CityLife

Manchester successes at Hi-Life Awards

Room team collecttheir award

FOUR Manchester restaurants - Sam's Chop House, Room, Harvey Nichols Second Floor and Wagamama Printworks - scooped top awards at the 25th anniversary Hi-Life Dining Awards.

The Manchester Evening News was also named as Best Promotional Partner of the high profile dining club, with 130,000 members and 3,000 partner restaurants.

Five hundred people, including many showbiz stars, attended the glitzy ceremony, hosted by the BBC's Gordon Burns and Ranvir Singh, at the Hilton, Deansgate, Manchester.

Room was named Best Manchester Restaurant, Wagamama Printworks took the award for Best Atmosphere and Alison Seagrave’s Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant won the title of Best Hi-Life Platinum Collection Restaurant.

Unique double

But it was Sam's Chop House that completed a unique double of Best Overall Restaurant for its Chapel Walks, Manchester restaurant and Best Yorkshire and North East restaurant for its Leeds outpost. 

The judging panel for the Best Overall Restaurant award included Noddy Holder, Richard Harden (editor of Harden’s Restaurant Guide, London), Ray King (food and drink critic), David Heeley (Hi-Life company president) and Paul Askew (head chef of London Carriage Works in Liverpool).

The coveted annual awards – or “HiLDAS” – this year celebrate their 25th anniversary and are voted for by tens of thousands of regular Hi-Life diners and restaurateurs.

 All proceeds from the night’s charity auction and raffle went to Cancer Research UK .

The winners announced on the night were:

Best Overall Restaurant: Sam’s Chop House, Manchester
 
Best Chef : Paul Askew, London Carriage Works, Liverpool
 

Special Recognition: Richard Harden, Harden’s Guide, London
 
Best North West Restaurant: Thyme @ The Sirloin Inn, Hoghton
 
Best Manchester Restaurant:  Room
 
Best Hi-Life Newcomer: Loch Fyne
 

Best Scotland Restaurant: Catch22, Glasgow
 

Best Ireland Restaurant: Deanes Restaurant, Belfast
 
 
Best Yorkshire and North East Restaurant:  Sam's Chop House, Leeds
 
Best Atmosphere:  Wagamama Printworks, Manchester
 
Best Hi-Life Platinum Restaurant: Harvey Nichols Second Floor, Manchester
 
Best Promotional Partner 2008: Manchester Evening News