The 2003 winners of the Auchentoshan 'Spirit of Glasgow' Restaurant Awards are:

• The Auchentoshan 'Spirit of Glasgow'
  Restaurant of the Year Award
  Rococo
• The Auchentoshan 'Spirit of Glasgow'
  Formal Dining Restaurant of the Year Award
  The Buttery
• The Auchentoshan 'Spirit of Glasgow'
  Casual Dining Restaurant of the Year Award
  The Mussel Inn
• The Auchentoshan 'Spirit of Glasgow'
  People's Choice Award
  in association with The Evening Times
  Ashoka
• The Auchentoshan 'Spirit of Glasgow'
  Lifetime Achievement Award
  Ronnie Clydesdale

The winners of the 2003 Restaurant Awards, sponsored by Auchentoshan Lowland single malt, were announced on Wednesday 19 November 2003, at the City Chambers in Glasgow. Hosted by The Lord Provost of Glasgow, the Rt Hon. Liz Cameron and TV presenters Viv Lumsden and John Amabile, the Awards ceremony celebrated the quality and diversity the Glasgow dining experience across a range of categories.

The Lord Provost said:

"Our many restaurants are one of Glasgow's major attractions for residents and visitors alike. I am delighted to host this special event, which marks the important contribution that restaurateurs have made and continue to make to the profile of this city, and which celebrates the quality and diversity of the dining experience in Glasgow."

Chairman of the judging panel Matthew Mitchell, Marketing Manager for Auchentoshan, added:

"The judging for the Auchentoshan Restaurant Awards 2003 proved very demanding, but hugely gratifying. Glasgow should be rightly proud not only of the five award winners, but indeed of all the many and varied restaurants which make such an important contribution to the quality and tangibility of the Glasgow experience. The city has yet again reinforced its credentials as one of Europe's finest destinations for eating out."

The prestigious Restaurant of the Year 2003 Award went to Rococo for "The superb quality of the food and wines, equally matched by the individual exquisite interior and the professional and attentive staff. High scoring across all categories gave Rococo the edge."

The phoenix of Glasgow restaurants, The Buttery, continued its renaissance by beating off stiff competition to pick up the 2003 Best Formal Dining Award. The judges commented "the sheer quality, presentation and imagination of the menu clearly demonstrates The Buttery is back to its best." Meanwhile the Best Casual Dining Award 2003 was scooped by the Mussel Inn, which was praised for "a menu that presents seafood in variety of new and tempting dishes, staff that are enthusiastic and knowledgeable and a relaxed and informal environment with a price range to match."

Glasgow's love affair with the curry continued as Ashoka in Ashton Lane came out top in a poll that saw thousands of Glaswegians vote for their favourite restaurant in The People's Award. This represents a further endorsement for Charan Gill who was presented with the Life Time Achievement Award in the 2002 Auchentoshan Restaurant Awards.

The Award Ceremony culminated in the presentation of a Life Time Achievement Award to Ronnie Clydesdale, the driving force behind one of Glasgow's greatest gourmet institutions, The Ubiquitous Chip, a legendary figure not only in Glasgow, but nationally. Arguably the first voice to promote the top quality of Scotland's own larder to the dining public, Clydesdale has been a standard bearer for imaginative and top quality Scottish cooking for over 30 years.

Auchentoshan Awards 2002