The 'luxurious and sophisticated' Chester restaurant where diners enjoy a 'full experience'

The restaurant at The Chester Grosvenor Hotel was a finalist in the Food Service Award category

Chester's Arkle restaurant has been named as a runner up in the food service award category of the AA Hospitality Awards. The popular restaurant was among the finalists in this category of these esteemed awards.

The Arkle, which is based at the luxury five-star Chester Grosvenor hotel, was one of three top restaurants vying for the honour of being crowned the winner of the AA Food Service Award. It was pipped to the post by The Strathearn at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, with the other distinguished finalist being Woven by Adam Smith, which is at Coworth Park in Ascot.

The fine dining restaurant opened in March 2022, replacing ‘Simon Radley at The Chester Grosvenor', and is led by executive chef Elliot Hill. Since Arkle’s inauguration last year, it has gone on to flourish, swiftly earning the accolade of three AA Rosettes, while also being named in the Michelin Guide and receiving the AA Notable Wine List Award.

READ MORE: Chester's fine dining restaurant where guests enjoy 'truly wonderful and unique experience' The Chester Grosvenor's Arkle is in the running for another top award

READ MORE: We visited the Frodsham restaurant in the Michelin Guide and it was stunning Next Door features in the prestigious Michelin Guide and it's easy to see why

The AA Food Service Award is a competitive category seeking to honour those who deliver flawless, technical service skills with food and beverage knowledge of the highest standard.

The Grosvenor Hotel have taken to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share the news, saying: "Congratulations to the restaurant team at Arkle, who were finalists in last night's AA Food Service Awards, such an achievement."

And Elliot Hill also posted: "So proud of our team to get nominated! Congratulations to all the #AAawards winners tonight."

Speaking after being named as one of the finalists, the Arkle's executive chef Elliot Hill said: "We are absolutely thrilled to be nominated for this award, and honoured to be up against some incredible restaurants. It’s a true testament and credit to the whole team who work tirelessly in delivering service to the highest standard in making Arkle a truly wonderful and unique experience, and we are so grateful for all our customers who we get to entertain every service."

The AA guide describes the Arkle as serving up "accomplished cooking in a stylish city hotel".

Singing its praises, the inspector says: "Deep within the luxurious Chester Grosvenor hotel, the Arkle restaurant has a club feel with its warm woods, rich dark blues and yellows and sumptuous furnishings. The sophisticated space is illuminated by a skylight and large chandelier, and presents tables elegantly dressed in crisp double linens.

"Service from smartly uniformed staff is as polished as the modern cooking which displays well-defined flavours and precise technical skills. The menus are continually changing with new dishes showcasing the best fresh produce of the season.

"Throughout the week there are two menu options available to choose from - either the full seven-course tasting menu or a slightly shorter five-course interpretation. Either way, diners get to enjoy the full Arkle experience, starting with exemplary bread made by resident baker ‘Barry’."

The inspector goes on to praise the selection of drinks, saying: "An accompanying wine flight includes glasses from around the world, beginning with a sparkling wine from the Gusborne vineyard in Kent. If cocktails are your thing, there is an expertly made selection."

The crème de la crème of the UK hospitality industry gathered at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House hotel in London for the highly anticipated AA Hospitality Awards 2023, hosted by AA Hotel & Hospitality Services. TV presenter Claudia Winkleman hosted the glittering awards ceremony, which celebrates the UK’s top hotels, spas, restaurants and pubs and the people behind them.

There were fifteen categories in total in this year's AA Hospitality Awards, including AA Restaurant of the Year, AA Hotel of the Year and AA Lifetime Achievement Award. A number of hospitality businesses were also awarded the coveted AA Rosettes, including Frodsham restaurant, Next Door, based on Main Street.

The restaurant, which is run by husband and wife Richard and Vicki Nuttall, will now feature in the AA Restaurant Guide 2024, which is the 30th edition. Next Door is also featured in the Michelin Guide.

It is run as a labour of love by head chef Richard Nuttall alongside his wife Vicki, a sommelier. The couple have built up one of Cheshire’s best rated fine dining destinations.

The quaint timber framed restaurant on Frodsham's high street has a fascinating backstory. Next Door on Main Street opened in 2017 and was shut throughout the pandemic. The building once housed Vicki’s great grandfather’s, grandfather’s and then father’s butchers shop, H E Coward, which relocated a few doors down.

Welcoming the news, the restaurant took to X to say: "Exciting to be awarded 3 rosettes at the #AAawards."

An AA inspector describes Next Door as "contemporary dining in a charming Cheshire village".

Richard began his career at Petrus in London with Marcus Wareing, before moving onto the Savoy. He's travelled the world for 18 years to kitchens from France to the Caribbean and worked with world-class chefs.

The review on the AA website states: "Fashionable Cheshire vibes abound at this charming cottage restaurant in a posh commuter village between Chester and Manchester. Outside, it’s a half-timbered dream, inside it’s all low oak beams set against open red brick, with modern flourishes and contemporary art.

"The name comes from when husband and wife team chef and sommelier (he’s in the kitchen, she’s out front) lived in the adjoining house. Now they live a couple of doors further away, but this still feels like you’ve been invited into someone’s home – one belonging to a couple who are passionate about providing good food and excellent hospitality.

" The lunchtime set menu is excellent value and service is effective and knowledgeable. Unpretentious cooking makes excellent use of good local produce in stylish modern British dishes."

Commenting on the wine list, the inspector describes it as "short but exceptionally well chosen".

The AA introduced its renowned star rating scheme for quality in 1908, with the aim of shining a well-deserved spotlight on individuals and establishments who consistently deliver excellence to their guests. The AA Hospitality Awards aim to showcase the innovation, dedication and brilliance in the UK's hospitality industry.

Commenting on this year's awards, Simon Numphud, managing director at AA Media said: "It’s a delight to be back at Grosvenor House as we mark the greatest hospitality celebration across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The last year has been tough on the hospitality industry as we’ve felt, like many others, the challenges facing businesses.

"Yet I’m so proud of the resilience, innovation and quality shown by the UK hospitality industry in response. We would like to extend a massive congratulations all the winners and shortlisted establishments for their hard work, passion, and dedication."

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