TOP RESTAURANTS IN MUNSTER ANNOUNCED AT

IRISH RESTAURANT AWARDS 2014

OVER FORTY RESTAURANTS, HOTEL RESTAURANTS & CHEFS

 HONOURED AT PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS

April 29^th 2014, Limerick, Ireland.

The Munster Regional Final of the 2014 Irish Restaurant Awards, in association with Sunday Independent LIFE Magazine, took place in the Limerick Strand Hotel tonight and named the top restaurants and chefs in the six counties for 2014.

Over 400 restaurant owners and staff celebrated their hard work and achievements at the Awards, which saw many well-known restaurateurs of Munster turn out to see if they had won one of the prestigious awards.

Speaking at the awards early this evening, 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- 19,000 nominations 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.”

Following on from their impressive haul of awards at the 2013 All-Ireland Irish Restaurant Awards, The Tannery won Best Restaurant in Waterford, with Chef Paul Flynn scooping Best Chef in Waterford. Best Restaurant in Limerick was awarded to 1826 Adare, marking a successful first year of business for Chef Wade Murphy and his wife Elaine. For a full list of winners see below.

Food outlets were nominated under the categories of Best Restaurant, Best Chef, Best Hotel Restaurant, Best Casual Dining, Best Gastro Pub, Best Wine Experience, Best Customer Service, Best Restaurant Manager and Best Kids Size Me Menu.

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 9^th 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 in May.

2. National Awards Academy (35%) Our National Awards Academy is made up 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 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 now closed online. Voting in these categories is exclusive to Restaurants Association of Ireland members only, with members competing for:

The winners of the Industry Categories will be announced at the All-Ireland event on 9^th June, 2014.

Tickets for the All-Ireland Event can be bought directly from the awards team on (01) 677 9901 or awards@rai.ie.

Munster Regional Winners – Irish Restaurant Awards 2014

Best Restaurant – Sponsored by Dalcassian & Wakefield Wines

• Clare- Gallagher’s Seafood Restaurant of Bunratty
• Cork- Fenn’s Quay Restaurant
• Kerry- Mulcahy’s Wild Garlic Restaurant
• Limerick- 1826 Adare
• Tipperary- The Old Convent
• Waterford- The Tannery

Best Chef – Sponsored by La Rousse Foods

• Clare- David Hurley, The Dining Room at Gregans Castle Hotel
• Cork- Kevin Aherne, Sage Restaurant
• Kerry- Theo Lynch, Allo’s Restaurant, Bistro, Bar & Townhouse
• Limerick- Tom Flavin, The River Restaurant at Limerick Strand Hotel
• Tipperary- Dermot Gannon, The Old Convent
• Waterford- Paul Flynn, The Tannery

Best Hotel Restaurant – Sponsored by Pallas Foods

• Clare- The Dining Room, Gregans Castle Hotel
• Cork- The Presidents’ Room, Longueville House
• Kerry- Panorama Restaurant, The Europe Hotel & Resort
• Limerick- The Oakroom Restaurant, Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort
• Tipperary- Inch House Restaurant, Inch House
• Waterford- The Munster Room Restaurant, Waterford Castle

Best Casual Dining – Sponsored by Bunzl McLaughlin

• Clare- L’Arco Italian Restaurant
• Cork- Nash 19
• Kerry- The Boat Yard Restaurant
• Limerick- Canteen
• Tipperary- The Pantry Café
• Waterford- Bodéga Restaurant & Wine Bar

Best Gastro Pub – Sponsored by Total Produce

• Clare- Vaughan’s Anchor Inn
• Cork- Electric
• Kerry- Nick’s Seafood Restaurant and Piano Bar
• Limerick- The Curragower Seafood Bar
• Tipperary- The Derg Inn
• Waterford- Merry’s Gastro Pub

Best Wine Experience – Sponsored by Classic Drinks & Torreon de Parades

• Clare- Earl of Thomond at Dromoland Castle Hotel
• Cork- The Black Pig Wine Bar & Café
• Kerry- Killarney Wine Rooms at The Malton
• Limerick- No. 1 Pery Square
• Tipperary- Mitchel House Restaurant
• Waterford- L’Atmosphere Restaurant

Best Customer Service- Sponsored by TheDiningRoom.ie

• Clare- Earl of Thomond at Dromoland Castle Hotel
• Cork- Market Lane
• Kerry- Brooks Restaurant at Ballygarry House Hotel & Spa
• Limerick- The Mustard Seed at Echo Lodge
• Tipperary- Stonehouse Restaurant
• Waterford- La Bohème Restaurant

Best Kids Size Me for Munster – Sponsored by Heinz

• The Cornstore Restaurant, Cork

Best Restaurant Manager for Munster – Supported by the Restaurants Association of Ireland

• Dan Mullane, The Mustard Seed at Echo Lodge, Limerick

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