The U.K. Seafish Authority and restaurant news publication The Caterer have listed the top 10 seafood restaurants in the United Kingdom still in the running for the 2017 Restaurant of the Year distinction, a prize bestowed upon the establishment cooking and serving up the most delicious seafood dishes in the region.
The competition, which began back in 2015, sets out to assess “restaurants on the quality of the seafood dishes they serve, their responsible sourcing policies and their knowledge of fish and shellfish species both front and back of house,” said Seafish.
The top 10 restaurants judged fit to compete by Seafish and The Caterer in the next round include:
- Ninth Wave, Isle of Mull, Argyll and Bute www.ninthwaverestaurant.co.uk
- Old Boat House, Amble, Northumberland www.boathousefoodgroup.co.uk
- Rockfish, Brixham, Devon www.therockfish.co.uk
- Rocksalt, Folkestone, Kent, www.rocksaltfolkestone.co.uk
- The Idle Rocks, St. Mawes, Cornwall www.idlerocks.com
- The Kilted Lobster, Edinburgh www.kiltedlobster.com
- The Salt Room, Brighton, West Sussex www.saltroom-restaurant.co.uk
- The Staith House, North Shields, Tyne and Wear www.thestaithhouse.co.uk
- The Three Chimneys, Isle of Skye www.threechimneys.co.uk
- Wright Brothers, Spitalfields, London www.thewrightbrothers.co.uk
The next phase of the competition will involve the mystery judges attending each of the restaurants in secret to dine and assess their offerings throughout July and August. Thereafter, the list will be narrowed down to five finalists, who will be further appraised in early September; after their final assessment, the judging team will announce the winner during a ceremony in London later that month.
The winner of the contest will be awarded a trophy, and three members of the restaurant’s crew will be invited on an all-expense paid study trip to Brixham, Devon, “to further hone their knowledge regarding the catching, processing and supply of seafood,” explained Seafish.
"The Seafood 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," said Andy Gray, Trade Marketing Manager for Seafish.
“Winning the Seafood Restaurant of the Year award in recognition of the quality of the food we serve and also for the care taken in responsibly sourcing the fish and shellfish we use, meant a lot to the whole team at The Jetty – especially as the competition is judged and decided by our peers and industry experts,” added Alex Aitken, chef-patron of The Jetty in Christchurch, Dorset, the 2016 winner. “This was the perfect accolade for us to win, especially with the association and backing from Seafish and The Caterer.”
