OFM Awards

[Andy Lynes]

Best newcomer - Bills Produce Store, Brighton

Third "best for cheap eats" - Pokeno Pies, Brighton

plus best of the rests South East for:

Sunday Lunch - The George, Brighton

Location - Due South, Brighton

Retailer - Taj Mahal Stores, Brighton and Real Eating Company, Hove

Restaurant - Terre a terre, Brighton

For kids - Momma Cherri's Soul Food Shack, Brighton

Bar - Black and White Bar, Brighton and The Bar at Drakes, Brighton

Breakfast - Bill's Produce Store, Brighton and Real Eating Company, Hove

It fair brings a tear to my Brightonian eye. Not that this isn't totally deserved of course and a big up to my adopted home town and all that, but I can't help wondering how many voters from the South East live outside of Brighton. Or how many people voted full stop.

Worth picking up a copy if only for the amusing picture of chef Bruce Poole (Chez Bruce won best restaurant) posing on his motorbike with a couple of bunnies. They don't call him the Hugh Hefner of the UK restaurant scene for nothing you know.

Full results here.

[jayrayner]

Don't know exactly how many people voted - a substantial number, i understand - but the system is weighted to try to avoid inbalances, caused by the spread of our readership. So if brighton polled big it polled BIG.

And it is a good pic of Poole isn't it.

[Andy Lynes]

That's very good to know. All worthy winners, particularly pleased to see Taj Mahal get some recognition, its one of the best stocked food shops I've seen anywhere in the UK - the range of produce they have is amazing. Even better, its not overpriced.

The Poole picture is very nearly up there with Fergus Henderson hanging upside on a meat hook. The interview is of course well worth a read as well!

[Bapi]

Jesus - How many stamps did you have to use Andy?

[Andy Lynes]

I have to admit that I didn't vote in the awards. There is a bit of a conflict of interests there for me really - voting for people you get paid to write about - so I decided to keep out of it this year. But as I couldn't agree more with the best restaurant one and two this year (Hibiscus came second - how many stamps did that cost you Mr Bapi?) I don't feel too left out.

[Clerkenwellian]

The awards seem a bit random to me, although I guess that's in the nature of "readers' awards". Oddest is awarding St John Bread & Wine "best for cheap eats". STB&W is one of my favourite restaurants, and perfect in many ways - but it's hardly "cheap".

[Bapi]

I have to admit that I didn't vote in the awards. There is a bit of a conflict of interests there for me really - voting for people you get paid to write about - so I decided to keep out of it this year. But as I couldn't agree more with the best restaurant one and two this year (Hibiscus came second - how many stamps did that cost you Mr Bapi?) I don't feel too left out.

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Edited March 26, 2006 by Bapi (log)

[Timothy Burke]

So if brighton polled big it polled BIG.

Which presumably must mean Leicester polled SMALL. Nothing within 27 miles even in our regional category. Must do better.

[Richard_D]

So if brighton polled big it polled BIG.

Which presumably must mean Leicester polled SMALL. Nothing within 27 miles even in our regional category. Must do better.

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And it seems that there are very few places in the South West that people would recommend outside of Bristol

Related to another thread on here - Nottingham appears to have done very well.

[Bapi]

Just got a copy of OFM- delighted to see both Hibiscus (roll on Julyand September) and Anthony's flying high.

And I was also pleased to see our vote for the Best Sunday Lunch counted towards the The Millbank being included in the Best of the Rest section. Just returned from a Mother's day lunch of rare roast beef and yorkies. I am a happy man.

[Hallie]

I'm just pleased to see the Bill's is getting the recognition it deserves. When I stumbled across it in Lewes, the place was singlehandedly almost enough to make me consider relocating from London. It's an absolute mecca and worth every ounce of praise.

Although it may sound perverse, the idea of a chain of Bills's sounds quite appealling, though I realise that it's quite a contrary notion. What makes Bill's such a winner is that it is so anti-chain. It will be interesting to see how the future pans out.

[Robinjw13]

Fully agree with those comments on Bill's, it's one very rare place. The chef, Andy (not Andy L) deserves recognition for being adventurus, always ready with ideas and serving up fantastic food that never fails to delight & enthrall every human sense, yet at pub prices. One reason it's always an enjoyable experience browsing, buying veg or dining, is that the staff are always happy and are always dashing around working and looking after customers (doesn't happen everywhere...).

Best of all, Bill goes out of his way to support local growers, even new start-ups, and over the years this will make a significant difference to the local farming economy, much more so than any government-funded websites and glossy leaflets.....

Go try it (Lewes is the best location in my humble biased opinion!)

[britcook]

Retailer - Taj Mahal Stores, Brighton 

Full results here.

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Definitely approve of this choice. On a wet Sunday morning in February Taj's provides an excellent excursion through the cuisines of the world, a terrific find on a weekend visit.

Mind you Mr Lynes, I do have a small complaint about Brighton, which is the fact that you live there. Nothing personal you understand, but on said visit I was looking for a reasonable restaurant and searched this forum for Brighton. What did I get? Every post you've made in it, which did rather pad out the results!

(Ended up at SevenDials, well worth a visit)