The Oar House, Howth, Co. Dublin and Billy Whitty of Alridge Lodge, Duncannon, Co. Wexford have been awarded ‘Seafood Restaurant of the Year, 2013’ and ‘Seafood Chef of the Year, 2013’ respectively at the annual Georgina Campbell awards event in Bord Bia’s offices in Dublin on the 16th October.
The Oar House, Howth, Co. Dublin and Billy Whitty of Alridge Lodge, Duncannon, Co. Wexford have been awarded ‘Seafood Restaurant of the Year, 2013’ and ‘Seafood Chef of the Year, 2013’ respectively at the annual Georgina Campbell awards event in Bord Bia’s offices in Dublin on the 16th October.
Pictured: Seafood Chef of the Year sponsored by BIM – Billy Whitty, Aldridge Lodge, Duncannon, Co Wexford receiving his award from Ian Mannix, BIM and Georgina Campbell
Sponsored by BIM, the seafood awards are an important part of the well renowned annual food awards. Associated with the respected independent Georgina Campbell’s Ireland guides, and Ireland’s most popular independent hospitality website ireland-guide.com, these are Ireland’s longest-running hospitality awards, and highly respected by the industry.
The Oar House is a well established premises in Howth – Dublin’s mecca for seafood. The once old smoke house has been converted to create a nautically themed restaurant with a casual and welcoming atmosphere. The restaurant source their produce from Doran’s of Howth fish shop next door and they serve a variety of seafood from baked monkfish, to succulent scampi to seafood platters. Georgina highlights one of the many reasons the Oar House is a success; ‘Fresh fish is displayed in cabinets in front of the kitchen before cooking, you can even go up and have a look before taking your pick. Everything is simply and cleverly prepared and this – together with generous portions, terrific service, value and a good buzz – make The Oar House a real treasure for fish fans’
Alridge Lodge was recognised as ‘Newcomer of the Year’ in 2006 by Georgina Campbell and the premises has gone from strength to strength with Billy Whitty and his partner Joanne Harding earning a well deserved reputation for their excellent food and warm hospitality. Overlooking the picturesque fishing village of Duncannon, seafood is an integral part of the menu. A wide variety of seafood is sourced from nearby Kilmore Quay and Dunmore East and Billy’s father, Tommy supplies the restaurant with crab and lobster from Duncannon when in season. Georgina describes Billy’s talent for cooking seafood; ‘Billy, who is a Euro-Toques chef, is exceptionally expert with seafood; his timing is perfect and his ability to combine flavours and textures is a constant source of delight – and it’s highly unlikely that you would need to adjust the seasoning of any dish. He’s also renowned for offering great value – even lobster, when available, is offered on the dinner menu with no supplement charged – a real treat when grilled and served with confit garlic and lemon butter…’
Donal Buckley, Business Development and Innovation Manager, BIM congratulated both award winners: ‘Well done to the Oar House and to Billy Whitty on their fantastic achievements. BIM were delighted to sponsor the seafood awards again this year and we are particularly pleased that both winners are as passionate about sourcing local seafood as they are about preparing and cooking the perfect seafood meal’
A full list of the Georgina Campbell awards are available on www.ireland-guide.com
