Bundobust, Rudy's and Hispi are amongst nominees - but have your favourite venues made the cut?
Organisers of Manchester Food and Drink Festival have revealed the shortlist for this year’s MFDF Awards, to be announced on Monday 9 October.
There will be twenty awards this year, to mark the food festival’s 20th anniversary, with two new categories included: 'Best Vegetarian Offering' and 'Manchester Brewery of the Year'.
Most of the categories will be open to public vote via the website from Thursday 15 June. The public vote will then be combined with those of the judges (including Confidential's Neil Sowerby, Ruth Allan and Deanna Thomas) to arrive at the winners.
Many venues are up for several awards, increasing their chances of coming away with some silverware. Despite being overlooked in the recent Restaurant Magazine Top 100 UK Restaurants, Chef Adam Reid of The French has been given lots of local love with nominations in three categories: 'Chef of the Year', 'Restaurant of the Year' and 'Premium and Fine Dining Venue'.
This puts him in direct competition with Stockport's Where The Light Gets In, and Rabbit in the Moon, Michael O’Hare’s new space age Asian restaurant on the top floor of the National Football Museum. Both are also up for 'Best Restaurant' and 'Premium Dining Venue', with respective chefs Samuel Buckley and Luke Cockerill also contending for 'Best Chef'.
Rabbit has the joint most nominations with a fourth in 'Newcomer of the Year', which is set to be a hotly contested award amongst a raft of popular new openings such as Bundobust, Altrincham’s Porta and Didsbury’s Hispi - which is also up for four awards.
Elsewhere there are also nominations for Confidential favourites, Umezushi, Sugo, Seoul Kimchi and Hawksmoor, as well as El Gato Negro, Rudy's, The Clarence in Bury and Albert's Schloss.
The awards, held at The Principal Hotel on Oxford Road on Monday 9 October, will be the culmination of this year’s twelve day festival (28 Sep to 9 Oct), which will see a multitude of chefs taking over some of Manchester’s most exciting and historic locations. Albert Square will as ever be packed with the usual mix of street food stalls, pop-up bars and live music for the duration - see the 2017 programme here.
Here's the full shortlist:
Restaurant of the Year
Adam Reid at The French - Peter Street, Manchester, M60 2DS
The Rabbit in the Moon - Cathedral Gardens, Todd St, City Centre, Manchester M4 3BG
Where The Light Gets In - 7 Rostron Brow, Stockport, SK1 1JY
Umezushi - Unit 4, Mirabel Street, Manchester, M3 1PJ
Bundobust - 61 Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2AQ
Sugo - 22 Shaws Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1QU
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: Hawksmoor
Premium and Fine Dining Venue of the Year
Adam Reid at The French - Peter Street, Manchester, M60 2DS
The Rabbit in Moon - Cathedral Gardens, Todd St, City Centre, Manchester M4 3BG
Where The Light Gets In - 7 Rostron Brow, Stockport, SK1 1JY
Umezushi - Unit 4, Mirabel Street, Manchester, M3 1PJ
Hawksmoor - 184-186 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3WB
El Gato Negro - 52 King St, Manchester M2 4LY
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: The French
Casual Restaurant of the Year
Bundobust - 61 Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2AQ
Rudy’s - 9 Cotton St, Manchester, M4 5BF
Sugo - 22 Shaws Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1QU
Baraxturi - 1 Smithy St, Ramsbottom, BL0 9AT
Porta - 50 Greenwood Street, Altrincham, Cheshire, CH1 2HT
Hispi - 1C School Lane, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 6RD
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: Volta
Newcomer of the Year
Bundobust - 61 Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2AQ
Where The Light Gets In - 7 Rostron Brow, Stockport, SK1 1JY
Hispi - 1C School Lane, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 6RD
Refuge - Oxford Street, Manchester, M60 7HA
Porta - 50 Greenwood Street, Altrincham, Cheshire, CH1 2HT
The Rabbit in the Moon - Cathedral Gardens, Todd St, City Centre, Manchester, M4 3BG
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: El Gato Negro
Chef of the Year
Adam Reid, The French - Peter Street, Manchester, M60 2DS
Sam Buckley, Where The Light Gets In - 7 Rostron Brow, Stockport, SK1 1JY
Luke Cockerill, The Rabbit in the Moon - Cathedral Gardens, Todd St, City Centre, Manchester, M4 3BG
Matt Nutter, The Allotment Vegan Restaurant - 6 Vernon St, Stockport, SK1 1TY
Richard Sharples, Hispi, 1C School Lane, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 6RD
Aiden Byrne, Manchester House, 18 – 22 Bridge Street, Spiningfields, Manchester, M33BZ
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: Terry Huang, Umezushi
Pub of The Year
Blue Bell - 170 Barlow Road, Manchester Levenshulme, M19 3HF
Mounting Stone - 8, Woodford Road, Bramhall, Stockport, SK7 2JJ
Samuel Oldknow - 22 Market Street Marple, SK6 7AD
The Magnet – 51 Wellington Road, Stockport, SK4 1HJ
Marble Arch - 73 Rochdale Rd, Manchester, M4 4HY
The Parlour - 60 Beech Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, M21 9EG
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: The Smithfield Tavern
Food Pub of the Year
White Hart - 51 Stockport Road, Lydgate, Oldham, OL4 4JJ
Bird at Birtle - 239 Bury And Rochdale Old Rd, Birtle, OL10 4BQ
Marble Arch - 73 Rochdale Rd, Manchester, M4 4HY
Hearth of the Ram – Ramsbottom - 13 Peel Brow, Ramsbottom, Bury, Lancashire, BLO OAA
Odd Fellows –- Moor End Road, Mellor, Cheshire, SK6 5PT
Clarence –2 Silver Street, Bury, BL9 0EX
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: Eagle and Child
Bar of the Year
Refuge - Oxford Street, Manchester, M60 7HA
Cottonopolis - 16 Newton Street, Manchester, M1 2AE
Science and Industry - 49 -51 Thomas Street, Manchester, M4 1NA
Common - 39-41 Edge St. Northern Quarter, Manchester, M41HW
Henry C’s - 107 Manchester Road, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 9GA
Salut - 11 Cooper St, Manchester, M2 2FW
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: Albert Schloss
Best Out of Town Venue of the Year
Hispi - 1C School Lane, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 6RD
Where The Light Gets In - 7 Rostron Brow, Stockport, SK1 1JY
The Allotment Vegan Restaurant - 6 Vernon Street, Stockport, SK1 1TY
Sugo - 22 Shaws Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1QU
Porta - 50 Greenwood Street, Altrincham, Cheshire, CH1 2HT
Baraxturi - 1 Smithy St, Ramsbottom, BL0 9AT
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: Levanter
Craft Ale Bar of the Year
Cafe Beermoth - 70 Tib Street, Manchester, M4 1LG
Pilcrow - Sadlery's Yard, Hanover Street, M60 0AB
Cloudwater Barrel Store - Arch 13, Sheffield Street, Manchester, M1 2ND
Bock Biere Café - 10 Tib Ln, Manchester, M2 4JB
Port Street Beer House - 39-41 Port St, Manchester, M1 2EQ
Bundobust - 61 Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2AQ
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: Heaton Hops
Coffee Shop/Tea Shop Of The Year
Another Heart to Feed - 77-79 Chapel Street, Manchester, M3 5BZ
Ancoats Coffee - Unit 9, Royal Mills, 17 Redhill Street, Ancoats, M4 5BA
Trove - 1032 Stockport Road, Levenshulme, Manchester, M19 3WX
Idle Hands - 32-34 Dale Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M1 1FY
Lupo Caffe Italiano - 6af, 142 Chapel St, Salford, M3 6AF
Takk - 6 Tariff St, Manchester, M1 2FF
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: Pot Kettle Black
Affordable Eats Venue of the Year
Lupo Caffe Italiano - 142 Chapel Street, Salford, M3 6AF
Bundobust - 61 Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2AQ
Rudys - 9 Cotton St, Manchester, M4 5BF
Pasta Factory - 77 Shudehill, Manchester, M4 4AN
Seoul Kimchi - 275 Upper Brook Street, Manchester, M13 0HR
Fusion Lab - Manchester Arndale Market, M4 3AH
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: Northern Soul Grilled Cheese
Best Vegetarian Offering of the Year
Bundobust - 61 Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2AQ
The Allotment Vegan Restaurant - 6 Vernon Street, Stockport, SK1 1TY
Vrev - 20-26 Edge St, Manchester, M4 1HN
Indian Tiffin Room - First Street, 4RL, 1 First St, Manchester, M15
Manchester House - 18-22 Bridge St, Manchester, M3 3BZ
Sanskruti - 95 Mauldeth Rd, Manchester, M14 6SR
Best Food and Drink Retailer of the Year
Pollen - 2 Sheffield Street, Manchester, M1 2ND
Reserve - 176 Burton Road, West Didsbury, Manchester, M20 1LH
Lunya - Barton Arcade, Deansgate, Manchester, M3 2BB
Easy Fish Co - 117 Heaton Moor Road, Stockport, SK4 4HY
Ancoats General Store - 57 Great Ancoats Street, Manchester, M4 5AB
Epicerie Ludo - 46 Beech Road, Manchester, M21 9EG
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: Salvi’s
Manchester Brewery of The Year
Cloudwater - Units 7-8, Piccadilly Trading Estate, Manchester, M1 2NP
Blackjack - 36 Gould Street, Green Quarter, Manchester, M4 4RN
Runaway - Unit 4 Millgate, Dantzic Street, Manchester, M4 4JW
Chorlton Brewing Company- 69 North Western Street, Manchester, M12
Marble - 41 Williamson St, Manchester M4 4JS
Track - 5 Sheffield Street, Manchester, M1 2ND
Best Pop Up, Event or Project of the Year
GRUB - www.grubmcr.com
Not Just Soup - www.notjustsoupkitchen.co.uk
Real Junk Food - www.realjunkfoodmanchester.co....
Scrancoats - www.ancoatsgs.co.uk
Indie Man Beer Con - www.indymanbeercon.co.uk
Makers Market - www.themakersmarket.co.uk
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: Stockport Foodie Friday
Front of House Team of the Year
Hawksmoor - 184-186 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3WB
Umezushi - Unit 4, Mirabel Street, Manchester, M3 1PJ
Piccolino - Clarence Street, Manchester, M2 4DW
Alberts Schloss - 27 Peter Street, Manchester, M2 5QR
Tattu - Gartside Street, 3 Hardman Square, Spinningfields, Manchester, M3 3EB
Iberica - 14-15 The Avenue, Spinningfields, Manchester, M3 3HF
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: The French
Best Street Food Award
Hip Hop Chip Shop - www.thehiphopchipshop.com
Holy Crab - www.twitter.com/HolyCrab_UK
Otto Men - www.twitter.com/the_ottomen
Dim Sum Su - www.dimsumsu.com
Blue Caribou - www.bluecariboucanteen.com
Oh My Glaze - www.ohmyglaze.co.uk
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: Chaat Cart
Best Sustainable Food & Drink Business
Recognising commitment to environmental and ethical practices within Greater Manchester’s food and drink industry. Food and drink businesses are asked to put themselves forward for this award via submission of a sustainability template form. To nominate your restaurant for this award, please email George@foodanddrinkfestival.com
The Howard and Ruth Award for Outstanding Achievement
Recognising someone who contributed something outstanding to the food and drink industry in Greater Manchester over the last 20 Festivals. Anyone with suggestions for this category should email alexa@foodanddrinkfestival.com.
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: John Slattery, Slattery’s
