Edinburgh's Le Monde nominated for 25th anniversary Hi-Life Dining Awards

Press Release

December 11 2008

Edinburgh's Le Monde nominated for 25th anniversary Hi-Life Dining Awards

The restaurant of Edinburgh's premier boutique hotel, Le Monde, has been named today as one of the nominees for the title of Best Scotland Restaurant, for the star studded Hi-Life Dining Awards 2009.

In recent years Le Monde on George Street has already scooped the titles of Scottish Hotel Design Award, BEDA Club of the Year and Hotel Nightclub of the Year.

The shortlist for Best Scotland Restaurant also features The Glasshouse in Musselburgh and Catch22, Grill on the Corner and Corinthian in Glasgow.

The annual awards - or the "HiLDAS" as they have become known - are hosted by the UK and Ireland's largest and most successful dining club, which has 30,000 members in Scotland alone.

They are highly coveted within the industry because the nominations are decided on the basis of votes received from nearly 100,000 regular diners.

The glitzy ceremony will take place at the five star Hilton Hotel in Manchester on Friday, January 30. The evening's hosts will be award-winning BBC news presenters, Gordon Burns and Ranvir Singh.

The judging panel with the daunting task of selecting winners for each award category features celebrity TV stars and some of the most highly respected food critics and chefs in the business.

David Heeley, Company President of Hi-Life, whose 130,000 members enjoy two-for-one priced meals in over 3,000 partner restaurants across the UK, said: "In 2009, Hi-Life celebrates its 25th anniversary year and our awards ceremony will kick start a year of celebrations. The awards evening will be bigger and better than ever before, entertaining the great and the good of the UK's dining world.

"The Best Restaurant nominees can already count themselves within the top two per cent of our vast network of dining establishments - an achievement in itself.

"Unlike some awards, the Hi-Life Dining Awards shortlist is compiled from votes cast by the dining public. This is one of the reasons why luminaries such as Raymond Blanc and Gary Rhodes attend the ceremony and the nominees truly value the recognition the awards bring.

"Receiving a Hi-Life Award is often the culmination of a lifetime's work and a huge pat on the back for everyone in the restaurant team. I would like to congratulate everybody who has been nominated for an award this year."

A limited number of tickets are still available for the ceremony, at £75 per person. Guests can also take advantage of preferential room rates at The Hilton on the night - £130 for one room only or £140 per room for bed and breakfast. The Hi-Life hotline for bookings or reservations is 01253 608910.

The 500 guests will enjoy a champagne reception from 7.00pm, a four course meal created by The Hilton's renowned head chef, David Gale, and live music and entertainment until late. All proceeds from the charity auction and raffle on the night will go to Cancer Research UK.

Hi-Life's partner restaurants, brasseries and café bars cater for all tastes and budgets, from Michelin starred eateries to popular family favourites. In the last 12 months, members have spent more than £45 million in Hi-Life restaurants, saving on average at least £15 on every meal for two.

Hi-Life is the UK and Ireland's largest two-for-one dining club. It was founded by company president, David Heeley, who has amassed a considerable amount of experience over three decades and worked closely with leading names in the dining world, including Raymond Blanc, Marco Pierre White, Sir Terrance Conran and Gary Rhodes.

A partnership with Hi-Life makes sound business sense to restaurateurs. Not only can it drive footfall in certain periods through its two-for-one offers, but it also opens the door to new customers and there is no fee to join.

Last year, a comprehensive membership survey showed an overall satisfaction rating of 99.3 per cent.

Raymond Blanc OBE, world renowned, Michelin starred chef - "Hi-Life is a truly brilliant idea - members save a fortune and dine out more often."