Restaurant awards gala dinner

The Definitive(ly) Good Guide Co held its annual Restaurant Award ceremony gala dinner together with the launch of the latest edition - the fifth anniversary of The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants in Malta and Gozo at the Radisson SAS Bay Point Resort on Monday.

At this prestigious event, serving fine food catered by Radisson SAS Bay Point Resort and wines supplied by Emmanuel Delicata Winemaker Ltd, the top 38 survey-rated restaurants, voted from the 2004 Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants Survey, were presented with commemorative plates by the chairman of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, Justin Zammit Tabona.

Award restaurants are chosen from the highest rated restaurants, both overall, and in the various price categories for Malta and Gozo, taking into account not only the overall rating but also individual food, service and ambience ratings, the number of people rating, value for money, comments and other data from the survey.

Mange Tout scored highest for food, The Arches, the Blue Elephant, Qui-Si-Sana and The Terrace rated joint top for service; the Blue Elephant rated top for ambience and joint overall winners were the Blue Elephant, Mange Tout and The Terrace.

Awards were given to the following restaurants:

Malta: The Blue Elephant, Oceana and Bottega del Vino - Hilton; Mange Tout; Terrace - The Westin; The Medina; The Arches; Pembroke - ITS; Christopher's; Nostalgia; Phoenix - Le Méridien Phoenicia; Qui-Si-Sana - Fortina Spa Resort; Zest and Mezè - Hotel Juliani; The Lord Nelson; The Carriage; Corinthia Room and Rickshaw - Corinthia Palace; Ta' Marija; Ambrosia; Fra Martino and Frejgatina - Corinthia San Gorg; Zen; Barracuda; Buffalo Bill's; Kon Tiki and Le Bistro - Radisson SAS; Bayview - Corinthia Marina; La Sibylle - Dolmen Resort Hotel; Da Pippo; Bouzouki II; De Mondion - Xara Palace Relais & Chateaux; Eastern Breeze - InterContinental; and The Avenue.

Gozo: Il Carrubo - Hotel Ta' Cenc; It-Tmun II - Victoria; Ta' Frenc; and L-Imgarr Hotel Restaurant.

Additional awards were given to the Best Maltese Food Restaurant - Ta' Marija, sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture; the top-rated Business Entertainment restaurant - The Carriage, sponsored by Michael Attard Ltd; Most Romantic Restaurant - The Blue Elephant, sponsored by the Definitive(ly) Good Guide Co; the Best Value for Money - The Avenue, sponsored by Medairco; Most Children-Friendly Restaurant - The Avenue, sponsored by the Definitive(ly) Good Guide Co; and the Best Restaurant Restroom Award - The Blue Elephant, sponsored by Josies Bathroom & Tile Centre.

For the first year The Definitive(ly) Good Guide Co in association with Emmanuel Delicata Winemaker presented five wine awards to highlight the best wine lists in Malta and Gozo. The top-rated restaurants were invited to enter their wine lists for consideration for five wine awards. An impressive 54 restaurants entered their wine lists, which were judged according to different criteria.

Restaurant Wine Awards presented included the People's Choice award, which goes to the top-rated survey restaurant wine list, presented to The Arches, which also received the Largest Wine List award; Best Overall Wine List and Fine Wine List - It-Tmun II, Victoria, Gozo; and Wine List Presentation and Accessibility - Zest, Hotel Juliani.

The fifth edition of The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants in Malta & Gozo includes the results of the 2004 restaurant survey received from over 600 regular restaurant enthusiasts who eat out on average twice a week - equivalent to 60,000 dining experiences.

Buyers of the guide will be encouraged to join the "club" of reviewers by registering for the next survey and sending in their ratings and comments. Like previous editions, the guide costs Lm3.95 and includes Lm4 worth of restaurant vouchers as well as the opportunity to earn K-miles with Flypass.