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OMAN TODAY RESTAURANT AWARDS 2006
The forms are out, the pens ready – the finest restaurants battle it out for the awards once again

It is that time of the year again when dining enthusiasts in Oman can make a difference to their favourite restaurants. Voting for the best restaurants is under way again following the launch of the Oman Today Restaurant Awards 2006. The launch ceremony, attended by the who's who of the Omani hospitality business, was held on July 10 at the Al Bandar Hotel at the Shangri-La's Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa.

The Oman Today Restaurant Awards started as a small reception ceremony in 2002. Since then the event has grown manifold and the trophies are now coveted by Oman's hospitality industry. Sean Hennessey, general manager of African and Eastern that is supporting the event this year, said, "The Oman Today Restaurant Awards have grown to a stage where they now generate a very high profile.

For us, it is the perfect vehicle on which we can reach out to our customers. The challenge for us, right now, is to add value to an event that already enjoys some reputation. We see a long lasting relationship between the two of us."

However, there has been a change of format this year. Participating restaurants will have two months, until September 15, to garner votes in their favour from customers. The collation of the votes will result in the selection of three finalists in each category, to be judged by an expert panel of three judges. The judges will then select the best of the three finalists in each award category. The new format for adjudicating which is the best restaurant in the category also includes a method whereby a restaurant with a single outlet will compete on an even platform with a restaurant chain that has many outlets and will, therefore, be able to garner many votes. The number of votes gathered by a chain will be divided by the number of outlets it has in the city. The resultant average will be the basis for judging it against another restaurant with a single outlet. Voting forms will be available at all participating restaurants and hotels and the African and Eastern outlets. Completed forms can be left at the participating restaurants, at the African and Eastern retail outlets or sent to Oman Today by fax or post. Votes can also be cast online at www.apexstuff.com/awards. Voting forms without the customer's name, address and telephone number will be deemed invalid. The Pub Food category that was dropped last year has also been reinstated so that there are 11 categories of restaurants this year.

Even as the new rules were explained to the gathering of hoteliers from the sultanate at the launch of the event, there were murmurs of approval and nods of agreement from them. "I think the new rules are very good. Without the system of averages in place, it was quite difficult to distinguish between a restaurant that served great food but only to a few people and a place that catered to many more," said Tim van Veen, the food and beverages manager at the Radisson SAS. Echoing his thoughts, Sanjeev Kumar, the manager of Spicy Village, remarked, "I am happy with the new rules. I think the addition of judges will take the awards to a whole new level and the system of averages will take out the unfairness that cropped up because one restaurant could seat more people or had more outlets.”

The gala awards ceremony will be held on December 13 at the Shangri-La's Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa. With the new format expected to throw up a few surprises and entertainment for all guests present, the ceremony promises to be even more interesting than those gone by.