City restaurant up for top award

A BIRMINGHAM restaurant has been nominated for a national award dubbed the equivalent to the ‘Hotel Oscars’. Filini Bar Restaurant at the Radisson SAS Hotel has been shortlisted for this year’s Catey Awards run by Caterer and Hotelier magazine.

The prestigious awards recognise excellence and achievement built up by an establishment over a number of years, applauding the best in British hospitality. The Filini team is among four finalists from all over the UK in the Hotel Restaurant Team of the Year Award and, if victorious, will join such top restaurant names as Galvin at Windows at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane - last year’s winner.

UP FOR AWARD: Atur Rahman, team leader at Filini Bar & Restaurant celebrates his nomination

Filini were nominated for their excellence in all areas of restaurant operations from training and development of staff to cutting the mustard in terms of generating revenue and profits. And this is not the first time the Birmingham restaurant, situated on the first floor of the 39-storey Beetham Tower, has been recognised for its exploits.

In fact, it has carved out an enviable reputation in the Midlands for serving up contemporary, authentic Italian cuisine in chic surroundings. In March last year they were voted one of the top ten places to eat pasta in the UK by The Times newspaper and were presented with a Gold Standard Italian Restaurant award 2007 by the Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association in March last year for its 'outstanding' authentic cuisine and dining experience.

Liz Mannion, Filini's Restaurant Manager said: “The Filini team aims to showcase on a national stage what we offer the dining public and be recognised as one of the best in the UK hospitality industry. It is a huge honour to be shortlisted in the prestigious Catey Awards and we are all looking forward to going to London to mix with other professionals in our field - and hopefully returning home to Birmingham with the award.” The awards will be held at a glitzy ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on November 7.