WEST Belfast restaurant Temple has been served up a Best Restaurant in Belfast title in an online poll.
It's the latest accolade for Paul McCann, proprietor of the family-run eaterie in Andersonstown, and follows four Certificate of Excellence awards from TripAdvisor.
Paul, who has 30 years experience in the hospitality industry, says the new award will bring further recognition for the popular restaurant and put west Belfast on the culinary map for foodies from further afield.
"The increasing success of Temple is a result of consistency in high quality food and service," he said. "We also have a high level of staff satisfaction and that flows over into the customer experience.
"When staff are happy, customers always benefit."
After beginning his career at the age of 12 - washing glasses at the Balmoral Hotel - Paul went on to enjoy a successful and varied career as a chef.
Then, when he and wife Toni first opened Temple in a quaint, converted house, he decided to adopt the dual role of head chef and restaurant manager, overseeing the business as well as cooking the food.
"It is in this position that I can best ensure customers receive consistently high quality food and service and it is a policy which seems to work well," he says.
"The increasing success of Temple is the result of this consistency and is also due to a great team, headed up by chef Joanne Caldwell."
The restaurant, which received 38.3 per cent of Belfast Live online vote, has received rave reviews from customers on TripAdvisor for four years in a row for its "high quality, unpretentious" food and friendly, unobtrusive service.
In second place in the Belfast Live vote was Tony Roma's (19 per cent) with Havana Bank Square finishing in third place with 14 per cent of the vote.
