Three Galway restaurants received top accolades in Irish Restaurant Awards 2014, in association with the Sunday Independent LIFE Magazine, in the DoubleTree by Hilton on Monday June 9.
More than 900 restauranteurs and industry players turned out to attend Ireland’s biggest restaurant awards where regional and All-Ireland winners were announced in various categories: Renvyle House Hotel won Best Restaurant Manager in Ireland supported by The Restaurants Association of Ireland; O’Grady’s on the Pier was awarded the Sustainable Restaurant of the Year in Ireland sponsored by Unilever; and West @ The Twelve scooped the award for Best World Cuisine in Ireland sponsored by Elavon.
The menu for the five-course gala was created by five chefs who have previously won Best Chef titles at the Irish Restaurant Awards. Aniar’s JP McMahon created the dessert course of elderflower and yogurt mousse, cucumber granita, dill oil, and dried cauliflower crisp - sponsored by La Rousse Foods.
Pádraic Óg Gallagher, president of the Restaurants Association of Ireland said: “This year’s awards have been the biggest, brightest and the best. They are the awards everyone wants to be associated with, and everyone wants to be a winner. As a testament to their success, we’ve seen a huge increase in nominations and votes since last year, with over 19,000 nominations for Ireland’s favourite restaurants, chefs, gastro pubs, hotel restaurants, restaurant managers and ‘foodie towns’ throughout the country. The Irish Restaurant Awards are all about celebrating those who have brought acclaim to the Irish food scene from abroad and who keep the restaurant industry thriving at home.
“Ireland has so much to offer to the culinary tourist, and these awards remind everyone of the quality and class of Irish restaurants and chefs. The Irish restaurant scene is vital to the economy, employing 64,000 people and generating revenue in excess of €2 billion per year, it’s great to celebrate the work that all of our restaurateurs around the country do to keep this aspect of our culture alive and kicking.”
