The Irish Restaurant Awards 2010 – Munster Region winners announced
THE BEST is out there and the the Irish Restaurant Awards for 2010 are underway and the first stage took place in the Clarion Hotel, Lapps Quay Cork recently. The Limerick winners herald some of the very best from the industry with the Mustard Seed scooping three awards, the River Bistro, AuBars and La Cucina taking the top spots in their respective categories.
Nominations for the awards were made by readers of the Sunday Independent Life Magazine, members of the Restaurants Association of Ireland and by regional judging panels. The awards ceremony was hosted by Pat O’Leary and attended by 240 industry peers. All County winners will 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 June 9 2010.
Castletroy based La Cucina, the ever popular Italian eatery, met with the rewards of their efforts in revamping their casual dining deli by taking the top spot in the best casual dining category. Their friendly approach, high standards and inviting culinary appreciation of food is one that is enjoyed by young and old alike.
Diarmuid and Carmel O’Callaghan at the River Bistro took the coveted title of best restaurant in Limerick fighting off stiff competition and the plaudits for the chef proprietor have been well received for the George’s Quay establishment.
Padraig Frawley and his team at AuBars took the best gastro pub award as his concept and style continues to please the Limerick city public.
Landing three awards for his already multi award winning establishment, Dan Mullane and his team took best hotel restaurant, best customer service and the best chef title for the Limerick area – a real sign of the quality at hand at their stunning Ballingarry escape in county Limerick.
The Limerick winners included:
Best casual dining – La Cucina
Best restaurant – the River Bistro
Best gastro pub – Aubars
Best hotel restaurant – the Mustard Seed
Best chef – the Mustard Seed
Best customer service – the Mustard Seed
Other winners from the region included:
In Clare, best chef – David McCann at Dromoland Castle. Best casual dining – Wild Honey Inn, best restaurant – Galaghers at Bunratty with the restaurant scooping the best customer service award also.
In Tipperary, best Chef went to Jason Matthiae at Chez Hans with the restaurant scooping the best restaurant, best customer service and best casual dining experience for their adjacent cafe. Bordering Limerick and Tipperary, Matt the Thresher’s landed the best gastro pub award as they continue to deliver a quality product at their Birdhill base.
All the winners now go forward to the national judging process with the winners announced at the gala awards in June.
www.irishrestaurantawards.com
