The final shortlist for the Seafood Restaurant of the Year competition, organised by The Caterer in partnership with Seafish, has been unveiled following a judging session at the Punch Bowl in Mayfair, London, last week.
The five restaurants, with two in London, two in Brighton & Hove and one again in Cornwall, pride themselves on their use and knowledge of fish and shellfish, and were chosen from a longer list of 12 selected restaurants visited by a mystery judge, appointed by Seafish , last month.
The top five shortlisted businesses are:
Kaspar's, at the Savoy, London
Riddle & Finns, The Lanes, Brighton, East Sussex
The Idle Rocks, St Mawes, Cornwall (pictured)
The Little Fish Market, Hove, Brighton, East Sussex
Wright Brothers, Borough Market, London
The Seafood Restaurant of the Year competition was created to find restaurants demonstrating both excellent examples of the cooking and serving of fish and shellfish, as well as evidence of fish and shellfish knowledge among their staff, both front and back of house.
Competition judges Calum Richardson, owner of the Bay Fish and Chips in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire; hospitality consultant, Amanda Afiya; José Souto, chef-lecturer at Westminster College London; Giovanna Grossi, hospitality training consultant and Adam Bateman, group operations and development chef at Principal / IHG Hotels were determined to find a top five that reflected the very best service of seafood across the UK.
The top five will now be visited by the organisers for interviews, presented with their certificates and logos, and the ultimate winner announced in October.
The winning business will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the fishing docks of Brixham, where they will have the opportunity to extend their knowledge of the catching, processing and supply of seafood, a bespoke trophy for their restaurant, an individually designed seafood masterclass at Billingsgate Seafood Training School with a guest chef and a range of other prizes, including vouchers to be redeemed against cookery equipment and signed copies of cookery books.
Lisa Jenkins, products and suppliers editor The Caterer, and chair of judges, commented, 'This year's judging day was challenging. The judges had to choose between 12 restaurants that all have extremely high standards.
'The final five demonstrate great service, species knowledge and clearly inspire other restaurants in the UK who have an ambition to sell more fish and shellfish on their menus. We're delighted that the shortlist showcases great restaurants - and delicious seafood-inspired dishes - operating the length and breadth of the UK.'
Andy Gray, trade marketing manager for Seafish, said, 'The Seafood Restaurant of the Year competition provides a fantastic opportunity to showcase the wide range of restaurants, pubs and cafes that are excelling in providing customers with top-quality fish and shellfish dining experiences and it's encouraging for us at Seafish UK to see such a wide range of businesses coming through to the final.'