Second annual FACT Dining Awards celebration

FACT Dubai Magazine celebrates the second annual FACT Dining Awards

FACT Dubai Magazine hosted another glamorous awards ceremony for the second annual FACT Dining Awards, on November 13. The much-anticipated event, which heralds another successful year of operation for the publication in the Emirate, was held at one of the city’s most renowned spots on The Palm Jumeirah at Dukes Dubai’s West 14th, boasting the venue’s perfect outdoor location.

Close to 400 guests were seen socializing and enjoying the laid-back ambience whilst savoring a variety of great food and drinks in the company of their industry peers, as the winners from the 37 categories were announced.

The who’s who of Dubai’s hospitality sector turned out for the exciting second annual FACT Dining Awards ceremony turned lavish party, with top GMs, F&B Directors, Chefs, Marketing and PR professionals, as well as selected Dubai bloggers and social media influencers in attendance. Embodying FACT’s down-to-earth and fun approach, the event was a casual and classy affair with lots of fabulous food, free-flowing drinks and a lively vibe. Entertainment was provided by Dukes Dubai as well as a freelance magician who made friends with the crowd through his sophisticated card tricks.

Tough Competition amongst nominees

Speaking after the event, Edward Smith, Publishing Director of FACT Dubai, said:

Now in our second year, the FACT Dining Awards has become a highlight on the hospitality calendar in Dubai, and an event that we are very honored to host. It’s our privilege to be able to recognize and award the efforts of all the excellent food and beverage outlets here in Dubai.

The dining scene in Dubai is so diverse and dynamic, with so many loved venues alongside exciting new ventures opening up all the time. As members of the media, it is our duty to give credit to the hundreds of venues that are such a big part of daily life here in Dubai, he added.

I would like to congratulate all the winners, and to every single nominee – you are the heartbeat of this great city and this is just our way of showing appreciation for your continued hard work.

It’s incredible to see the mutual support shared and received between the media and the hospitality industry in Dubai, especially because there are just so many high-quality venues in the city. The competition is tough, which only means that the standard of food gets better and better every year.

We thank everyone who came out and helped us to commend the best in the culinary game, and we’ll be back next year with more to celebrate, he said.

The FACT Dining Awards recognizes excellence in the food and beverage industry, with winners awarded based on both public vote and critics’ opinion. Each category was given two awards, the BEST and the FAVOURITE. The latter is the result of a popular choice decided through online voting, and the former is the critic’s choice decided by an independent panel of food bloggers, the FACT editorial team and industry experts in Dubai.

200 Venues, 37 Categories, 74 Awards, 60000 unique online votes

Some of the standout accolades of the second annual FACT Dining Awards included Best Newcomer – Fine Dining which was awarded to the one of the newest and most popular dining haunts in the city – Morimoto Dubai at Renaissance Downtown Hotel, which attracted thousands of votes, whilst the Favourite Newcomer – Fine Dining went to Gusto Italian Restaurant at the very new Al Bandar Rotana Creek.

For the second year running, the overall Best Restaurant in Dubai for 2018 went to Play Restaurant & Lounge at The H Dubai, and the public spoke once more to award Zuma the title of overall Favourite Restaurant in Dubai for 2018.

Other notable wins included 5-star hotels like The Ritz-Carlton DIFC, Grosvenor House Dubai, JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre, Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights, Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah and many more.

Social Media in action

Social media was abuzz too as Dubai’s dining elite shared their photos on Facebook, twitter, Instagram and snapchat, with the FACT team taking readers behind the scenes of the event on their insta story (@factmagazine). Guests were treated to a first-of-its-kind unique QR Code activation at the event which allowed them to view a list of winners and find out all the essential information about the awards through FACT’s partnership with ChatFood.

FACT M.E.

FACT Dining Awards is part of a wider initiative by FACT M.E. with annual ceremonies in other GCC countries. This month will also see the eighth annual FACT Dining Awards take place in Bahrain at the five-star Gulf Hotel Bahrain Convention & Spa. The FACT Dining Awards have also enjoyed four years of successful campaigns in Abu Dhabi and Qatar, with hundreds of venues awarded for excellence over the years.