Three cheers to Mumbai's biggest F&B champions

Malaika Arora hands over the award for Best New Bar to Akriti Agarwal and Manas Shah of Thirsty City 127 at mid-day's The Guide Restaurant Awards 2019 at St Regis Mumbai on 09/04/2019 PIC/SHADAB KHAN

Riyaaz Amlani and his brother Rizwan were both present. The siblings were nominated in different categories. When the older brother walked away with the coveted black plate, younger brother Riyaaz cheered from the audience. Moments like these outlined the sense of community that was the flavour of proceedings when Mid-Day hosted its annual restaurant awards gala yesterday, at The St Regis Mumbai

Guide Restaurant Awards 2019

The extravaganza witnessed a slew of Bollywood stars and F&B stalwarts hail the finest talent to have emerged in Mumbai over 2018-19. In its second edition, the event awarded 41 of the city's brightest F&B stars at a glitzy ceremony where top chefs and restaurateurs turned up to cheer their colleagues, while influencers from across the F&B industry made it an evening to remember.

Actor Rajkummar Rao hands over the award for Best New Cafe to Pablo Naranjo Agular and Pooja Dhingra of Le15 Petit Cafe at mid-day's The Guide Restaurant Awards 2019 at St Regis Mumbai on 09/04/2019 PIC/SHADAB KHAN

Hosts Cyrus Broacha and Kunal Vijayakar kept the audience in splits with their signature brand of humour and Bombay-flavoured gags. Stardust was sprinkled all over the venue, as Bollywood's best including Rajkummar Rao, Malaika Arora, Huma Qureshi, Mouni Roy and Naezy among others, made their presence felt.

Malaika Arora hands over the award for New Restaurant to Gauri Devidayal, Jay Yousuf and Sumit Gambhir for Miss T at mid-day's The Guide Restaurant Awards at St Regis Mumbai. Pic/Shadab Khan

Actor Kubbra Sait hands over the award to Vidur Kapoor of El Mercado, winner in Best New International Cuisine Restaurant (Spanish) category at mid-day's The Guide Restaurant Awards 2019 at St Regis Mumbai on 09/04/2019 PIC/SHADAB KHAN

The annual free and fair celebration of the city's best hospitality talent saw nine new categories this year, including Best New Wine Bar, Best New Ice cream Parlour and Food Chronicler of the Year, and saw close to 100 finalists compete for the top awards.

Actor Huma Qureshi and Milind Ruparel, Director - Ruparel Realty, hand over the award for Best New Asian Restaurant (Mizu) to Lakhan Jethani and Vedant Malik at mid-day's The Guide Restaurant Awards 2019 at St Regis Mumbai on 09/04/2019 PIC/SHADAB KHAN

This year, in a special segment titled Bombay Meri Hai, mid-day saluted the veterans whose vision made this city an eating-out Mecca. This included the Ode to the City award, which recognised a dish or drink inspired by the sights and smells of Mumbai. The Mughal Martini at Hakkasan inspired by Mohammed Ali Road's biryani, took home the trophy.

Actor Esha Gupta and British Deputy High Commissioner, Mumbai, Crispin Simon with Arjun Kher, winner in Best New International Cuisine Restaurant (Middle-Eastern & Levantine) category at mid-day's The Guide Restaurant Awards 2019 at St Regis Mumbai on 09/04/2019 PIC/SHADAB KHAN

One of the marquee moments of the segment and the awards nite was when Boman Irani celebrated the quintessential Irani café as he saluted their survival in today's day and age. Ten of Mumbai's last surviving Irani cafés, including Sassanian Boulangerie, Kyani & Co., Cosmopolitan, Café Dela Paix, Koolar & Co Café Excelsior and Café Military were honoured with the Iconic Cultural Institution award for culinary contribution by a diaspora community. The coming together of these stalwarts for a memorable frame drew huge applause from the audience.

Sumeet Vyas and Shobhita Dhulipala hand over the Readers' Choice - Bombay Adda award to Beverly Pereira of Candies at mid-day's The Guide Restaurant Awards 2019 at St Regis Mumbai on 09/04/2019 PIC/SHADAB KHAN

Colaba restaurant Miss T helmed by Jay Yousuf, Gauri Devidayal, Pankil Shah, Sumit Gambhir and Abhishek Honawar was declared Best New Restaurant of 2018-19. Thirsty City 127 took home the Best New Bar trophy and chef Amninder Sandhu won the Best Culinary Entrepreneur award for her restaurants Arth and Sancho's.

President - Jagran Prakashan Limited, Apurva Purohit hands over the Ode to the City award to Karyna Bajaj of Hakkasan for the Mughal Martini at mid-day's The Guide Restaurant Awards 2019 at St Regis Mumbai on 09/04/2019 PIC/SHADAB KHAN

Some of the deserving wins included Mizu for Best New Asian Restaurant, House of Lloyd for Best New Goan Restaurant, El Mercado, for Best New International Restaurant (Spanish) and Sante Spa Cuisine for Best New Healthy Menu.

Amyra Dastur and Abhishek Kapoor hand over the award for Outstanding Entrepreneur (Beverages) to Keshav Prakash at mid-day's The Guide Restaurant Awards 2019 at St Regis Mumbai on 09/04/2019 PIC/SHADAB KHAN

Tinaz Nooshian, executive editor, Mid-Day, said, "Mid-day's food writers review restaurants and bars anonymously at our cost, and The Guide Restaurant Awards recognise only those who deserve it. In short, no paid trophies. This is the only newspaper to visit an establishment three times in a year to assess quality and service standards. The proof of the pudding, for us, has always been in the eating. We think this is just the sort of food award Mumbai deserves."

Rahul Akerkar hands over the award for The Rising Star to Aneesh Bhasin of Svami at mid-day's The Guide Restaurant Awards 2019 at St Regis Mumbai on 09/04/2019 PIC/SHADAB KHAN

Farokh Khambata applauds as Suresh Poojari with his son Bharat acknowledge the applause as the Bombay Boss awardee at mid-day's The Guide Restaurant Awards 2019 at St Regis Mumbai on 09/04/2019 PIC/SHADAB KHAN

Mid-day's executive editor, Tinaz Nooshian with the winner of Best New F&B Idea, Riyaaz Amlani (Flea Bazaar Cafe) at mid-day's The Guide Restaurant Awards 2019 at St Regis Mumbai on 09/04/2019 PIC/SHADAB KHAN

Boman Irani hands over the award for The Surviving Irani Cafe to Mirza and Aga Nazariyan (Cafe Colony), Gustad Dinshaw (Cafe dela Paix), Ardeshir Mazkoori (Cafe Excelsior), Humin Irani (Cosmopolitan), Parvez Patel (Ideal Corner), Amir Koolar Irani (Koolar and Co), Meheraban Kola (Sassanian Boulangerie), and Shirin and Sheriar Khosravi (Cafe Military) at mid-day's The Guide Restaurant Awards 2019 at St Regis Mumbai on 09/04/2019 PIC/SHADAB KHAN

FULL LIST OF WINNERS

BEST NEW BREWERY
WINNER: CRAFTERS TAP HOUSE, POWAI

BEST NEW WINE BAR
WINNER: 266 - THE WINE ROOM AND BAR, BANDRA (W)

BEST NEW SOUTH INDIAN RESTAURANT
WINNER: TANJORE TIFFIN ROOM, VERSOVA

BEST NEW SINDHI RESTAURANT
WINNER: DUMA DUM MAST KALANDAR, CHEMBUR

BEST NEW BENGALI RESTAURANT
WINNER: RAJBARI RASOI, ANDHERI (W)

BEST NEW GOAN RESTAURANT
WINNER: HOUSE OF LLOYD, JUHU

BEST NEW WITCHING HOUR GRUB
WINNER: THOOSO, ANDHERI (W)

BEST NEW VFM RESTAURANT
WINNER: THE JUNCTION, MAHIM

BEST NEW VFM BAR
WINNER: QUARTER CANTEEN, BANDRA

BEST NEW VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT
WINNER: HAPPY HOUSE KITCHEN, GIRGAUM

BEST NEW TAKEAWAY
WINNER: MILLIWAYS - BROTH NOODLE & BAO, GRANT ROAD

BEST NEW PATISSERIE
WINNER: THE CLEARING HOUSE BAKERY, BALLARD ESTATE

BEST NEW ICE CREAM PARLOUR
WINNER: HUBER & HOLLY, JUHU

BEST NEW HEALTHY MENU
WINNER: SANTE SPA CUISINE, BKC

BEST NEW CELEBRITY DEN
WINNER: CECCONI'S - SOHO HOUSE, JUHU

BEST NEW CAFÉ
WINNER: LE15 PETIT CAFÉ, GOREGAON

BEST NEW ASIAN RESTAURANT
WINNER: MIZU, WORLI

BEST NEW INDIAN RESTAURANT
WINNER: UMMRAO, ANDHERI (E)

BEST NEW INTERNATIONAL CUISINE RESTAURANT - SPANISH
WINNER: EL MERCADO, BANDRA

BEST NEW INTERNATIONAL CUISINE RESTAURANT - MIDDLE EASTERN AND LEVANTINE
WINNER: BAYROUTE, COLABA

FOOD CHRONICLER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: SAEE KORANNE-KHANDEKAR

BEST NEW F&B IDEA
WINNER: FLEA BAZAAR CAFÉ, LOWER PAREL

ODE TO THE CITY
WINNER: THE MUGHAL MARTINI AT HAKKASAN, BANDRA

TOAST OF GYMKHANAS
WINNER: THE ROYAL BOMBAY YACHT CLUB, COLABA

BOMBAY BOSS
WINNER: SURESH POOJARI, OWNER SHIVSAGAR CHAIN
SURESH POOJARI

READERS' CHOICE AWARD - BOMBAY ADDA
WINNER: CANDIES

THE SURVIVING IRANI CAFÉ

KOOLAR & CO, MATUNGA
CAFE DELA PAIX, GIRGAUM
IDEAL CORNER, FORT
COSMOPOLITAN, PRATHANA SAMAJ
CAFÉ MILITARY, FORT
CAFÉ COLONY, DADAR (E)
SASSANIAN BOULANGERIE, DHOBI TALAO
BYCULLA RESTAURANT AND BAKERY, BYCULLA (E)
KYANI & CO, DHOBI TALAO

THE TOP 5

THE RISING STAR
WINNER: ANEESH BHASIN, RAHUL MEHRA AND SAHIL JATANA FOR SVAMI

OUTSTANDING ENTREPRENEUR (CULINARY)
WINNER: AMNINDER SANDHU

OUTSTANDING ENTREPRENEUR (BEVERAGES)
WINNER: KESHAV PRAKASH

BEST NEW BAR
WINNER: THIRSTY CITY 123, LOWER PAREL

BEST NEW RESTAURANT
WINNER: MISS T, COLABA

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates