Wexford restaurants do well in regional awards
MORE than 600 people attended the Leinster Regional Final of this year’s Irish Restaurant Awards in the Lyrath Estate, Kilkenny, at which 105 awards were presented to the country’s leading chefs, restaurants and pubs, 10 of them from County Wexford.
The ceremony, last Wednesday night, included six regional titles: Best Café; Best Emerging Irish Cuisine; Best Kids Size Me; Best Restaurant Manager; Best World Cuisine; and Local Food Hero. Wexford’s Paul Hynes, from La Côte Seafood Restaurant, won two awards, for Best Chef and Best Restaurant in the county.
County winners were selected from the following categories: Best Restaurant; Best Chef; Best Gastro Pub; Best Casual Dining; Best Hotel Restaurant; Best Customer Service; Best Wine Experience; Best Newcomer; and Pub of the Year.
Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) said: ‘Now in their ninth year, the Irish Restaurant Awards continue to showcase the exquisite and admirable calibre of food available in our restaurants and pubs nationwide.
‘Online nominations have increased from 9,000 in 2013 to over 80,000 this year and with the increase in interest comes an increase in standards, making the judging process more difficult than ever.’
All County winners now compete for the Regional and All Ireland Title which will be announced at the Irish Restaurant Awards in the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, Dublin, on Monday, May 8. The Wexford Winners are: Best Kids Size Me – Sponsored by Heinz (Regional Winner), Seasons Restaurant at Whitford House Hotel, Newline Road, County Wexford;
Best Restaurant – Sponsored by Dalcassian Wines & Spirits and Cielo, La Côte Seafood Restaurant;
Best Chef – Sponsored by Pallas Foods, Paul Hynes of La Côte Seafood Restaurant; Best Gastro Pub – Sponsored by Coca Cola, Mary Barry’s Bar, Kilmore;
Best Casual Dining – Sponsored by San Pellegrino, Wild and Native; Best Hotel Restaurant – Sponsored by Elavon, Reeds Restaurant at Ferrycarrig Hotel; Best Customer Service – Sponsored by Peroni, The River Bar & Restaurant at The Riverbank House Hotel;
Best Wine Experience – Sponsored by CLASSICdrinks, Greenacres; Best Newcomer – Sponsored by BWG Foodservice, Mi Street Food, Wexford and Pub of the Year – Sponsored by Bushmills, Simon Lambert & Sons.