The Oman Today Restaurant awards

Shortening the list, preparing for winners

Two months and 66,788 votes later, the finalists of the Oman Today Restaurant Awards have been announced. This marks the end of the first stage, where the public voted for the restaurants now short-listed. It also paves the way for the second and final stage, where a panel of judges will arrive at a finalist in each category. The identity of this panel is kept secret from the public and from each other, and their decisions are made after dining at these exceptional restaurants anonymously.

The first stage has been remarkable in that it has clocked up so many votes in spite of some hotels being closed for renovation after the cyclone. The second stage will culminate in the awards ceremony, a black-tie event that has come to be regarded as the barometer for the food, beverage and hospitality industry in Oman. The gala event is scheduled for December 5 at Shangri-La’s Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa.

The finalists, in alphabetical order, are:

Buffet
Flavours
Musandam Cafe, Hotel InterContinental Muscat
Samba, Shangri-La’s Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa

Café
D’Arcy’s Kitchen
Caffè Vergnano 1882
Starbucks

Far Eastern
China Town
Golden Oryx
Silk Route

Fast Food
McDonald’s
Pizza Hut
Subway

Indian
Kamat
Mumtaz Mahal
Woodlands

International
Chilis
Kobe Sizzlers
Trader Vic’s, Hotel InterContinental Muscat

Italian
Capri Court, Shangri-La’s Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa
O Sole Mio
Tuscany, Grand Hyatt Muscat

Middle Eastern
Al Tanoor, Shangri-La’s Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa
Kargeen Caffé
Turkish House
Pub Food
Al Ghazal Pub,
Hotel InterContinental Muscat
Rock Bottom Café, Ramee Guestline Hotel
Up Town Restaurant

Service
Samba, Shangri-La’s Barr al Jissah Resort
and Spa
Mumtaz Mahal
Woodlands

Ambience
Mumtaz Mahal
Shahrazad,
Shangri-La’s Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa
Woodlands

Background

Since the Awards began in 2002, they have come to be regarded as one of the benchmarks by which Muscat cuisine is judged. For the past 27 years, Oman Today magazine has grown and gone from strength to strength alongside the hospitality industry in Oman. In many ways we are partners in an ongoing effort to promote Oman to the rest of the world and to encourage people living here to be more actively involved in the best that the country has to offer.

The Awards create an atmosphere of healthy competition within the Oman hospitality industry, prompting restaurants to perform to the best of their ability and maintain their high standards throughout the year. Our numbers show just how popular the awards are among Muscat’s diners, and how seriously the industry looks forward to these efforts.

The Oman Today Best Restaurant Awards 2007 has Bank Sohar as its main sponsor and Blue City as the co-sponsor, while being supported by African and Eastern.

For more information, please contact:
Laila Zakwani at 99 897900 or laila@apexstuff.com