BRIGHTON and Hove's food offering remains on the rise with more than 15 new restaurants opening in 2016 alone.

The local food scene has seen The Little Fish Market receive three rosette awards and 64 Degrees’ Michael Bremner take part in the Great British Menu.

There are now plans for Michelin starred Chef Matt Gillan to open new restaurant ‘Pike and Pine’, in the new year, whilst 2017 will also see Masterchef’s Stephen Edwards open his new venture, Etch.

With this success in mind  a new restaurant awards program called Bravo is being launched. Bravo stands for Brighton Restaurant Awards – Vote Online.

The scheme, sponsored by Deliveroo and ResDiary will be a first for the region as it is based entirely on a public vote, with votes cast online via a dedicated hub at brightonrestaurantawards.co.uk

Nick Harvey, owner of the Restaurants Brighton website, said: “This is a brand new, 100 per cent fair and transparent awards scheme. Easy to enter, easy to vote and easy to find, with a great team of restaurant marketeers promoting the program,”

“Members of the public will be able to give their favourite venues a big Bravo and have the chance to win £200 to spend at a restaurant of their choice, with a fantastic range of runner-up prizes too.

“It’s a great way for people to show their support and feel part of what has become a really vibrant food scene in the city.

“There are no politics and no head-starts as anyone can enter – not just our partner restaurants. There are also no judges or critics involved, just the restaurants and their customers.”

Brighton is known for being unique and diverse, so the awards will be split into 16 categories, to celebrate the city’s quirky attributes, such as Most ‘Brighton’ Venue, Feel Good Eats, Best Venue for Local Produce. Aside from the headline sponsors, BRAVO will promote category sponsors for each of the 16 award categories. These include local industry specialists BN Fish Supplies, Brighton & Hove Food Partnership, Harvey’s Brewery, Enotria + Coe, XDB Photography and Fleurets.

Restaurants Brighton will also be providing restaurants with participation packs so they can encourage their customers to vote.

The awards have already attracted the interest of some of Brighton’s best-known restaurants such as 64 Degrees, Indian Summer and The Salt Room as well as hidden gems and local favourites including Semolina, Café Plenty and the Chimney House.

“Our customers are our audience and we have to perform every single day. We’re relishing the challenge of an awards scheme that’s purely down to our customers – the most important critics of all,” said Mitch Matthews-Dublin, founder and head chef of Café Plenty in Preston Circus.

“The Brighton scene is really happening right now and this is a great way to promote it to both locals and visitors.”

If you are a local restaurant and would like a promotional pack so you can get involved in the awards, email: hello@brightonrestaurantawards.co.uk.

To vote visit BrightonRestaurantAwards.co.uk