available for - London Restaurant Awards

1 September 2016, 9:00 for immediate release
Race is on to win top slot
at London’s newest Restaurant Awards
London's newest restaurant awards today released its final shortlist.
Amongst those vying for the Chapel Down award for Top Gastronomic Experience is
Brett Graham's renowned Notting Hill restaurant The Ledbury, together with London’s
most expensive restaurant – The Araki. Meanwhile The Wolseley is the only restaurant
nominated in two categories: Best for Business, and Best Breakfast or Brunch.
Peter Harden, co-founder of Harden's and host of the awards commented:
"Street-food vendors and London’s most famous chefs will rub shoulders at the
new Harden's London Restaurant Awards, as we recognise both the budget rising
stars and veteran celebrity kitchens of the world's most diverse, and increasingly
its best, restaurant scene."
The Harden's London Restaurant Awards comprises a total of 12 categories – with
nominees taken from those who performed best in the annual Harden's restaurant
survey.
Each category consists of four nominees, two selected purely on the strength of diners'
votes, and a further two selected on a similar basis, but solely from newer restaurant
openings of the last 2-3 years. From the four candidates, the Harden's editors pick the
final winner, with a bias to recognising rising talent that possesses the potential to
emerge as some of London’s very best in any given category.
The Awards will take place at The Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square on
12 September 2016.
This year, more than 7,500 foodies contributed 50,000 reviews.
Each award aims not only to recognise the best overall performance in any given
category but also to celebrate new talent. The award for the capital's Most Interesting
Wine List of the Year, will be presented by England’s leading wine producer and
sponsor, Chapel Down.
In addition to the dozen awards based on the survey, a special Lifetime Achievement
Award will be presented to an industry figure whose ventures have performed
exceptionally well in the Harden's survey over many years.
The awards ceremony, hosted by BBC London presenter Nigel Barden and introduced
by Harden's co-founder Peter Harden, will take place in front of an audience of "the great
and the good" of the London restaurant world and with entertainment from well-known
jazz pianist Joe Stilgoe.
TOP GASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCE
WINE LIST OF THE YEAR
Sponsor: Chapel Down
Sponsor: Chapel Down
The Araki
Le Gavroche
The Ledbury
Typing Room
TOP NEWCOMER
Les 110 de Taillevant
Enoteca Turi
Noble Rot
Terroirs
TOP BAR OR PUB
Sponsor: Curious Brew
Anglo
Black Axe Mangal
Frenchie
Som Saa
TOP CHEAP EAT
Bao
Hoppers
Lahore Kebab House
Padella
BEST FOR BUSINESS
Anchor & Hope
The Harcourt
Harwood Arms
The Marksman
BEST FOR ROMANCE
Clos Maggiore
Ivy Chelsea Green
Pidgin
La Poule au Pot
BEST BREAKFAST OR BRUNCH
Sponsor: Exmoor Caviar
The Bleeding Heart
Holborn Dining Room
Piquet
The Wolseley
BEST STEAKS & GRILLS
Flat Iron
Guinea Grill
Hawksmoor
Popeseye Highgate
BEST STREET FOOD
Cecconis
45 Jermyn Street
Milk
The Wolseley
TOP COFFEE HOUSE
Department of Coffee
Doppio
Monmouth Coffee
Tamp
BEST AFTERNOON TEA
Sponsor: Fentimans
Gourmet Goat
Kappacasein Dairy
The Rib Man
Smokestak
The Goring
Ham Yard
The Ritz
Ting
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Sponsor: The Hippodrome Casino
The ceremony will conclude with the recognition of exceptional achievement in
the London restaurant scene, as judged by performance in the Harden's survey
over many years.
Event sponsors
The Hippodrome Casino – the venue for the
awards – is the UK’s largest international-style
casino, and its busiest. Since opening in 2012 it
has twice won Best European Casino operator.
It has three floors of casinos, a 180-seat
cabaret theatre and an acclaimed steak
restaurant, Heliot Steak House.
Chapel Down is England’s leading wine
producer, producing a world-class range of
sparkling and still wines, together with an
award-winning range of Curious beers & cider.
A premium lager brewed in England and refermented with Champagne yeast for a
curiously distinctive, clean and refreshing lager
beer.
Set up in 2012, Exmoor Caviar is the first and
only caviar farm in the UK.
For eight generations the Woodall family has
been innovating using traditional curing and
smoking methods to produce delicious British
charcuterie. Today they still continue to use the
family’s original British recipes and skills
mastered since 1828.
For eight generations the Woodall family has
been innovating using traditional curing and
smoking methods to produce delicious British
charcuterie.
Notes for editors
Further information and background on the awards is available at
restaurantawards.london.
For detailed information and images, or to arrange an interview with Peter Harden
contact Clare Burnage on 020 7839 4763 or email [email protected].
1. Hardenʼs is the UKʼs original ʻuser-generated contentʼ restaurant review site and
guide, taking survey feedback from ordinary diners and curating them into reviews and
ratings. The Hardenʼs survey of regular restaurant-goers is now in its 26th year. It has
been national in scope since 1999. Hardenʼs is the only established detailed annual
survey of restaurant-goers across the UK.
2. Unlike restaurant review sites like TripAdvisor, Hardenʼs has never published its
surveyeesʼ raw reports online, to prevent ballot-stuffing. Having no access to raw user
reviews makes it much harder to “game” the Hardenʼs system, because it is impossible
to gauge how much false data to submit to do so. Whatʼs more, Hardenʼs longstanding
core of reviewers – some of who have been participating for over 20 years – provides a
control group by which to access reports from newer respondents.
3. Hardenʼs content is available in guidebook format, and in apps for iPhone; and also
at www.hardens.com.
4. Hardenʼs London Restaurants 2017, £12.99, and Harden's Best UK Restaurants
2017, £15.99, will be published in October and November respectively. They are
available in all good bookshops, including Waterstoneʼs and Amazon.com, and can be
pre-ordered at www.hardens.com.