CONGRATULATIONS to Hawksmoor (team picture above) for scooping Restaurant of the Year at the 2016 Manchester Food and Drink Awards just 12 months after being named Best Newcomer. This year’s winner in that category (and nominated in four others) El Gato Negro will be hoping to follow suit.
Alex Shaw is another serial winner – last year best chef, while at Volta in West Didsbury; this time his new home the Eagle and Child was named Food Pub of the Year. It was a unique double for Ramsbottom then with Levanter winning Best Neighbourhood Restaurant. Shawless Volta (and with owners distracted by opening The Refuge by Volta) still scooped the Best Casual Restaurant gong.
There was double delight, too for Simon Rogan at The French, winner in the Fine Dining Restaurant category and Best Front of House staff (much of that down to Kamila and Rebecca, pictured below).
The coveted Chef of the Year title belongs to Terry Yeung of sushi specialists Umezushi, recently lauded by Jay Rayner in The Observer and a huge ToM fave. But then so too are The Smithfield Tavern and Heaton Hops, respectively Pub and Craft Ale Bar of the Year. Oh, and Bar of the Year Albert’s Schloss. Yes we are partial to a drop of beer.
The Awards were hosted by the BBC's Becky Want and Matt White of XS Radio and Fodder in the Palace’s historic ballroom. Five new categories swelled the number of awards on offer to 17, reflecting the remarkable recent ascendancy of the city’s food and drink culture.
The dinner was the culmination of the most successful Festival yet, attracting more than 100,000 visitors to the free Festival Hub on Albert Square. Below is the full honours list (and see if you can spot special presenters Gareth Gates, John Cooper Clarke and Mike Joyce):
Restaurant of the Year sponsored by Caterer.com
Winner: Hawksmoor
Shortlisted: El Gato Negro, Evelyn’s, Volta, Sugo, Hawksmoor, Levanter.
(Last year’s winner: The French).
Premium & Fine Dining Venue of the Year sponsored by Bookatable
Winner: Simon Rogan at The French
Shortlisted: Hawksmoor, Manchester House,Simon Rogan at The French, El Gato Negro, Australasia, Iberica. (New category)
Casual Restaurant of the Year 2016 sponsored by Boutinot
Winner: Volta
Shortlisted: Evelyn’s, Sugo, Indian Tiffin Room, Rudy’s Pizza, Salvi’s, Volta. (New category)
Newcomer of the Year sponsored by Manchester Evening News
Winner: El Gato Negro
Shortlisted: Albert’s Schloss, Rudy’s Pizza, El Gato Negro, Sugo, Indian Tiffin Room, Evelyn’s. (Last year’s winner: Hawksmoor).
Neighbourhood Restaurant of the Year sponsored by Manchester Confidential
Winner: Levanter
Shortlisted Volta, Sugo, Baratxuri, Levanter, Brassica, Rose Garden.
(New category)
Chef of the Year sponsored by City Card Manchester
Winner: Terry Huang (Umezushi)
Shortlisted: Adam Reid (The French), Simon Shaw (El Gato Negro), Aiden Byrne (Manchester House), Joe Botham (Levanter), Terry Huang (Umezushi), Byron Moses (Evelyn’s). (Last year’s winner: Alex Shaw).
Pub of the Year sponsored by Marston’s
Winner: Smithfield Tavern
Food Pub of the Year sponsored by R Noone and Sons
Winner: Eagle and Child, Ramsbottom
Shortlisted White Hart, The Marble Arch, Hearth of the Ram, Eagle & Child, The Parlour, Oddfellows. (Last year’s winner: The Clarence).
Bar of the Year sponsored by Fever-Tree
Winner: Albert’s Schloss
Shortlisted: Albert Schloss, Hawksmoor, Cottonopolis, Tariff & Dale, Black Cat, Science + Industry. (Last year’s winner: Ply).
Craft Ale Bar of the Year
Winner: Heaton Hops
Shortlisted: Café Beermoth, Heaton Hops, Beagle, Port Street Beer House, Font, Saison. (New category).
Coffee Bar or Tea Shop of the Year
Winner: Pot Kettle Black
Shortlisted: Trove, Pot Kettle Black, Grindsmith, Takk, Ezra & Gil, Fig & Sparrow. (Last year’s winner: Lupo Caffe Italiano).
Cheap Eats Venue Of The Year
Winner: Northern Soul Grilled Cheese
Shortlisted Viet Shack, Honest Crust, Northern Soul Grilled Cheese, Chaat Cart, Siam Smiles, Lupo Caffe Italiano. (Last year’s winner: Lily’s).
Best Food and Drink Retailer of the Year sponsored by Campari
Winner: Salvi’s
Shortlisted: Lunya, Trove, Out of the Blue, Altrincham Market, Reserve Wines, Salvi’s. (Last year’s winner: A Taste of Honey).
Front of House Team of the Year sponsored by Springboard
Winner: Simon Rogan at The French
Shortlisted: Hawksmoor, Simon Rogan at The French, Iberica, Manchester House, Fazenda, Asha’s. (New category)
Best Food and Drink Pop Up, Event, Club or Project
Winner: Stockport Foodie Friday
Shortlisted: Not Just Soup, Real Junk Food Project, GRUB, Sadler’s Yard, Stockport Foodie Friday, Neil Buttery. (Last year’s winner: Altrincham Market).
Best Street Food of the Year sponsored by Capital FM
Winner: Chaat Cart at B.Eat Street, Deansgate Mews
(Last year’s winner: Yakumama).
The Howard and Ruth Award For Outstanding Achievement
Winner: John Slattery from Slattery, Whitefield
Recognising a person or business who has contributed something outstanding to the food and drink industry in Greater Manchester over the last 19 years. There was no shortlist for this category but businesses and individuals nominated their peers. (Last year’s winner: Mike and Maggie Noone of R. Noone).
This year’s core judging panel for the Awards comprised food experts from across the region, including Neil Sowerby, Taste of Manchester; Ruth Allan, Manchester Wire; Thom Hetherington, Holden Media; Simon Binns and Emily Heward, Manchester Evening; Emma Sturgess, freelance; Jamie Campbell, CGA Strategy; Helen Ramsbottom, Bitten Magazine; Matt White, XS Radio Manchester/Fodder; Deanna Thomas, Manchester Confidential. Their scores were augmented by a public vote.