anexpatabroad

“We are honoured to be able to recognise and award the efforts of all the excellent food and beverage outlets here in Abu Dhabi.” Greg Hughes, CEO FACT Magazine

The movers and shakers of the capital’s food and beverage scene gathered at the enchanting Asia de Cuba waterfront terrace last week for the third annual FACT Abu Dhabi Dining Awards. A cross selection of the capital’s finest restaurants, bars, lounges and cafes were honoured in a celebration of the capital’s ever expanding dining scene, I was privileged to be on the judging panel again for the third year running.

One hundred and fifty venues were nominated in the categories that cover various cuisines as well as brunches, alfresco dining, in-mall and family orientated dining options. The ‘Best’ in category was selected by an independent panel of industry experts and Abu Dhabi bloggers (like myself) while the ‘Favourites’ were chosen via online public votes which topped an incredible 30,000 this year. Sixty-two awards were given out in thirty-one categories including the prestigious accolade of overall ‘Best’ and ‘Favourite’ restaurant in the city, won deservedly by Zuma and Tamba respectively.

The speedy and informal ceremony saw the two winners in each of the categories announced by Hughes as the nominees appeared alongside him on the large screen, the awards were collected by the respective winners after all the announcements were finished. Photographs were taken in front of the FACT wall to mark the occasion and shared across social media. The colourfully lit terrace was packed with over three hundred esteemed guests from media, hotel and industry professionals as well as many of the nominated chefs themselves who stepped out of their kitchens for the evening. Free-flowing drinks and canapes kept the lively crowd entertained until the wee small hours.

There were some surprise winners and it was good to see a bunch of newcomers getting some well-deserved recognition alongside some of my old favourites like Market Kitchen and Circo. The luxurious ‘Brunch in the Clouds’ at the St. Regis Abu Dhabi won Best Friday Brunch, this ultimate sky high brunch is pricey but an experience not to missed especially if you are looking to dine in a luxurious suite to celebrate a special occasion. The Four Seasons Abu Dhabi picked up a clutch of awards for various venues as did fellow newcomers Roberto’s and Nusr-Et located at The Galleria. Favourite newcomer went to Spanish tapas bar Puesta del Sol Zuma at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, and Morjana at the recently opened Bab Al Qasr hotel picked up the favourite tea room award.

FACT, Abu Dhabi’s monthly contemporary lifestyle magazine, covers everything from art, culture, fashion, hospitality, technology, motoring to travel as well as all the latest happenings in the dining scene, all wrapped up in eye-catching covers on every edition. FACT Qatar and Bahrain also hold annual Dining Awards. 

Here’s the list of this year’s Fact Dining Award 2017 winners should you need a recommendation of where to dine in the capital, maybe you want to try somewhere new or just check out if your favourite establishment picked up an award…. Happy Dining 🙂

I was invited to attend the Fact Dining Awards. All views are my own. Unless otherwise stated, all photos on this page © Jo Brett 2017. All rights reserved. Featured photo used with courtesy of www.fact-magazine.com/ and additional photos used with courtesy of Kaby Photography