The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
After two rounds and several weeks of voting, the Peterborough Telegraph Restaurant of the Year 2018 can finally be revealed.
Sonargaon, which last year won our Curry House of the Year award, has made it a double by coming out on top of our readers’ poll.
From more than 50 initial nominations, covering a wide variety of food types and featuring both chains and independents, reader votes gave us a more than worthy top 10.
And the second round of voting by readers saw The Pizza Parlour and Music Cafe in Cowgate (second) and The Dog in a Doublet near Whittlesey complete the top three.
A thrilled Abul Kahar Babul, who has run the family owned business for 20 years, couldn’t hide his delight when he heard the news.
“This is fantastic news,” he said. “I am so happy.
“The World Cup and the long spell of hot weather have not been good for business so this is treat.
“It was great winning the Curry House of the Year award because we are a Bangladeshi restaurant, but to win this award too is unbelievable, Thank you to everyone who voted.”
Peter Fierro, who opened the Pizza Parlour and Music cafe almost two years ago said he was delighted to be the only city centre venue in the top three.
“It is a privilege in the short period that we have been in business to have been recognised by our loyal customers for our unique style of combining good food and retro music in equal measure,” he said.
“And to borrow a musical metaphor ‘it’s all about the base’, meaning that with Italian cooking if you don’t get the sauce base right then ‘nothing else matters’!
“Our cannelloni and lasagne, which are lovingly prepared by our very own Nonna, are the talk of the town. But our main ingredient is our wood fired oven, unique to Peterborough city centre, which is the reason why our pizzas taste so good.”
Third place was well received by John McGinn and wife Della, who have run the Dog in a Doublet - the current Peterborough Telegraph Pub of the Year, for seven years.
Della said: “We are really pleased, after all we are the number one British restaurant in the competition.
“It is a big achievement for us, and we are made up. When you look at the top 10 there were some really nice places on there - The Cherry House and the Blue Bell, so to finish in the top three is a bonus.”