Best Emerging Irish Cuisine
Best Restaurant Design
Best Cocktail Experience
Best Cookery School
Best Sustainable Restaurant
Best Digital Marketing
Best Practice in Energy Management
The winners of the Industry Categories will be announced at the All-Ireland event on 9th June, 2014.
Tickets for the All-Ireland Event can be bought directly from the awards team on (01) 677 9901 or awards@rai.ie.
Best Customer Service- Sponsored by TheDiningRoom.ie
v Sligo- Harrison’s Bar & Restaurant
v Roscommon- The Comfy Café
v Leitrim- Riverbank Restaurant
v Mayo- Sol Rio Restaurant
v Galway- Renvyle House Hotel
Best Gastro Pub – Sponsored by Total Produce
v Sligo- The Pilot Bar
v Roscommon- Keenan’s
v Leitrim- The Oarsman
v Mayo- Bar One
v Galway- The Pins
Best Casual Dining – Sponsored by Bunzl McLaughlin
v Sligo- Shell’s Seaside Bakery & Café
v Roscommon- Bruno’s Bar & Restaurant
v Leitrim- Lena’s Tea Room
v Mayo- Sol Rio Restaurant
v Galway- Il Vicolo Café
Best Hotel Restaurant – Sponsored by Pallas Foods
v Sligo- Moira’s Restaurant @ Cromleach Lodge
v Roscommon- The Restaurant @ The Abbey Hotel
v Leitrim- Sandstone Restaurant @ Lough Rynn Castle
v Mayo- The Restaurant @ Belleek Castle
v Galway- Owenmore Restaurant @ Ballynahinch Castle
Best Chef – Sponsored by La Rousse Foods
v Sligo- Michelle McGowan, The Pilot Bar
v Roscommon- Aidan Murray, The Yew Tree
v Leitrim- Shamzuri Hanifa, The Cottage
v Mayo- Frankie Mallon, An Port Mór
v Galway- Jessica Murphy, Kai Café and Restaurant
Best Restaurant – Sponsored by Dalcassian & Wakefield Wines
v Sligo- Eala Bhán
v Roscommon- The Yew Tree Restaurant
v Leitrim- The Cottage Restaurant
v Mayo- An Port Mór
v Galway- Kai Café and Restaurant
Best Wine Experience – Sponsored by Classic Drinks & Roundhill
v Sligo- Hargadons
v Roscommon- Douglas Hyde Restaurant @ Kilronan Castle
v Leitrim- The Courthouse Restaurant
v Mayo- Ashford Castle
v Galway- West @ The Twelve
Best Kids Size Me – Sponsored by Heinz
v Vittos Restaurant, Leitrim
Best Restaurant Manager- Sponsored by the Restaurants Association of Ireland
v Daniel Mayer, Belleek Castle, Mayo
ENDS
For further information contact:
Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive Officer
Restaurants Association of Ireland
Mobile: +353 86 8263311
Telephone: +353 1 6779901
Fax: +353 1 6718414
Email: awards@rai.ie
Website: www.irishrestaurantawards.com
Twitter: @restawards
Facebook: www.facebook.com/IrishRestaurantAwards
