Good to see so many Gintime favourites honoured at the UK Theme Bar and Restaurant Awards 2009. Calooh Callay, The Hoxton Pony and   Belfast’s Merchant Hotel took the top prizes in the bars categories. And the award for UK Bartender of the Year went to Rob Poulter  of Mix in Reading with Ryan Chetiyawardana from Bramble, Edinburgh and Manuel Soro of Salvatore’s Bar in London in second and third places respectively. Congratulations too to Julian de Feral, who with Ryan Chetiyawardana, seems to win practically every competition going. He was nominated the ‘One to Watch’ for 2009.