The Westerly wins Rémy Martin’s ‘Restaurant Excellence Award’

Jon amd Cynthia Coomb, proprietors of The Westerly in Reigate, have announced that the restaurant has been selected as the winner of the Rémy Martin ‘Restaurant Excellence Award 2008’ in conjunction with Harden’s UK Restaurant Guide. Over 8,000 people contributed to Harden’s UK Restaurant Guide 2008 submitting more than 100,000 reviews. From these a shortlist of restaurants was drawn up for the Rémy Martin Excellence Award.

To be bestowed with this accolade is a tremendous achievement as it is awarded “to the restaurant which has shown itself to be the most outstanding rising star of the UK restaurant scene.”

When The Westerly opened in February of this year Jon & Cynthia had a clear and definite plan of the style of restaurant they wanted: in Jon’s own words, “a smart yet informal bistro using quality ingredients for dishes that are well executed with wine to match at an affordable price with no hidden extra costs.”

This award bears testament to the hard work and diligence that Jon as head chef and Cynthia as front of house have undertaken since opening in order to achieve their goal.

They commented, “This award is a huge and unexpected honour as it is based on customer feedback that makes it all the more important to us. Mostly though, it confirms our belief in all things that, in essence, make a good restaurant: this has nothing to do with high concepts, smoke screens or mirrors but has everything to do with quality ingredients, assured cooking and attentive service.”

Jon’s style of food and attention to detail, using high quality ingredients and local suppliers when possible, coupled with Cynthia’s professional yet relaxed management approach has built the foundations for The Westerly’s success. The restaurant has barely been open for nine months yet this inaugural year has so far been an enormous triumph.

Along with the Rémy Martin award and garnering fantastic reviews in both the local and national press, the restaurant was well received as an ‘unpretentious bistro de luxe’ in the Which? Good Food Guide 2008. Most importantly, the residents of not just Reigate and its environs but also from far further afield have been voting with their feet and their return custom has shown that Jon and Cynthia are providing a dining experience that does so much more than just meet expectations.

The Westerly is located at 2-4 London Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 9AN.