TOP RESTAURANTS IN ULSTER ANNOUNCED AT THE IRISH RESTAURANT AWARDS 2016

OVER FORTY RESTAURANTS, HOTEL RESTAURANTS & CHEFS HONOURED AT PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS

March 16^th 2016, Derry, Ireland.

The Ulster Regional Final of the Irish Restaurant Awards took place in The Main Hall, at The Guildhall, Derry last night and named the top restaurants in the nine counties for 2016. Over 500 restaurant owners and staff celebrated their hard work and achievements at the Awards, which saw many well-known restaurateurs of Ulster turn out to see if they had won one of the prestigious awards.

Speaking at the awards, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland Adrian Cummins said; “The Irish Restaurant Awards celebrate their eighth 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 70,000 individual nominations were cast across fourteen categories, showing that these are the awards that everyone wants to win.

Speaking at the awards, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland Adrian Cummins said; “The Irish Restaurant Awards celebrate their eighth 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 70,000 individual nominations were cast across fourteen 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 72,000 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.

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, Best Kids Size Me, Local Food Hero, Best Emerging Irish Cuisine and Best Newcomer as well as two new main award categories – Best Café and Best World Cuisine.

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 16^th May, 2016.

There are three components to phase two of the process. Each element is independently assessed by BDO.

1. Mystery Guest Visit (55%) This component of the awards is conducted by Customer Perceptions Ltd, specialists in mystery shopping, consumer insights and customer satisfaction surveys. All County Winners and Dublin shortlists will receive a mystery guest visit throughout the month of March, April or 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 early May to judge the County Winners. The Academy members include food writers, journalists, bloggers, culinary 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.

The Ulster winners are as follows;

Best Restaurant – Sponsored by Dalcassian Wines & Spirits and Astoria Wines

• Antrim – The Muddlers Club
• Armagh – Uluru Bistro
• Cavan – MacNean House & Restaurant
• Derry – Browns Restaurant & Champagne Lounge
• Donegal – Harry’s Restaurant
• Down – The Boat House
• Fermanagh – Watermill Restaurant
• Monaghan – Courthouse Restaurant
• Tyrone – The Red Pepper

Best Chef – Sponsored by La Rousse Foods

• Antrim – David Gillmore of James Street South
• Armagh – John Mathers of Newforge House
• Cavan – Neven Maguire of MacNean House & Restaurant
• Derry – Roly Graham of Church Street Restaurant
• Donegal – Colin McKee of Harvey’s Point
• Down – Danny Millar of Balloo House
• Fermanagh – Noel McMeel of Catalina Restaurant at Lough Erne Resort
• Monaghan – Conor Mee of Courthouse Restaurant
• Tyrone – Brian McMonagle of The Brewer’s House

Best Hotel Restaurant – Sponsored by Elavon

• Antrim – The River Room at Galgorm Resort & Spa
• Armagh – Newforge House
• Cavan – The Courtroom Restaurant at Cabra Castle
• Derry – Ardmore Restaurant at Beech Hill Country House Hotel
• Donegal – Harvey’s Restaurant at Harvey’s Point
• Down – The Salty Dog Hotel & Bistro
• Fermanagh – Catalina Restaurant at Lough Erne Resort
• Monaghan – Snaffles Restaurant at Castle Leslie
• Tyrone – The Kitchen Restaurant at Tullylagan Country House Hotel

Best Casual Dining – Sponsored by San Pellegrino 

• Antrim – The Ginger Bistro
• Armagh – 4 Vicars
• Cavan – The Oak Room Restaurant
• Derry – Harry’s Shack
• Donegal – The Harbour Restaurant
• Down – The Dirty Duck
• Fermanagh – Dollakis
• Monaghan – Porky’s Restaurant
• Tyrone – Oysters Restaurant

Best Gastro Pub – Sponsored by Bunzl McLaughlin

• Antrim – Sweet Afton Bar & Kitchen
• Armagh – The Yellow Heifer
• Cavan – Murphs Bistro at The Derragarra Inn
• Derry – Walled City Brewery
• Donegal – The Village Tavern
• Down – The Poacher’s Pocket
• Fermanagh – Molly’s Bar & Parlour Restaurant
• Monaghan – The Old Coach Inn
• Tyrone – The Brewer’s House

Best Newcomer – Sponsored by BWG Foodservice

• Antrim – The Muddlers Club
• Armagh – Wine & Brine
• Cavan – n/a
• Derry – Walled City Brewery
• Donegal – Blas
• Down – The Wheathill
• Fermanagh – The Happiness Trap
• Monaghan – n/a
• Tyrone – Chapter V Restaurant

Best Wine Experience – Sponsored by Classic Drinks & Masottina

• Antrim – OX Cave
• Armagh – Uluru Bistro
• Cavan – Oak Room Restaurant
• Derry – Browns Restaurant & Champagne Lounge
• Donegal – Castle Murray House Hotel & Restaurant
• Down – The Boat House
• Fermanagh – Café Merlot
• Monaghan – The Batch Loaf
• Tyrone – The Brewer’s House

Best Customer Service- Sponsored by TheTaste.ie

• Antrim – The Great Room Restaurant at The Merchant Hotel
• Armagh – The Moody Boar
• Cavan – MacNean House & Restaurant
• Derry – Browns in Town
• Donegal – Chandpur Indian Restaurant
• Down – Kilmorey Arms Hotel
• Fermanagh – Dollakis
• Monaghan – The Restaurant at Nuremore Hotel & Country Club
• Tyrone – Black Cat Restaurant

Best World Cuisine – Sponsored by Arnotts – Keelings Farm Fresh

• Antrim – DinaDina
• Armagh – Shapla
• Cavan – Sophia’s Ristorante
• Derry – Taaj Restaurant & Lounge
• Donegal – Chandpur Indian Restaurant
• Down – Koi Asian Cuisine
• Fermanagh – Dollakis
• Monaghan – Eastern Balti
• Tyrone – Dragon Garden

Best Cafe – Sponsored by Aryzta Food Solutions

• Antrim – Harlem Café
• Armagh – One Eighty
• Cavan – The Hard Boiled Egg Café
• Derry – Lost & Found
• Donegal – Aroma Café
• Down – Niki’s Kitchen Café
• Fermanagh – The Jolly Sandwich
• Monaghan – Roberto’s Coffee Shop
• Tyrone – The Moy Larder

Best Restaurant Manager- Sponsored by Tindal Wine Merchants

• Alain Kerloc’h of OX

Best Emerging Irish Cuisine – Sponsored by Odaios Foods

• Antrim – Holohan’s at the Barge

Best Kids Size Me – Sponsored by Heinz

• Antrim – Upstairs @ Joes

Local Food Hero – Sponsored by Rewarding Times 

• Antrim – Robert Curley of Slemish Market Supper Club

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

Instagram: @irishrestawards

Notes for the Editor:

Industry Awards

Aside from the main categories, the Irish Restaurant Awards also run industry category awards, with only one All-Ireland winner been chosen. The judging and selection process for the Industry Award categories differs from the Main Award category process.  Only Members of the Restaurants Association of Ireland nominate for each of the awards in the Industry Categories with a list of finalists announced in May. These nominations are then judged by our National Awards Academy and independently assessed by our auditors before a final winner is determined in each category. Nominations for the industry categories will open for RAI members in April.

Best Cocktail Experience

Best Private Dining & Club Restaurant

Best Seafood Experience

Best Cookery School

Best Digital Marketing

The winners of the Industry Categories will be announced at the All-Ireland event on 16^th May, 2016.