Results and Links to the Munster Winners of the Irish Restaurant Awards 2013

The MUNSTER Regional Final of the Santa Rita/ LIFE Magazine Irish Restaurant Awards 2013 took place in The Imperial Hotel, Cork City last night and the chosen top restaurants in the region were named.

The Munster region covers the six counties of Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Waterford & Tipperary.

Over 350 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.

In their fifth year now, the Irish Restaurant Awards continue to go from strength to strength. Each year, the awards cast a spotlight on the brightest and best players on the Irish restaurant scene. The Irish Restaurant Awards are the awards everyone wants to win.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Adrian Cummins, CEO Restaurant Association of Ireland, said: "We celebrate the award winning cuisines and the great restaurateurs and chefs who are constantly bringing international recognition and accolades to the Irish restaurant scene."

He continued, "Restaurateurs are entrepreneurs, and that is reflected in the fact that the restaurant sector is the biggest employer within the hospitality industry. We provide employment to 64,000 people and the industry has annual sales in excess of €2 billion - tonight, everyone is a winner."

This year the nominations went online for the first time and they got a spectacular response from the public, nominations doubled and they received over 10,000 votes for Ireland’s favourite restaurants, chefs, gastro-pubs, hotel restaurants and customer service experiences.

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 Kids Size Me, sponsored by Heinz, Engaging With The Gathering, sponsored by Tourism Ireland and Best Just Ask! Menu, sponsored by Bord Bia.

All County winners now compete for the Regional and All Ireland Title which will be announced at the Irish Restaurant Awards in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin on Wednesday 10th June, 2013.

There are 3 components to phase two of the process and each element is independently assessed by KPMG. They are:

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 representatives from each of the regional judging panels and will meet in May to Judge the County Winners.

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.

Voting in the Industry categories commenced on April 4th. Voting in these categories is exclusive to Restaurants Association of Ireland members only, with members competing for: Best Club Restaurant, Best Seafood Experience, Best World Cuisine, Best Newcomer, Best Café, Most Innovative Restaurant, Best Restaurant Design, Best Cocktail Experience, Best Restaurant Manager, Best Cookery School, Best Supplier & Best Digital Marketing.

The winners of the Industry Categories will be announced at the All-Ireland event on 10th June, 2013. Tickets are priced at €130 for the All-Ireland Event and can be bought directly from Sinead at the Restaurants Association of Ireland on (01) 677 9901 or sinead@rai.ie.

And the MUNSTER Regional Awards went to:

Best Customer Service
Clare- Noel's Restaurant, Bunratty Manor Hotel
Cork - Castle Hotel
Kerry - Ballygarry House Hotel
Limerick - Market Place Brasserie
Waterford - Bodega

Tipperary - Larkins Bar & Restaurant

Best Gastro Pub – Sponsored by Faustino
Clare- J P Clarkes
Cork - The Elm Tree
Kerry - The Bridge Bar
Limerick - Bobby Byrne's Bar
Waterford - Merrys Bar & Restaurant
Tipperary - The Derg Inn

Best Casual Dining – Sponsored by Joseph Drouhin
Clare - L'Arco Restaurant
Cork - House Cafe Cork
Kerry - Sol Y Sombra Tapas Bar
Limerick - La Cucina
Waterford - The Copper Hen
Tipperary - Chez Hans

Best Hotel Restaurant – Sponsored by Pallas Foods
Clare- Earl of Thomond Restaurant, Drumoland Castle
Cork - Ballymaloe House
Kerry - The Malton Hotel
Limerick - The Mustard Seed at Echo Lodge
Waterford - The Munster Room, Waterford Castle
Tipperary - The Old Convent

Best Chef – Sponsored by Tipperary Water
Clare- David McCann, Drumoland Castle
Cork - Denis Cotter, Cafe Paradiso
Kerry - Simon Regan, Hotel Europe
Limerick - Tom Flavin, Limerick Strand Hotel
Waterford - Paul Flynn, The Tannery
Tipperary - Dermot Gannon, The Old Convent

Best Restaurant – Sponsored by Santa Rita
Clare- Wild Honey Inn
Cork - Jacques Restaurant
Kerry - The Global Village
Limerick - The Cornstore Restaurant
Waterford - The Tannery
Tipperary - Chez Hans

Best Wine Experience - Sponsored by Thomas Barton
Hayfield Manor, Cork

Best Kids Size Me - Sponsored by Heinz
Cornstore Restaurant, Cork

Engaging with The Gathering Award – Sponsored by Tourism Ireland
Paddy's Bar & Restaurant, Terryglass, Tipperary
Just Ask! Award – Sponsored by Bord Bia
White Sage Restaurant, Limerick

For More information and Tickets for the Finals Event see http://www.irishrestaurantawards.com and follow the #FoodOscars hashtag on Twitter.

Zack

Full Results of the Irish Restaurant Awards Connaught Finals

The Connaught Regional Final of the Santa Rita/ LIFE Magazine Irish Restaurant Awards took place in The House Hotel, Galway, last night and named the top restaurants in the West for 2013.

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; “In their fifth year now, the Irish Restaurant Awards continue to go from strength to strength. Each year, the awards cast a spotlight on the brightest and best players on the Irish restaurant scene. The Irish Restaurant Awards are the awards everyone wants to win. This year the nominations went online for the first time and we got a spectacular response from the public- nominations doubled and we received 10,000 votes for Ireland’s favourite restaurants, chefs, gastro pubs, hotel restaurants and customer service experience."

“We celebrate the award winning cuisines and the great restaurateurs and chefs who are constantly bringing international recognition and accolades to the Irish restaurant scene. Restaurateurs are entrepreneurs, and that is reflected in the fact that the restaurant sector is the biggest employer within the hospitality industry. We provide employment to 64,000 people and the industry has annual sales in excess of €2 billion; tonight, everyone is a winner.”

Michelin- Star restaurant Aniar took home the prize for best restaurant in Co. Galway, adding to its already-full mantelpiece of accolades.

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 Kids Size Me, sponsored by Heinz, Engaging With The Gathering, sponsored by Tourism Ireland and Best Just Ask! Menu, sponsored by Bord Bia.

All County winners now compete for the Regional and All Ireland Title which will be announced at the Irish Restaurant Awards in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin on Wednesday 10th June, 2013.

There are 3 components to phase two of the process and each element is independently assessed by KPMG. They are:

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 representatives from each of the regional judging panels and will meet in May to Judge the County Winners.
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.

Voting in the Industry categories commenced on April 4th. Voting in these categories is exclusive to Restaurants Association of Ireland members only, with members competing for: Best Club Restaurant, Best Seafood Experience, Best World Cuisine, Best Newcomer, Best Café, Most Innovative Restaurant, Best Restaurant Design, Best Cocktail Experience, Best Restaurant Manager, Best Cookery School, Best Supplier & Best Digital Marketing.

The winners of the Industry Categories will be announced at the All-Ireland event on 10th June, 2013. Tickets are priced at €130 for the All-Ireland Event and can be bought directly from Sinead at the Restaurants Association of Ireland on (01) 677 9901 or sinead@rai.ie.

And the Connaught Regional Awards went to:

Best Customer Service

Sligo- Source Sligo
Roscommon- The Abbey Hotel
Leitrim- The Courthouse Restaurant
Mayo- Market Kitchen
Galway- Renvyle House Hotel

Best Gastro Pub – Sponsored by Faustino
Sligo- Hargadons
Roscommon- The Purple Onion
Leitrim- The Oarsman
Mayo- Bar One
Galway- Eat @ Massimo

Best Casual Dining – Sponsored by Joseph Drouhin
Sligo- Source Sligo
Roscommon- Bruno’s Restaurant
Leitrim- The Riverbank Restaurant
Mayo- Café Rua
Galway- Il Vicolo

Best Hotel Restaurant – Sponsored by Pallas Foods
Sligo- Coopershill Country House Hotel
Roscommon- Douglas Hyde @ Kilronan Castle
Leitrim- Sandstone Restaurant @ Lough Rynn Castle
Mayo- Kitchen Restaurant @ Mount Falcon Hotel
Galway- Upstairs @ West Restaurant, The Twelve Hotel

Best Chef – Sponsored by Tipperary Water
Sligo- Seamus Thompson, Eala Bhán
Roscommon- Aidan Murray, The Yew Tree
Leitrim- Shamzuri Hanifa, The Cottage
Mayo- Philippe Farineau, Mount Falcon
Galway- Enda McEvoy

Best Restaurant – Sponsored by Santa Rita
Sligo- Eala Bhán
Roscommon- The Yew Tree
Leitrim- The Cottage Restaurant
Mayo- An Port Mór
Galway- Aniar

Best Wine Experience - Sponsored by Thomas Barton
The Twelve Hotel, Galway
Best Kids Size Me - Sponsored by Heinz
Sol Rio, Mayo

Engaging with The Gathering Award – Sponsored by Tourism Ireland

Wilde’s @ Lisloughrey Lodge, Mayo

Just Ask! Award – Sponsored by Bord Bia
Oscar’s Seafood Bistro, Galway



For More information see http://www.irishrestaurantawards.com and follow the #FoodOscars hashtag on Twitter.

Zack

Results of the Ulster Finals of the Irish Restaurant Awards 2013

The ULSTER Regional Final of the Santa Rita/ LIFE Magazine Irish Restaurant Awards 2013 took place in The Merchant Hotel, Belfast, last night and the chosen top restaurants in the region were named.

The Ulster region covers the six counties in Northern Ireland: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Derry, Fermanagh and Tyrone & three counties in the Republic: Cavan, Monaghan & Donegal.

Over 250 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.

In their fifth year now, the Irish Restaurant Awards continue to go from strength to strength. Each year, the awards cast a spotlight on the brightest and best players on the Irish restaurant scene. The Irish Restaurant Awards are the awards everyone wants to win.

This year the nominations went online for the first time and they got a spectacular response from the public, nominations doubled and they received over 10,000 votes for Ireland’s favourite restaurants, chefs, gastro-pubs, hotel restaurants and customer service experiences.

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 Kids Size Me, sponsored by Heinz, Engaging With The Gathering, sponsored by Tourism Ireland and Best Just Ask! Menu, sponsored by Bord Bia.

All County winners now compete for the Regional and All Ireland Title which will be announced at the Irish Restaurant Awards in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin on Wednesday 10th June, 2013.

There are 3 components to phase two of the process and each element is independently assessed by KPMG. They are:

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 representatives from each of the regional judging panels and will meet in May to Judge the County Winners.

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.

Voting in the Industry categories commenced on April 4th. Voting in these categories is exclusive to Restaurants Association of Ireland members only, with members competing for: Best Club Restaurant, Best Seafood Experience, Best World Cuisine, Best Newcomer, Best Café, Most Innovative Restaurant, Best Restaurant Design, Best Cocktail Experience, Best Restaurant Manager, Best Cookery School, Best Supplier & Best Digital Marketing.

The winners of the Industry Categories will be announced at the All-Ireland event on 10th June, 2013. Tickets are priced at €130 for the All-Ireland Event and can be bought directly from Sinead at the Restaurants Association of Ireland on (01) 677 9901 or sinead@rai.ie.

And the ULSTER Regional Awards went to:

Best Customer Service
Antrim - Berts Jazz Bar at The Merchant Hotel
Armagh - Pot Belly Restaurant
Cavan - The Olde Post Inn
Derry - The Lime Tree Restaurant
Donegal - The Beach House
Down - The Old School House Inn
Fermanagh - Cafe Merlot
Monaghan - Nuremore Hotel
Tyrone - Grange Lodge

Best Gastro Pub – Sponsored by Faustino
Antrim - The Harbour Bar
Armagh - O'Tooles Bar
Cavan - The Big Apple at The Black Horse Inn
Derry - Marys Bar
Donegal - The Village Tavern
Down - The Dirty Duck
Fermanagh - Blakes of the Hollow
Monaghan - Andys Bar
Tyrone - The Brewers House

Best Casual Dining – Sponsored by Joseph Drouhin
Antrim - Mournes Seafood Bar
Armagh - The Moody Bar
Cavan - The Oak Room
Derry - The Exchange
Donegal - Aroma Restaurant
Down - Coast Restaurant
Fermanagh - Dollakis
Monaghan - The Fiddlers Elbow
Tyrone - Deli on the Green

Best Hotel Restaurant – Sponsored by Pallas Foods
Antrim - The Great Room Restaurant at the Merchant Hotel
Armagh - Newforge House
Cavan - The Courtroom Restaurant Cabra Castle
Derry - The Ardmore Restaurant at Beech Hill Derry
Donegal - Castlemurray House Hotel
Down - The Old Inn, Crawfordsburn
Fermanagh - Catalina Restaurant in Lough Erne Resort
Monaghan - Snaffles Restaurant in Castle Leslie
Tyrone - The Kitchen Restaurant Tullylagan Hotel

Best Chef – Sponsored by Tipperary Water
Antrim - Stevie Toman of Ox, Belfast
Armagh - Dean Coppard of Uluru Armagh
Cavan - Neven Maguire of McNean's Restaurant
Derry - Ian Oar of Browns Restaurant
Donegal - Derek Alcorn of The Mill Restaurant
Down - Joery Castel of The Boathouse NI
Fermanagh - Noel McMeel of Lough Erne Resort
Monaghan - Andrew Bradley of Snaffles Restaurant Castle Leslie
Tyrone - Brian McConagle of The Brewers House

Best Restaurant – Sponsored by Santa Rita
Antrim - James St South
Armagh goes to Uluru Armagh
Cavan - MacNean House
Derry - Browns Restaurant & Champagne Lounge
Donegal - Harry's Restaurant
Down - The Boat House
Monaghan - Courthouse Restaurant
Tyrone - Oysters Restaurant

Best Wine Experience - Sponsored by Thomas Barton
Nicks Warehouse, Belfast

Best Kids Size Me - Sponsored by Heinz
The Lemon Tree, Letterkenny, Co Donegal

Engaging with The Gathering Award – Sponsored by Tourism Ireland
Harvey's Point, Donegal Town, Co Donegal

Just Ask! Award – Sponsored by Bord Bia
Sargasso , Letterkenny, Co Donegal

For More information see http://www.irishrestaurantawards.com and follow the #FoodOscars hashtag on Twitter.

Zack

Irish Restaurant Awards 2012 National Finals - Full Results

see HERE for 2013 Irish Restaurant Awards Full Results

The Regional and All Ireland Titles of the Irish Restaurant Awards were announced at the Awards Ceremony which was held in the Burlington Hotel Dublin on Monday 14th May 2012. 

The awards celebrate all aspects of the Industry from Chefs and Restaurants to Food Producers, Local Food Heroes and Cookery Schools. Nominations for the awards are made by readers of the Sunday Independent LIFE Magazine and members of the Restaurants Association of Ireland.


The event recognizes achievement and excellence in the Restaurant and Hospitality Industry throughout the Island of Ireland. The Irish Restaurant Awards are brought to you by The Restaurants Association of Ireland and are sponsored by Santa Rita/Sunday Independent LIFE Magazine & others. The awards are the largest and most coveted awards in the Irish Restaurant Industry.


County winners were announced at a number of Regional Events in the run up to this main event.  Guests at the main event were treated to a five course menu prepared by the winning Chefs in each of the five regions from last year.

There were 3 components to the final phase of the process & each element was independently assessed by KPMG.

1. Mystery Guest Visit (35%) -This component of the awards was conducted by Prism Consulting headed by Hugo Arnold, independent food writer and consultant (http://www.hugoarnold.com). All County Winners received a mystery guest visit throughout the month of April.

2. National Awards Academy (55%) -The National Awards Academy were made up by representatives from each of the regional judging panels and they met during May to Judge the County Winners.

3. Menu Judging (10%) -All County winners and the Dublin Shortlist in each category were asked to submit a copy of their food menu and wine list for judging.

The Winners in each of the following categories were:



BEST CASUAL DINING 2012

This category recognises the dining experience which best offers outstanding value, excellent food, appropriate service, genuine hospitality and an appropriate overall dining experience.

ULSTER - Il Pirata
MUNSTER - La Cucina
LEINSTER - A. Caviston
CONNAUGHT - Mulberrys Restaurant & Wine Bar
DUBLIN - O'Connells
ALL-IRELAND WINNER - O'Connells

BEST HOTEL RESTAURANT 2012

This category will recognise a hotel restaurant that demonstrates the very best in a dining experience as evidenced by attention to detail, a well-structured, balanced and appropriate menu, exemplary customer service and enjoyable and suitable atmosphere.

• ULSTER - The River Room @ Galgorm Resort
• MUNSTER - The Long Room @ Doonbeg
• LEINSTER - Beaches Restaurant @ Kelly's Resort Hotel
• CONNAUGHT - Ballynahinch Castle
• DUBLIN - Seasons Restaurant @ The Four Seasons Hotel
• ALL-IRELAND WINNER - The Long Room @ Doonbeg

BEST GASTRO PUB 2012

Goes to the gastro pub with an impressive food aspect, genuine and demonstrable hospitality and an outstanding, relevant and complementary drinks offering.

• ULSTER - The Brewers House
• MUNSTER - The Roadside Tavern
• LEINSTER - The Fatted Calf
• CONNAUGHT - Bar One
• DUBLIN - The Chop House
• ALL-IRELAND WINNER - The Chop House

BEST CHEF 2012

The chef who most impresses in their approach, design and execution of dishes and who is clearly pushing at culinary boundaries in Ireland.

• ULSTER - Joery Castel, The Boathouse
• MUNSTER - Wade Murphy, The Long Room @ Doonbeg
• LEINSTER - Garrett Byrne, Campagne
• CONNAUGHT - Philippe Farineau, Mount Falcon
• DUBLIN - Ross Lewis, Chapter One
• ALL-IRELAND WINNER - Garrett Byrne, Campagne

BEST WINE EXPERIENCE 2012

This goes to the restaurant offering a balanced and appropriate wine list, an interesting range of producers and which strives for excellence in the service of wine.

Best Wine Experience Ireland - West @ The Twelve Hotel

Best Restaurant 2012

This goes to the restaurant offering a balanced and appropriate wine list, an interesting range of producers and which strives for excellence in the service of wine.

• ULSTER - James Street South
• MUNSTER - Les Gourmandises
• LEINSTER - Campagne
• CONNAUGHT - Artisan
• DUBLIN - Chapter One
• ALL-IRELAND WINNER - Chapter One

Best Kids Size Me 2012

This award goes to the restaurant who aims to ensure children have access to healthier food options when dining out by making child size portions of appropriate adult meals available as an alternative to ordering from the standard children's menu.

Best Kid Size Me Menu Ireland  - Ely Gastro Pub, Dublin

Best Customer Service 2012

This award recognises the establishment that demonstrably goes above and beyond a normal level of service and does it consistently and in an appropriate manner.



ULSTER - Harveys Point Hotel
MUNSTER - Isaacs Restaurant
LEINSTER - Viewmount House
CONNAUGHT - Renvyle House
DUBLIN - Rasam
ALL-IRELAND WINNER - Harveys Point Hotel

*Comeragh Mountain Lamb - Local Food Hero 2012 Sponsored by Life Magazine

INDUSTRY CATEGORIES

Best Restaurant Website sponsored by Lightbox - Milano, Ireland
Best Coffee Experience sponsored by Robert Roberts - 3FE, Dublin 
Best Ethnic Restaurant sponsored by Tiger Beer - Ananda, Dublin 
Best Artisan Producer sponsored by IFSA - Boulabane Ice-Cream
Best Club Restaurant sponsored by La Rousse - Restaurant FortyOne @ Residence, Dublin
Just Ask 2012 sponsored by Bord Bia - L. Mulligan Grocer, Dublin 
Best Seafood Experience sponsored by Kish - O'Gradys On The Pier, Co. Galway
Best Supplier sponsored by RAI - Pallas Foods
Great Value Dining sponsored by Tourism Ireland - Thyme, Co. Westmeath
Best Practice in Energy Management sponsored by Calor - Dromoland Castle, Co. Clare
Best Innovative Restaurant sponsored by Failte Ireland - Mulberry Garden, Dublin 
Best Restaurant Design sponsored by Hugh Jordan - Bijou, Dublin 
Best Cocktail Experience sponsored by Smirnoff Mojito - The Exchequer, Dublin 
Best Newcomer sponsored by Elavon - The Green House, Dublin
Best Cookery School sponsored by Avonmore - The Tannery Cookery School, Co. Waterford

The Irish Restaurant Awards 2012 are independently supervised by:

For more details see  http://www.rai.ie/news-top-restaurants-in-ireland-announced-at-the-santa-rita-life-magazine-irish-restaurant-awards-2012-105.html

Congrats to Everyone that got through to the finals and Well Done to All the Winners!

Zack

Results & Web Links to Leinster Winners of the Irish Restaurant Awards 2013

The LEINSTER Regional Final of the Santa Rita/ LIFE Magazine Irish Restaurant Awards 2013 took place in The Marker, Docklands, Dublin, on Tuesday night, 30th April. The winning top restaurants for each category in the region were named at the event.

The Irish region of Leinster covers twelve counties

The Leinster region covers the twelve counties of Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow & Dublin.

The Dublin winners will be announced at the All-Ireland Finals event where they will then compete with the winners from the Ulster, Munster, Leinster & Connaught regional finals at main event. The Irish Restaurant Awards 2013 Grand Finals will be held in The Burlington Hotel, Dublin, on 10th June.

Almost 500 restaurant owners and staff celebrated the hard work and achievements of those nominated at the Awards, which saw many well-known owners, chefs and other staff members of Leinster restaurants and hotels turn out to see if they had won one of the prestigious awards.

This year the nominations went online for the first time and they got a spectacular response from the public, nominations doubled and they received over 10,000 votes for Ireland’s favourite restaurants, chefs, gastro-pubs, hotel restaurants and customer service experiences.

In their fifth year, the Irish Restaurant Awards continue to go from strength to strength. Each year, the awards cast a spotlight on the brightest and best players on the Irish restaurant scene.

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 Kids Size Me, sponsored by Heinz, Engaging With The Gathering, sponsored by Tourism Ireland and Best Just Ask! Menu, sponsored by Bord Bia.

All Regional winners will now compete with the Dublin Winners (to be announced at the finals) for the All Ireland Titles at the Irish Restaurant Awards 2013 Grand Finals in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin on Wednesday 10th June.

There are 3 components to phase two of the process and each element is independently assessed by KPMG. They are:

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 representatives from each of the regional judging panels and will meet in May to Judge the County Winners.

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.

Voting in the Industry categories commenced on April 4th. Voting in these categories is exclusive to Restaurants Association of Ireland members only, with members competing for: Best Club Restaurant, Best Seafood Experience, Best World Cuisine, Best Newcomer, Best Café, Most Innovative Restaurant, Best Restaurant Design, Best Cocktail Experience, Best Restaurant Manager, Best Cookery School, Best Supplier & Best Digital Marketing.

The winners of the Industry Categories will be announced at the All-Ireland event on 10th June, 2013. Tickets are priced at €130 for the All-Ireland Event and can be bought directly from Sinead at the Restaurants Association of Ireland on (01) 677 9901 or sinead@rai.ie.

And the LEINSTER Regional Awards went to:

Best Customer Service

CARLOW- Lennons at Visual
KILDARE- Fallons of Kilcullen
KILKENNY- Zuni
LAOIS- Preston House
LONGFORD- Viewmount House
LOUTH- Eastern Seaboard Bar & Grill
MEATH- Conyngham Arms
OFFALY- Kinnitty Castle
WESTMEATH- Wineport Lodge
WEXFORD- The Pigs Tale
WICKLOW- Ocean Bar & Grill

Best Gastro Pub – Sponsored by Faustino
CARLOW- Teach Dolmain
KILDARE- Hartes Bar & Grill
KILKENNY- Marble City Bar at Langtons
LAOIS- McEvoys Steak & Wine Bar
LONGFORD- Eddie Valentines
LOUTH- Fitzpatricks
MEATH- The Central
OFFALY- The Thatch Bar
WESTMEATH- The Fatted Calf
WEXFORD- Murphy’s Bar & Bistro
WICKLOW- The Roundwood Inn

Best Casual Dining – Sponsored by Joseph Drouhin
CARLOW- The Arboretum/ Rachel’s Garden Café
KILDARE- Zest Café & Restaurant
KILKENNY- Café Sol Bistro
LAOIS- Season’s Bistro
LONGFORD- Aubergine Gallery Café
LOUTH- Magees Seafood Bistro
MEATH- La Bucca
OFFALY- Emma’s Café
WESTMEATH- An Tintáin Restaurant
WEXFORD- Cistín Eile
WICKLOW- A. Caviston

Best Hotel Restaurant – Sponsored by Pallas Foods
CARLOW- Rubens Restaurant at The Step House Hotel
KILDARE- The River Room Restaurant at The K Club
KILKENNY- Lady Helen @ Mount Juliet
LAOIS- Castle Durrow
LONGFORD- VM Restaurant
LOUTH- Scholars Townhouse Hotel
MEATH- Brabazon Restaurant at Tankardstown House
OFFALY- The Charleville Restaurant at The Bridge House Hotel
WESTMEATH- Killinure Restaurant, Glasson
WEXFORD- Monart Restaurant
WICKLOW- The Strawberry Tree at Brooklodge

Best Chef – Sponsored by Tipperary Water
CARLOW- Alan Foley of The Step House Hotel
KILDARE- Josef Zammit of The Brown Bear
KILKENNY- Cormac Rowe of The Lady Helen
LAOIS- Graham Gallagher of Castle Durrow
LONGFORD- Gary O’Hanlon of VM Restaurant
LOUTH- Reuven Diaz of Eastern Seaboard Bar and Grill
MEATH- Paul McCullagh of Zucchini’s
OFFALY- Anthony Holland of Kinnitty Castle
WESTMEATH- Fergal O’Donnell of The Fatted Calf
WEXFORD- Kevin Dundon of Dunbrody House
WICKLOW- Lalit Kumar of Chakra by Jaipur

Best Restaurant – Sponsored by Santa Rita
CARLOW- Sha Roe Bistro
KILDARE- Trax Brasserie
KILKENNY- Campagne
LAOIS- The Candied Walnut
LONGFORD- The Black Olive
LOUTH- The BayTree Restaurant at Belvedere House
MEATH- Zucchinis
OFFALY- Siroccos
WESTMEATH- Thyme Restaurant
WEXFORD- Aldridge Lodge
WICKLOW- Chakra by Jaipur

Best Wine Experience - Sponsored by Thomas Barton
The K Club, Kildare

Best Kids Size Me - Sponsored by Heinz
The Olive Grove, Westmeath

Engaging with The Gathering Award – Sponsored by Tourism Ireland
Sheraton Hotel, Athlone, Westmeath

Just Ask! Award – Sponsored by Bord Bia
Sqigl Restaurant at Roches Bar, Wexford


For More information and Tickets for the Finals Event see http://www.irishrestaurantawards.com and follow the #FoodOscars hashtag on Twitter.

Zack

Irish Restaurant Awards 2011 National Finals - Full Results & More !

For 2012 Irish Restaurant Awards - go to Homepage

It was a night of surprises - and for some, no surprise, but I'll let that sit...

Chapter One scooped the Best Restaurant Award & Mickael Viljanen, Head Chef at Gregans Castle is crowned Best Chef in Ireland! What a Night!

The Undisputed : Mr Mickael Viljanen

At the Santa Rita/Sunday Independent Irish Restaurant Awards 2011 in the Burlington Hotel, Wednesday 25^th March 2011, over 700 industry peers attended the awards ceremony where the regional and All Ireland winners were announced in the following categories:

Industry:

Best Seafood Experience 2011                 O’ Grady’s on the Pier, Barna, Co. Galway

Best Ethnic Restaurant 2011                     Rasam, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin

Best Newcomer 2011                                The Fatted Calf, Glasson, Co. Westmeath

Best Cocktail Experience 2011                 Saba, Dublin

Best Restaurant Design 2011                    Ely Bar and Brasserie, Dublin

Best Coffee Experience 2011                    Fallon and Byrne, Exchequer St, Dublin

Best Practice in Environmental 2011        Radisson Hotel, Dublin Airport

Best Restaurant Website 2011                  Seapoint, Monkstown, Dublin

Best Club Restaurant 2011                        Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club, Dublin

Best Supplier 2011                                    Keeling’s

Best Cookery School 2011                        The Tannery, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford

Best Innovation 2011                                O’ Brien Chop House, Co. Waterford

Best Food Producer 2011                         Silverhill Foods

Most Informative Menu 2011                    Bodega, Co. Waterford

Local Food Hero 2011                              Jack McCarthy, McCarthy’s of Kanturk



photo by @italianfoodie


The Regional Winners are:
Best Chef
                        Ulster                Noel McMeel, Lough Erne Resort
                        Munster             Mickael Viljanen, Gregans Castle

            Dublin                Kevin Thornton, Thornton’s

                        Leinster             Billy Whitty, Aldridge Lodge
                        Connaught        Philippe Farineau, Mount Falcon

Best Restaurant      

            Ulster                MacNean House and Restaurant

            Munster            The Tannery

            Dublin               Chapter One

            Leinster             Campagne

            Connaught         Asian Tea House

Best Casual Dining 

            Ulster                La Boca

            Munster            La Cucina

            Dublin               Michie Sushi

            Leinster             L’Olivier

            Connaught         Bar 8

Best Customer Service           

            Ulster               Harvey’s Point

            Munster            Gregans Castle

            Dublin               Chapter One

            Leinster             Chakra by Jaipur

            Connaught         Lough Inagh Lodge

Best Hotel Restaurant      

            Ulster               Snaffles Brasserie Castle Leslie

            Munster            Gregans Castle

            Dublin              The Cellar Restaurant, The Merrion Hotel

            Leinster            The Strawberry Tree, Brooklodge Wells and Spa

            Connaught        The Kitchen Restaurant, Mount Falcon

Best Gastro Pub     

            Ulster                Harry’s Bar

            Munster            Cronin’s Pub

            Dublin               L. Mulligan Grocer

             Leinster            Fallons

            Connaught        O’Dowd’s Bar and Seafood Restaurant

Best Wine Experience     

Dublin               The Winding Stair

And The Overall Winners are:

Best Restaurant 2011                Chapter One

Best Chef 2011                         Mickael Viljanen for Gregans Castle

Best Customer Service 2011      Gregans Castle

Best Casual Dining 2011            La Cucina

Best Hotel Restaurant 2011        Gregans Castle

Best Wine Experience 2011        Jacques at Greenacres

Best Gastro Pub 2011                Harry’s Bar

Local Food Hero 2011                 Jack McCarthy’s, McCarthy’s of Kanturk 

photo by @italianfoodie

A Super Supper was Served!

Guests on the night were treated to a five-course menu prepared by the winning Chefs in each of the five regions in 2010. This year’s event saw legends of the Foodie world: Danny Millar (Balloo House), Garret Byrne (Champagne), Seamus Commons (Knockranny House), Paul Flynn (The Tannery) and Eamonn O’ Reilly (One Pico) prepare a sumptuous meal for over 700 guests at a glittering black tie event – a fantastic celebration of all that is great in the Irish Restaurant Industry.

photo by @italianfoodie

A Highlight in the Restaurant Calendar

The Irish Restaurant Awards are organised by The Restaurants Association of Ireland and are sponsored by Santa Rita & Sunday Independent LIFE Magazine.

This year’s event recognized achievement and excellence in the Restaurant and Hospitality Industry, throughout the whole island of Ireland, in 22 categories. The awards celebrate all aspects of the Industry from Chefs, Restaurants, Food Producers, Cookery Schools and even Local Food Heroes!

photo by @italianfoodie

Readers of the Sunday Independent LIFE Magazine and members of the Restaurants Association of Ireland put forward nominations for the awards. The awards process ran from the beginning of February 2011 until the 25^th of May 2011 whereby nominated Restaurants faced scrutiny from the Consumer, Regional Judges, a Mystery Guest Visitor and finally the National Awards Academy. The County winners were announced at a number of Regional events, over the last few months, in the run up to the Main Event last night in the Burlington Hotel Dublin.

Don’t Forget to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this post!

zack