City News

Birmingham’s “outstanding” Filini restaurant wins national award – its second accolade of the year

It has carved out an enviable reputation in the Midlands for serving up contemporary, authentic Italian cuisine in chic surroundings and is about to serve up its Christmas-with-a-Mediterranean-twist menu. Now Birmingham’s Filini restaurant has landed its second national accolade in a year.

Filini, at the Radisson SAS Hotel in Holloway Circus, was presented with a prestigious Gold Standard Italian Restaurant Award 2007 by the Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association for its “outstanding” authentic cuisine and dining experience.

The annual award, announced at a glitzy ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London earlier this month, aims to identify the best in genuine Italian restaurants in the UK and is presented to specialist restaurants where the food is rooted at the heart of Italian cuisine and which offers a genuine taste of Italy.

The awards, which were attended by leading figures from the pizza, pasta and Italian food industry, are now in their 19th year. Filini was one of seven restaurants across the country to win a Gold Standard gong.

Clare Benfield, editor of the Association’s Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food magazine, said: “The award signifies what Filini in Birmingham has achieved, which is an outstanding standard across the board – from the food and furnishings to the overall dining experience. People know when they go to Filini they are going to get an authentic Italian meal.”

Kathrine Ohm Thomas, general manager of the Radisson SAS Hotel, Birmingham, described the award as “a fabulous pat on the back for everything Filini stands for –great Italian food using the best ingredients, cooked simply and served with a smile and a great atmosphere in stylish surroundings”.

She added: “The fact Filini has been open less than two years and this award is the second we’ve received this year demonstrates that we are up there with the best when it comes to maintaining a superbly high standard in the quality and authenticity of the Italian cuisine we serve.”

In March, Filini was named as one of the top ten pasta restaurants in the UK by The Times newspaper.

The latest award comes as the restaurant, which occupies the first floor of the Radisson SAS Hotel in Beetham Tower, prepares to launch its Italian-inspired Christmas menu on November 23.

Packed with top quality, authentic ingredients, the menu brings a real Italian flavour to the Festive Season. Diners can choose from a tempting array of dishes, from porcini mushroom soup and a platter of San Danielle ham with melon and fig to turkey saltimbocca with all the trimmings and pan-fried fillet of beef.

“We want our diners to experience a very modern Christmas which is why we are blending traditional ingredients, such as turkey and beef, but giving them a contemporary Italian twist,” explains Filini’s executive chef, Chris Duffy. “It means that people can expect something different from the usual festive meals.”