Shellys Restaurant on Bold Street in Warrington has been crowned the North West’s best café in a competition organised by builders merchant Roof Shop. Owner Michele Butterworth received the award at a ceremony held in the Belfry in the West Midlands on March 27.
A discussion on the state of the Manchester restaurant scene will be held at the Circle Club next week. Organised by the Circuit Series the debate will feature a panel of esteemed connoisseurs including Ray King, food and drink writer for Cheshire, Lancashire and Lake District Life magazines, and David Heeley, founder of the Hi-Life Diners Club.
The debate takes place at the Circle Club in the Barton Arcade in Manchester at 6.30 pm on Tuesday April 22 2008. Admission is free for Rejuvenate and Circle Club members, and £5 for non-members. Dinner is available at £10 per head. To book email rsvp@thecircuitseries.com.
Marketing Manchester held their annual tourism awards at Manchester Central last Thursday. The winners included:
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year: Manchester Art Gallery
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year: Smithills Hall in Bolton
Large Hotel of the Year: Marriott Worsley Park Hotel & Country Club,
Small Hotel / Bed & Breakfast of the Year: Moss Lodge in Rochdale
Self Catering / Serviced Accommodation Award: Staying Cool
Tourism Restaurant of the Year: Nutters Restaurant in Rochdale
Taste of Manchester Award: Isinglass Restaurant in Urmston
Tourism Bar of the Year: Cloud 23, Hilton Manchester Deansgate
Tourism Retailer of the Year: The Trafford Centre
Business Tourism Awards: Manchester United
Sustainable Tourism Award: The Palace Hotel
Hart’s Restaurant in Morecambe has reopened under new management as Ma Renooo’s. The famous restaurant closed in February last year after falling into financial difficulties. The new restaurant has a 50’s theme with staff wearing period uniforms.
Diners in Preston can now check out the hygiene ratings of the city’s restaurants on a new website set up by Preston Council. The Preston FoodSafe site shows the ratings given by environmental health officers and currently lists 790 premises.
The highest restaurant in the UK opened in Liverpool today. Situated, on the 34th floor of Beetham’s West Tower, the Panoramic restaurant offers unrivalled views of the city centre and waterfront. The Beetham West Tower is a 40 storey residential apartment block on Brook Street on Liverpool’s waterfront, next to the Radisson SAS Hotel.
City centre restaurants in Manchester and Liverpool have failed to gain a coveted Michelin Star in the latest edition of the Michelin Guide to Great Britain and Ireland published yesterday. The North West restaurants retaining their single star were Juniper in Altrincham, Northcote Manor in the Ribble Valley, the Arkle at the Chester Grosvenor, L’Enclume in Cartmel, and Sharrow Bay on Ullswater.
Two restaurants in North West England have walked away with awards from the Restaurant Magazine’s 2007 Best Dishes competition, held in London on Sunday. The Three Fishes in the Ribble Valley scooped the award for best burger while Simply Heathcotes in Wigan won the trophy for best fish and chips.
Visit North West spent Friday night at Dimitri’s restaurant in Manchester. Check out the video here.
Chef Paul Heathcote has announced plans for a new Olive Press restaurant in Clitheroe. It will cost over £1 million and will be able to accommodate around 100 diners. The new restaurant will be situated on York Street and is expected to open in April. The Bolton-born chef already operates Olive Press restaurants in Preston, Warrington, Bolton, Liverpool and Manchester.