FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TOP RESTAURANTS IN ULSTER ANNOUNCED AT
IRISH RESTAURANT AWARDS 2015

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

April 7 th 2015, BELFAST.

The Ulster Regional Final of the Irish Restaurant Awards, in association with The Irish Times, took place in The Titanic Belfast last night and named the top restaurants in the nine counties 2015.

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 last night, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland Adrian Cummins said; “The Irish Restaurant Awards celebrate their seventh 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 30,000 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 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.”

Having won the Best Newcomer and Best Chef Award in 2013, Best Restaurant, Best Wine Experience and Best Chef in 2014, OX once again took home the award for Best Restaurant and Best Wine Experience in Antrim. For a full list of winners, see below.

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

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 25th May, 2015.

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 and Dublin Shortlist 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 and Dublin Shortlist. 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

Best Restaurant – Sponsored by Dalcassian & Wakefield Wines

 Antrim- OX
 Armagh- The Moody Bar
 Cavan- MacNean House and Restaurant
 Derry- Browns Restaurant & Champagne Lounge
 Donegal- Harry’s Restaurant
 Down- The Boat House Restaurant
 Fermanagh- Watermill Lodge Restaurant
 Monaghan- Courthouse Restaurant
 Tyrone- Black Cat Restaurant

Best Chef – Sponsored by La Rousse Foods

 Antrim- Danni Barry of Deanes EIPIC
 Armagh- Sean Farnan of The Moody Boar
 Cavan- Neven Maguire, MacNean House and Restaurant
 Derry- Eddie Attwell of Ardtara Country House
 Donegal- Derek Creagh of Harry’s Restaurant
 Down- Mark Doran of Restaurant 23 at Balmoral Hotel
 Fermanagh- Noel McMeel of The Catalina Restaurant at Lough Erne Resort
 Monaghan- Conor Mee of Courthouse Restaurant
 Tyrone- James Devine of Black Cat Restaurant

Best Gastro Pub – Sponsored by Bunzl McLaughlin

 Antrim- The Morning Star
 Armagh- Digby’s Bar & Restaurant
 Cavan- Murph’s Bistro at Derragarra Inn
 Derry- Mary’s Bar
 Donegal- The Village Tavern
 Down- The Poacher’s Pocket
 Fermanagh- Café Merlot
 Monaghan- Andy’s Bar and Restaurant
 Tyrone- The Brewer’s House

Best Casual Dining – Sponsored by Total Produce

 Antrim- Graze
 Armagh- Uluru
 Cavan- Ashcourt at Crover House Hotel
 Derry- Harry’s Shack
 Donegal- Browns on the Green
 Down- Art Bar Funkel
 Fermanagh- Franco’s Restaurant
 Monaghan- Bistro Restaurant at The Fiddlers Elbow
 Tyrone- Deli On The Green

Best Hotel Restaurant

 Antrim- The Bushmills Inn Restaurant
 Armagh- Newforge House
 Cavan- The Courtroom Restaurant at Cabra Castle Hotel
 Derry- Ardtara Country House
 Donegal- Lakeside Restaurant at Harvey’s Point
 Down- Restaurant 23 at Balmoral Hotel
 Fermanagh- The Catalina Restaurant at Lough Erne Resort
 Monaghan- Snaffles Restaurant at Castle Leslie Estate
 Tyrone- The Kitchen Restaurant at Tullylagan Country House Hotel

Best Customer Service- Sponsored by TheTaste.ie

 Antrim- Upstairs at Joe’s
 Armagh- The Portmor Bar & Restaurant
 Cavan- MacNean House & Restaurant
 Derry- Church Street Restaurant
 Donegal- Castle Murray House Hotel & Restaurant
 Down- Rayanne House Restaurant
 Fermanagh- Dollakis
 Monaghan- Courthouse Restaurant
 Tyrone- The Brewers House

Best Wine Experience – Sponsored by Classic Drinks & Massottina

 Antrim- OX
 Armagh- Uluru
 Cavan- MacNean House & Restaurant
 Derry- Browns Restaurant & Champagne Lounge
 Donegal- Lakeside Restaurant at Harvey’s Point Hotel
 Down- The Oak Restaurant at Slieve Donard
 Fermanagh- Café Merlot
 Monaghan- Snaffles Restaurant at Castle Leslie
 Tyrone- Black Cat Restaurant

Best Kids Size Me in Ulster – Sponsored by Heinz & Kids Size Me

 The Governor Rocks, Ulster

Best Restaurant Manager in Ulster– Supported by Tindal Wine and Emiliana Vineyards

 Saul McConnell of Deanes Deli & Bistro, Ulster

Best Newcomer – Sponsored by Elavon

 Antrim – Deanes EIPIC
 Armagh – 4 Vicars
 Cavan – Ashcourt at Crover House Hotel
 Derry – Harry’s Shack
 Donegal – The Hatter Tea Room
 Down – The Poacher’s Pocket
 Monaghan – The Batch Loaf

Best Emerging Irish Cuisine in Ulster – Sponsored by Odaios Foods

 Ardtara Country House, Ulster

Local Food Hero – Sponsored by Rewarding Times

 Caroline Wilson of Belfast Food Tours

ENDS

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.

Best Cocktail Experience
Best Private Dining & Club Restaurant
Best Café
Best World Cuisine
Best Seafood Experience
Best Cookery School
Best Eco-Friendly Restaurant
Best Digital Marketing

Voting in the Industry categories has now closed online. The winners of the Industry Categories will be announced at the All-Ireland event on 25th May, 2015. Tickets for the All-Ireland Event can be bought directly from the awards team on (01) 677 9901 or awards@rai.ie

For further information contact:
Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive Officer
Restaurants Association of Ireland

Mobile: +353 (86) 826 3311
Telephone: +353 (1) 677 9901
Fax: +353 (1) 671 8414
Email: awards@rai.ie

Website: www.irishrestaurantawards.com
Twitter: @restawards
Facebook: www.facebook.com/IrishRestaurantAwards

Voting in the Industry categories has now closed online. The winners of the Industry Categories will be announced at the All-Ireland event on 25th May, 2015. Tickets for the All-Ireland Event can be bought directly from the awards team on (01) 677 9901 or awards@rai.ie

For further information contact:
Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive Officer
Restaurants Association of Ireland

Mobile: +353 (86) 826 3311
Telephone: +353 (1) 677 9901
Fax: +353 (1) 671 8414
Email: awards@rai.ie

Website: www.irishrestaurantawards.com
Twitter: @restawards
Facebook: www.facebook.com/IrishRestaurantAwards