A couple days ago, the winners of the Time Out KL Food Awards 2010 were unveiled as the F&B industry celebrates the best dining out experiences in the Klang Valley.
It is the first year that the Awards have been presented formally and the results were kept a closely guarded secret right up until they were announced in a ceremony akin to the Oscars. More than 400 restaurateurs, key players in the F&B industry, sponsors and local celebrities attended the glittering award ceremony at MAPKL where the MCs for the evening , noted local celebrities Will Quah and Joanne de Rozario, presented each of the delighted 67 shortlisted outlets with their certificates and iconic trophy for the winners. Guests were also treated to a musical showcase by local indie star, Yuna, at an afterparty.
Winners were chosen from shortlists in 18 categories, which were been selected after an initial round of voting, so every outlet involved in the awards was chosen by real KL-ites who nominated their favourites and then selected a winner from the shortlist during a three month voting period on www.timeoutkl.com.
I thought some of the results were deserving, some predictable, a few categories I was clueless about, while the rest were a little questionable and shocking. But hey, who am I to argue with the voice of the public. As the saying goes, one man’s meat is another’s poison. I just know I had a great time cheering for my favourites when the MCs read their names out.
However, the aim of such awards is not solely just to recognise the best. They exist to show that culinary excellence exist across the Klang Valley and how the dining scene can continue to grow and improve with the support of publications that place food at its heart and encourages its readers to eat out more often. And when KL-ites come to acknowledge, vote and choose the ultimate winner, it’s an official ‘Thank You‘ and a pat on the back for their outstanding contribution to our gastronomic enjoyment. In the end, everybody’s a winner.
[other nominees: Werner Kuhn (El Cerdo, El Cerdito, Werner's), Rudy Stecca (Ciao, Ciccio, Cipolla) and Benjamin Yong (The Delicious Group)]
Congratulations to all the winners and nominees. If you haven’t already eaten at any of the above, you may want to click on some of the restaurant’s names to read my past reviews.
Yup yup. One man's meat is another's poison indeed! There were definitely a few winners/ shortlisted restaurants were a shock to me too.
I enjoyed cheering for our favourite restaurants together! :-)
Ditto what LL said. Let's not worry abotu who won or what, but cheer our faves! :D
Wonder how they managed to keep the secret of the results so well, rite, considering they had to publish the issue with the winners list ahead of the ceremony (the issue is supposed to be out already, though I haven't visited a newsstand to get it yet). Luckily I'm not on timeoutkl's staff … The secret might not have been safe with me! :D
J: Haha, that's the fun thing about awards isn't it? They can't all be predictable.
LL: Yes it was a good night letting it all out at the same time. It was special with you beside me.
LFB: Yeah, we'll keep our faves to ourselves.
Sean: This year they actually announced it a day before the magazines hit the newstands. So that's a good thing eh?
wow, it's a big award. 400 restaurant were involved…