August 4th 2016, Westin: It was the best of nights, it was the most spectacular entertainment and it was the delight of foodies across Gurgaon-NCR, as the popular The Big F Awards 2016, announced the winners for this year. The glittering evening witnessed many a well known name not just from the F&B industry, but from the entertainment industry as well. The panel of judges, gracing the occasion consisting of acclaimed chefs, Kunal Kapoor, Manjit Gill, and Saby Gorai; while the critics include food historian, Osama Jalali, well known critic Rinku Madan and the founder of The Big F Awards, Indian Food Freak and Gurgaon Food Freak, Pawan Soni. Also present were luminaries like Chef Manish Mehrotra, Chef Ajay Chopra, ex MasterChef India judge, Chef Bikramjit Roy, Chef Aditya Bal, Rocky and Mayur, Chef Manisha Bhasin as well as the effervescent Shibani Kashyap, who even regaled the audiences with a scintillating live performance.
The evening started off with a bang with live stand-up comedy by Jeeveshu Ahluwalia (who was also the emencee for the award ceremony), post which the award ceremony was held among a lot of good will and friendly banter. The lively award presentation kicked off with a fitting tribute with the release of the special theme anthem, which has been entirely composed, written, directed, choreographed and performed by members of Gurgaon Food Freak as a special thanks to the restaurateurs. The level of goodwill garnered by the awards was amply showcased by the enthusiastic and overwhelming response that the public choice awards received in terms of votes with over 37,000 individual votes across the various categories.
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Shibani Kashyap showed her delight on the awards by saying, “Music is the food of love, but the love of food, truly dictates everything. These awards are amazing because they showcase so much creative talent in Gurgaon. It is a great tribute and encouragement to those hard working restaurateurs, marketers and home entrepreneurs who need the encouragement and support to keep innovating and raising the benchmark.”
Pawan Soni, Founder Indian Food Freak and The Big F Awards commented on the event, “The success of The Big F Awards may be celebrated in awards to the restaurants, but each and every person who is a part of these awards is a winner! Over the years Gurgaon has witnessed a vibrant F&B scenario and this is possible not only because of the inventive and talented restaurateurs and chefs but also the very vibrant foodie community. The Big F awards have become a benchmark for food innovation, dedication and talent in Gurgaon and have received great support from the entire industry and community.”
The Big F Awards were graciously hosted by venue partner, Westin Hotel, Gurgaon on 4th August, 2016. The event sponsors on board were Unilever Food Solutions, Cociao, Villars, Fork N Spoon, Whiskies of The World, Grover Zampa and Radio One.
The Methodology :
The Big F Awards followed a stringent short listing process that went through various stages. Winners were declared across five contenders in each category.
(i) The Jury’s Choice awards where the jury selected their own winners in each category with each jury member having one vote.
(ii) The Popular Choice awards where the nominated contenders were awarded through a public voting system.
Winners The Big F Awards 2016
Indian
Dhaba by Claridges
Made in Punjab
Indian Regional Cuisine
SodaBottleOpenerWala
Coastal Reef
World Cuisine
All Day Dining in a 5 Star Hotel
Spectra (The Leela Ambience)
Seasonal Tastes (The Westin, Gurgaon)
American Cuisine
Hard Rock Cafe
Smokey’s BBQ and Grill, Cyber Hub
Café (Without Alcohol)
Chaayos
Di Ghent Cafe
Impromptu
Chinese Cuisine
Big Wong
Nooba
European Cuisine
The Wine Company
L’angoor
Italian Cuisine
Prego (The Westin)
Pasta Bowl Company
Korean/ Japanese Cuisine
Gung
Eest (The Westin)
Mediterranean Cuisine
Olive Bistro
Zizo
Multi-Cuisine
The California Boulevard
The California Boulevard
Pan Asian Cuisine
Mamagoto
Eest (The Westin)
Gurgaon Special
Bakery
Angels in my Kitchen
Baker Street
Buffet
The Kebab Factory
Pirates of Grill
Food Truck /Delivery Outlets
Street Foods by Punjab Grill
Monty’s Chicken Wings
Home Baker
Dessert Art (Deepali Modi)
De Cakery (Divya Sreeji)
Home Chefs
Gul’s Kitchen (Gul Ali)
Marwadi Khana (Abhilasha Jain)
Mrs. Ahmed’s Kitchen (Shaista Iqbal)
Online Food Delivery Model
World in a Box
Mealability – The Flavour of Kashmir
Sushi Junction
Pizza
Tossin (Crusty Gourmet Pizza & More)
NYC Pie
Nightlife
Best Stocked Wine Bar
The Wine Company
Rubicon Bar & Cigar Lounge (The Leela)
Micro Brewery
Soi 7 – Pub & Brewery
Quaff
Pub /Bar
Soi 7 – Pub & Brewery
Imperfecto
The Big F Awards Special
Best Chef (Standalone Outlet)
Ravi Saxena (Dhaba by Claridges)
Danny Elsoury (Zizo)
Best Inhouse PR
Prerna Grover (Café Delhi Heights)
Kanchan (The California Boulevard)
Nidhi Verma (The Leela)
Best Mixologist
Aman Dua (Farzi)
Sandeep Verma (Sandy’s Cocktail & Kitchen)
Best Restaurant Manager
Sushant Vyatsyan (Dhaba by Claridges)
Amit Rana (made in Punjab)
Debut of the year
Molecule Air Bar
Molecule Air Bar
Restaurant of the year 2016
Café Delhi Heights
The California Boulevard
Restaurateur of the year 2016
Vikrant Batra (Café Delhi Heights)
Zorawar Kalra (Massive Restaurant)
