2017 Restaurant of the Year top five revealed

The final shortlist for the Restaurant of the Year competition, organised by The Caterer in partnership with Seafish UK, has been unveiled following a judging session at the Punch Bowl in Mayfair, London, last week.

The five restaurants, which range from Cornwall to the Isle of Mull, pride themselves on their use and knowledge of fish and shellfish, and were chosen from a longer list of 10 selected restaurants visited by a mystery judge, a Seafish-appointed auditor, last month.

The top five shortlisted businesses (in alphabetical order) are:

Ninth Wave, Fionnphort, Isle of Mull

Rocksalt, Folkestone, Kent

The Idle Rocks, St Mawes, Cornwall

The Salt Room, Brighton

The Staith House, North Shields

The Restaurant of the Year competition, organised by The Caterer in partnership with Seafish UK, was created to find restaurants demonstrating both excellent examples of the cooking and serving of fish and shellfish, as well as evidence of fish and shellfish knowledge among their staff, both front and back of house.

Competition judges 2015 Restaurant of the Year winner Derek Marshall, chef-owner of Gamba in Glasgow; Alex Aitken, chef-patron of the Jetty Restaurant in Christchurch and winner of the 2016 title; Calum Richardson, owner of the Bay Fish and Chips in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire; Giovanna Grossi, AA advisor and ambassador; José Souto, chef-lecturer at Westminster College London; and Catey winner Paul Hurren, managing director of Lusso Catering, were determined to find a top five that reflected the very best service of seafood across the UK.

The top five will now be contacted by the organisers and presented with their certificates and logos, with the ultimate winner announced in October.

The winning business will receive an all expenses paid trip to the fishing docks of Brixham, where they will have the opportunity to extend their knowledge of the catching, processing and supply of seafood, a bespoke trophy for their restaurant, an individually designed seafood masterclass at Billingsgate Seafood Training School with a guest chef and a range of other prizes, including vouchers to be redeemed against cookery equipment and signed copies of cookery books.

Amanda Afiya, editor of The Caterer

Andy Gray, trade marketing manager for Seafish UK, said: “The Restaurant of the Year competition provides a fantastic opportunity to showcase the wide range of restaurants, pubs and cafés that are excelling in providing customers with top-quality fish and shellfish dining experiences and it’s encouraging for us at Seafish UK to see such a wide range of businesses coming through to the final.”

Top 10 revealed for 2017 Restaurant of the Year >>

Champion of sourcing: Alex Aikens at the Jetty, Dorset on sourcing the best produce >>

Chef profile: Derek Marshall of Gamba, Glasgow >>

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