The best restaurants in Oman

(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) The inclement weather may have tried to play spoilsport, but it could not dampen the spirits of the expectant crowd that had gathered at the Al Bandar Hotel in Shangri-La's Barr al Jissah Resort & Spa for the 12th edition of the prestigious Oman Today Restaurant Awards (OTRA) 2013 on February 13.

Despite a last-minute change of venue owing to the heavy downpour on Thursday morning, the event went smoothly and was hailed as a success. ''All's well that ends well,'' was how a guest succinctly put it, as the awards function - that also saw some spell-binding performances and a scrumptious four-course meal for the guests – drew to a close.

This year's awards received an overwhelming response from diners across the sultanate with 426,000 votes – a record number compared to last year's 394,000 votes – being cast during the preliminary round that kicked off on October 24.

Following the month-long voting process, three finalists were selected in each of the 14 categories, from among the 97 participating restaurants. A team of five judges took over from here, visiting the finalists anonymously since December last year. Their votes were then collated to decide the winners in each category. Interestingly, in a first for the event, an all-women's team of judges took on the daunting task of narrowing down on the best restaurants in Oman. The judges were Alyona Moulton-Thomas, Deepali Mehta, Maha al Lamki,  Rana Dabbous and Emma Brown. 

The event was sponsored by bankmuscat, Saraya Bandar Jissah and African & Eastern.

Abdulnasir al Raisi, AGM, Corporate Banking, who represented main sponsor bank muscat at the ceremony said, ''bank muscat congratulates all the top restaurants which won the 12th Oman Today Restaurant Awards.The bank is proud to be closely associated with the awards, which define a culinary benchmark for the hospitality sector in Oman. As the nation's leading banking partner, bank muscat attaches great importance to initiatives aimed at contributing to the country's progress and development in all arenas, including hospitality and tourism. The bank remains committed to promoting the hospitality and tourism sector, which is witnessing significant developments in the country.''

The evening kicked off on a light note with emcee Issam Sultan, who though absent on stage, made his presence felt on the two giant screens at the venue, cracking a series of one-liners, which kept the crowd in good spirits.

This was followed by a delectable dinner with Savio's Jazz Band regaling the guests until the main course. A little later, the Junk Band from the UK took centrestage. The band, which created funky pop percussion out of scrap material like plastic barrels, tennis balls, shoe soles, gas pipes and scaffolding, had everyone tuned in. They also got the crowd to join them in an a cappella recital of the popular Banana Boat song. These string of performances kept the anxious audience in a lively mood, warming them up for the final and most anticipated part of the evening - the awards ceremony.

Issam made an unexpected comeback on the screens - an outtake of bloopers made during the shooting of the earlier video had the audience in splits just before the awards were finally announced.

The 2013 awards were announced and handed out by Saleh Zakwani, executive chairman and Mohana Prabhakar, CEO, Apex Press and Publishing.

This year, The Chedi Muscat's The Beach Restaurant proved to be the night's biggest winner, as it took home three awards in the Best Ambience, Fine Dining and Service categories. ''We were always hoping for a win, but never really expecting. But now that we have won three awards, it feels fantastic. All the credit goes to our staff…they totally deserve it. They are great and I couldn't have possibly done it without them,'' said Michiel Lugt, director of food and beverages, The Chedi Muscat.

In another first in the history of OTRA, a tie for the top spot, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Second Cup were announced as the joint winners in the Best Café category.

Also, for the second year running, Mokha Café at Grand Hyatt Muscat won for Best Buffet, Tuscany at the same hotel for Italian, Left Bank for Casual Dining (Independent) and Duke's Bar at Crowne Plaza Muscat for its Pub Food. Trader Vic's at the InterContinental Muscat won for Casual Dining in the hotel category. Four year old restaurant chain Shang Thai won in the Far Eastern category, while the award for the best Middle Eastern food went to Al Angham. The Indus received the Best Newcomer award, securing the win by a margin of one point.

There weren't any surprises in the Indian restaurant categories though, with Mumtaz Mahal winning for best North Indian food and Woodlands taking the award for the best South Indian outlet. Gautam Moudgill, general manager, Mumtaz Mahal was all praise for the awards, ''We are excited and elated on having won again. It has been a wonderful evening…of course thanks to the Apex team, which has been doing such a remarkable job in pushing the industry players to come in. The awards have been very encouraging for all the hospitality players and, I hope this trend continues.'' Following the awards distribution, the guests enjoyed a chocolate and orange-themed dessert buffet.

Speaking on the success of the evening, Sheikh Hamood Sultan al Hosni, CEO of the event's co-sponsor, Saraya Bandar Jissah, said, ''With the growth in Oman's tourism and hospitality industry, events like tonight's really help the industry to strive for excellence. Saraya Bandar Jissah has supported this event for the last four years and is proud to be associated with it from the launch of vote, through to tonight's fantastic conclusion. I look forward to soon having our hotels competing for these prestigious awards. Thank you and well done to the Apex team for another truly wonderful evening.''

Sean Hennessey, general manager of supporting sponsor African & Eastern, said, ''African & Eastern is delighted to continue its association with the OTRA. This occasion provides the perfect opportunity to celebrate the success of our business partners and recognise the hard work and effort they put into the hospitality trade in Oman on a daily basis.''

 

The Winners

Ambience: The Beach Restaurant, The Chedi Muscat

Buffet: Mokha Café, Grand Hyatt Muscat

Café: Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Second Cup (Joint winners)

Casual Dining (Hotel): Trader Vic's, InterContinental Muscat

Casual Dining (Independent): Left Bank

Far Eastern: Shang Thai

Fine Dining: The Beach Restaurant, The Chedi Muscat

Italian: Tuscany, Grand Hyatt Muscat

Middle Eastern: Al Angham

Newcomer: The Indus

North Indian: Mumtaz Mahal

Pub Food: Duke's Bar, Crowne Plaza Muscat

Service: The Beach Restaurant, The Chedi Muscat

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