Food Geek | Food Blog restaurant reviews, recipes & other foodie stuff..
Are we all bored of Top Ten lists yet? Me too, but that’s not going to stop me doing my own. At least my ‘Awards’ are a little different; most are just a list of three – Bronze, Silver & Gold if you like – although a few of them I just couldn’t narrow down so contain five.
There have been a few changes from previous years too. After overindulging on fine dining and Michelin stars for the past few years I took a bit of a step back in 2014 and spent a lot more time in more casual places, as well as street food events and supper clubs. As a result, some of the awards have been removed and several new ones added to reflect this.
Finally, as I said last year, please remember that these awards are just a bit of fun. They’re based purely on my dining experiences in 2014, nothing more.
Best Restaurant Awards
Best Casual Dining Restaurant
3rd: Beef & Pudding
2nd: Splendid Sausage Co
1st: Solita Didsbury
Best 'Gastropub'
Best 'International Cuisine' Restaurant
4th: Bone Daddies Ramen Bar, London
3rd: Gymkhana, London
2nd, Mughli, Manchester
1st: A.Wong, London
Best Value Restaurant
5th: I Am Pho
4th: Panchos Burrito
3rd: Splendid Sausage Co
2nd: Viet Shack
1st: A.Wong, London
Best Service
2nd: Van Zeller, Harrogate (Review coming soon)
1st: Sticky Walnut, Chester
Best Tasting Menu
2nd: Van Zeller, Harrogate (Review coming soon)
1st: Mughli & Clyde, Rusholme
Best Restaurant/Overall Dining Experience
4th: Parkers Arms, Newton-in-Bowland
3rd: Mughli & Clyde, Rusholme
2nd: A.Wong, London
1st: Sticky Walnut, Chester
Best Dish Awards
Best Burger
4th: Food Geek’s ‘Great Ale’ Burger (Great Ale, Year Round)
3rd: Parkers Slider (Parkers Arms)
2nd: Walk Of Shame (Solita Didsbury)
1st: Hong Kong Philly (Almost Famous NQ)
Best Cocktail (In A Restaurant)
3rd: Dirty Beets (Norse)
2nd: Silver Sayb (Mughli & Clyde)
1st: In Light of India (Gymkhana)
Best Bread
3rd: Sourdough Tandoori Naan (Mughli & Clyde)
2nd: Sourdough (The Lord Clyde)
1st: Rosemary and Thyme Focaccia (Sticky Walnut)
Best Side Dish / Snack
3rd: ‘Onion Bhaji’ (Mughli & Clyde)
2nd: Skins (Parkers Arms)
1st: Chorittos (Almost Famous)
Best Small Plate (Starter/Tapas/Dim Sum)
5th: Hand Dived Scallops & Pork Belly (The River Bar & Grill)
4th: Cheeseburger Spring Rolls (Solita)
3rd: Gobi Fry (Mughli)
2nd: Crab, Seafood & Bean Curd Cannelloni (Cheung Fun) (A.Wong)
1st: Crispy Lamb’s Tongue (Sticky Walnut)
Best Main Course
5th: Côte de Boeuf (Côte Brasserie)
4th: Chargrilled Rump Of Lamb, Green Beans, Pearl Barley, Dressing (Sticky Walnut)
3rd: Chana Daal Gosht (Mughli)
2nd: The Pudding (Beef & Pudding)
1st: Mackerel, Potato & Spring Green Salad, Roasted Rhubarb (Parkers Arms)
Best Tasting Menu Dish: Savoury
5th: Braised Pig Cheek (Norse)
4th: Gunpowder Scallop (Mughli & Clyde)
3rd: Kid Goat Methi Keema, Salli, Pao (Gymkhana)
2nd: Pigs Head – Agen Prune Puree (Van Zeller)
1st: ‘Mixed Vegetables’ (Mughli & Clyde)
Best Dessert
5th: Nutella & Mascarpone Calzone (Gusto Manchester)
4th: Valrhona Chocolate Pot (Parkers Arms)
3rd: Blackberry & Almond Tart (Sticky Walnut)
2nd: Mango Phirni (Ziya Asian Grill)
1st: Tobacco Smoked Banana, Nut Crumble, Chocolate, Soy Caramel (A.Wong)
Photo credit: HungerJams
Best Tasting Menu Dish: Sweet
5th: Mirabelle – Puffed Rice Muesli & Chocolate (Van Zeller)
4th: Lemon Meringue Pie (The Lord Clyde)
3rd: Whiskey & Passion Fruit Sour (Ox Pasture Hall)
2nd: ‘Ananas Crumble’ (Mughli & Clyde)
1st: Frangipane – Pear, Nougat & Bay (Van Zeller)
Best Cheese Board
3rd: The Lord Clyde
2nd: The Lowry Restaurant
1st: Ox Pasture Hall
Street Food Awards
Best Street Food Event
5th: Friday Food Fight – The Cook Off
4th: Guerilla Eats Xmas Beer Bash
3rd: Arepa! Kitchen Takeover, BrewDog Manchester
2nd: Moretti Gran Tour, Old Granada Studios
1st: Street Feast, Dalston Yard
Best Street Food Dish
5th: Pimms & Lemonade Trifle (Sugar Rush Gals @ Friday Food Fight)
4th: Chicken Rendang (Ning @ Friday Food Fight)
3rd: Frijoles y Queso (Arepa! Kitchen Takeover @ BrewDog Manchester)
2nd: Slow Braised Pork Shoulder Gnocchi (Pasta e Basta @ Moretti Gran Tour)
1st: Pork Bun (Yum Bun @ Street Feast)
Best Street Food Burger
3rd: Bacon Cheeseburger (Bleecker St. Burger @ Street Feast)
2nd: Jerk Chicken Sandwich (Love From The Streets @ Friday Food Fight)
1st: Shmokey Jo (Mumma Schnitzel @ Friday Food Fight)
Best Street Food Pizza
5th: Anchovy & Chilli Overload (Food Geek & @brazly / Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza @ Franco’s Bonfire Party)
4th: Nduja Special (Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza @ Guerilla Eats Xmas Beer Bash)
3rd: Margherita (Pizza Pilgrims @ Moretti Gran Tour)
2nd: Atomica (Honest Crust @ Friday Food Fight)
1st: Nduja (Pizza Pilgrims @ Street Feast)
Supper Club Awards
Best Supper Club
5th: Middle Eastern Supper Club (Chicken Soup For The Soul)
4th: Liz’s Deep South Feast (Drunken Butcher)
3rd: An American Feast (Manchester Foodies)
2nd: Around The World In 8ish Steaks (Drunken Butcher)
1st: Menu De Degustacion (Manchester Foodies)
Best Supper Club Cocktail
3rd: Gin-Tonic (Manchester Foodies, Menu de Degustacion)
2nd: Pomegranate Cosmopolitan (Chicken Soup For The Soul)
1st: Guayaba (Arepa! Colombian Classics)
Best Supper Club Snack / Side
5th: Cabbage & Cashew Slaw (Chicken Soup For The Soul)
4th: Para Picar with Guacamole (Arepa! @ Trove)
3rd: Bacon Wrapped Onions (Drunken Butcher)
2nd: Mac N Cheese (Manchester Foodies, An American Feast)
1st: Fried Pickles (Drunken Butcher, Liz’s Deep South Feast)
Best Supper Club Starter
5th: Deep Fried Onion Soup (Drunken Butcher, Game Of Bones)
4th: Coctel De Camarones (Arepa! Columbian Classics)
3rd: Lobster Mac N Cheese (Drunken Butcher’s Christmas Party)
2nd: Homemade Mini Mac Sliders (Manchester Foodies, An American Feast)
1st: Aloo Tikki Chaat (The Spice Club Popup)
Best Supper Club Main Course
5th: Steak & Guinness Pie (Drunken Butcher, Around The World In 8ish Steaks)
4th: Sambal Petai & Udang (Malaysia Kitchen Supper Club)
3rd: Beer Bo Ssam (Drunken Butcher, Over (and under) A Barrel)
2nd: Dal Makhni (The Spice Club Popup)
1st: Tamales de Pipián (Arepa!, Trove)
Best Supper Club Dessert
5th: Panelita (Arepa! Columbian Classics)
4th: Lemon Posset & Lardy Cake (Drunken Butcher, Game Of Bones)
3rd: Seri Muka (Malaysia Kitchen Supper Club)
2nd: Mango Malai (The Spice Club Popup)
1st: Leche Frita (Manchester Foodies, Menu De Degustacion)
Worst Of Awards
Worst Dish
Worst Overall Experience
1st: Wahu
So that’s what I thought of 2014.
Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments below…
