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the grand finale of the 2007 Oman Today Restaurant Awards

On December 5, the winners of the 2007 Oman Today Restaurant Awards were revealed and applauded at a gala dinner at Shangri-La’s Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa. It was a glittering and glamorous celebration of the very best cooking and hospitality in the sultanate. The Oman Today Restaurant Awards are gaining momentum every year – this year, its sixth, over 400 people attended the five-course dinner. The awards had polled an impressive 66,788 votes – earlier this year, diners were invited to vote for their favourite restaurants in each of the 11 categories. When voting closed in September, each of the four judges independently and anonymously visited the finalists to rate them on pre-determined criteria, and the winners were reached by collating the judges’ votes.

Bank Sohar was the main sponsor of the event, while Al Madina A’Zarqa was co-sponsor, and for the second year running beverages were provided by African and Eastern. Nani Javeri, CEO of Bank Sohar, said of the night, “The arrangements were exceptional, as were the food, drinks and music. But the highlight of the evening has to be the joy expressed on the faces of the winners.”