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The winners were decided by collating the points individually conferred by a panel of five judges to each of the three finalists in every category. The finalists were selected on the basis of public voting held October 15-December 17. Public participation this year was phenomenal, with a record 113,310 votes in a period of two months compared to 66,788 votes in the previous year. The identities of the five judges who had individually visited all finalists incognito to rate them were revealed at the function. This year's judges were Cheryl Buckley, Issam Sultan, Claire Stirling, Bikram Rishi and Mohammed al Kharusi.
The main sponsor of the event was Bank Sohar and co-sponsor, Al Madina A'Zarqa. The award function was supported by African & Eastern, while Shangri-La's Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa played the unstinting host. Saleh Zakwani and Mohana Prabhakar, chairman and CEO of Apex Press and Publishing, presented the coveted awards to the winners.
With the introduction of three new categories, 14 awards were given out on Thursday night to celebrate the very best in dining. The new awards were: Best Newcomer Award, Best Restaurant Manager Award and Food Hygiene Award.
An annual event that was launched in 2002, the awards have come to be considered the ultimate recognition of the best and most popular restaurants in Oman. The Awards was instituted to provide an opportunity for the public to recognise, appreciate and reward the best among the restaurateurs and hospitality industry. Since then, these awards have become a benchmark of excellence for the sector.
Categories and winners:
The following is a listing of the categories and the winners:
- Food Hygiene - winner: Noodle House
- Buffet - winner: Mokha Café, Grand Hyatt Muscat
- Café - winner: Second Cup
- Far Eastern - winner: Marjan Restaurant, Grand Hyatt Muscat
- Fast Food - winner: McDonald's
- Indian - winner: Mumtaz Mahal
- International - winner: Sultanah, Shangri-La's Barr al Jissah Resort & Spa
- Italian - winner: Capri Court, Shangri-La's Barr al Jissah Resort & Spa
- Middle Eastern - winner: Al Tanoor, Shangri-La's Barr al Jissah Resort & Spa
- Pub Food - winner: Rock Bottom Cafe
- Service - winner: Woodlands
- Newcomer - winner: The Beach Restaurant, The Chedi
- Ambience - winner: Shahrazad, Shangri-La's Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa
- Restaurant Manager - winner: Mr Dushyant Tittawella, Tuscany, Grand Hyatt, Muscat
Posted by Siba Sami Ammari
