"Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares"

[alexw]

This time a 51 year old chef that did not have a clue. I'm nearly astonished that this thread has not generated any comments from the UK chef fraternity - is this show representative of "the average" chef in the UK?

Perhaps this thread could be moved to the UK forum to generate interest/discussion?

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Have watched most of Gordons show with some interest and much amusement.

As for the above comment about "the average" chef, sadly the average is probably heavily in the clueless favour as if you walk down any small (or large) town, out of every few doors you will pass one will be a food outlet of sorts. My old cooking ground of Broadstairs pretty much every other bloody door sells food, but as I am sure that Circe will back me up, there aren't too many talented bods behind those doors. Not that I know too many in the kitchen nightmares leagues, but there are a few so be warned.

The industry across the scale can not afford to employ full on talent, if it could there would be no need for brake brothers or delice de france cos we would be so bloody good we would make everything ourselves.

I for one live in Thanet, near Broadstairs and cannot even think of returning there financially (London wages and all), and until the public realise that the £3.99 steak & chips is actually a S*** piece of meat and demand quality for reasonable money, the business will continue to buy frozen par bake crap heated up by talentless low paid individuals who are there for the job alone and couldn't care less about the food, and charge the amount your average joe will stump up.

Been a long week, needed that rant. 5 major tastings in 6 days just takes it out of you.

please move along now nothing to see here.

Alex.

[Winot]

Alex - we feel your pain.

[Basildog]

Optomen TV are after new buisness for the next series.How do i know? They sent me a nice letter inviting me to apply.Cheeky C**TS !! the letter is now hanging in the bistro loo.

Take a tip , why not word the letter to ask for resturants that i might think could do with some help? You may get a better response.

[horton]

Yes, not good. I actually spoke to them yesterday to see how they choose who they send the letter to. The woman at Optomen told me they senT out 40,000 letters to restaurants all over the UK. It was blanket coverage. I then enquired as to whether or not Gary Rhodes or Giorgio Locatelli get these letters but she said that Michelin starred places did not nor did restaurants owned by people His Royal Ramsayness does not get on with.

Total disrespect.

[erica graham]

We've had two from them in the past month- one general, and one they said was aimed at high achieving restaurants!!

My daughter used the paper for cut and stick!!!!

[camp_dick]

one they said was aimed at high achieving restaurants!!

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Instead of the usual failures, Ramsay working with successful restaurateurs to take their operation to the next level might be an intriguing TV proposition, especially if the chef/restaurateur involved is willing and able to go toe to toe with the craggy featured fucker in a swearing contest. They'd have to change the name though, surely. Who'd want to be associated with a Nightmare?

Alternative titles:

Ramsay's Kitchen Epiphanies

Ramsay's Culinary Slam!

Ramsay Meets His Match

[Corinna Dunne]

From a risk perspective… I think a well established restaurant owner would be mad to lock horns or look for GR mentoring on TV. Even though Ramsay has shown a much softer side before the watershed on the F Word, and he clicked with a number of the people who genuinely wanted to give it a go on the last Nightmare series; it is a programme driven by sensationalism and he holds all the editing cards.

But I agree… if anyone good has the guts, it would be great, and it would be very interesting to move things on to the next level.

[naebody]

Hmmm ... Wonder if he'll be invited to help Gilgamesh, Ian Pengelly's perilous new place, rise to the "next level".

[Martin H]

This probably relates more to the first series of Kitchen Nightmares, but I noticed an interesting comment tucked away on p.17 of tonight's London Evening Standard:

Gordon Ramsay, Patricia Llewellyn and Optomen Television Ltd

In Victor Lewis Smith's TV review column of 3 November last year we stated that Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares programme specialised in cynically faking scenes to make average restaurants look like public health hazards, driving some out of business.

We alleged in relation to the programme on Bonaparte's Restaurant in Silsden, broadcast in 2004, that it was guilty of "gastronomic mendacity" by installing an incompetent chef and fabricating culinary disasters in order to wreck the restaurant's reputation.

We now understand and accept that this was not correct.

In fact, the programme portrayed throughout an accurate picture of the restaurant and its operations.

We apologise to Gordon Ramsay, Patricia Llewellyn, the programme's executive producer, and to Optomen Television Limited, the producers, for any embarrassment we caused and have agreed to pay each of them substantial damages for libel and their legal costs.

It's official then - it's not in any way a set-up. Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares presents an "accurate picture" of the restaurants featured on the programme.

No mention made of the incongruous and wholly inappropriate torso exposure though - maybe another case is in the pipeline...

[Corinna Dunne]

Anyone see Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares in Spain last night? It was hilarious, probably the funniest one yet. Clearly, the victim had no idea about what was coming. You can just imagine the conversation with the production company… Yes, that sounds great, locally sourced produce with a twist. That should interest Gordon… What’s that? Prawns with chocolate… how innovative, perfect! He’s going to love that!

Some of the things in this programme you simply couldn’t make up. It's just perfect fodder when the charity set is The Donkey Refuge Society, so plenty of opportunity for puns. The signature kebab which was bizarrely served hanging down like a pendulum was called a donkey’s appendage (the chef called it a "talking point"), the chef was called an ass and GR left a twee donkey with panniers to remind him. Funnier still, the complete mentler who was scorching everything on the BBQ was called Norm.

And yes... Gordon still takes his shirt off.

[offcentre]

he's putting on a bit of weight isn't he - I thought he'd have ditched the strip.

It was class last night, had me roaring with laughter and cringing with embarrassment in equal measure.

[Matthew Grant]

It seemed clear to me lat night that the new gimmick is going to be "push the button" when they will switch to GR's menu mid service when it all gets too much.

I don't know about upsetting the sanctuary by the guy was a donkey when it comes to running a restaurant. The state of the plancha, the dishes, the service etc. etc. For somebody who did seem to have some aspirations the menu was ridiculous. He was very proud of his catering degree wasn't he!

I was surprised to see Ramsay describing the adjustable grill in derogatroy terms, in my mind they should have been making that the centrepiece, after all isn't that what La Parra means? It all seemed a bit staged and overdramatic when he walked out as well.

[Catriona]

Agreed, we were crying with laughter at the donkey dick thing. (yeah, no "appendage" euphemisms for me").

It was fairly shocking though.

Have these people not seen previous series? Do they not realise what they're getting themselves into? Surely, at this stage, people will just open the door and let him do his thing, rather than pretending that they know better and an order of chocolate prawns backs up their entire position. You know you're going to be made look a fool, just open up and take the medicine like a good boy. At least then you'll look like you're open to advice.

[spanky]

Funny, yes, but I felt Gordon was maybe a bit too heavy on his bollocks-centric approach. (Certainly the word "bollocks" and all its various versions, Spanish and otherwise, were as prevalent as the word "fuck".) Anyway, was he secretly hoping that that bull would gore the guy's cojones or something?

Edited November 15, 2006 by spanky (log)

[Catriona]

Yes, it was a bit one-trick in its genital focus...

Hey, this is entertainment, rather than anything more serious, right?

[bakerestates]

This was a great show - cringe making, funny, and with a good point well made at the end and although Ramsey makes by stomach turn for his over-acting, he rarely gets it wrong when fixing a dying restaurant.

What struck me though was when some of the diners (about 3 over 10 minuntes) were interviewed pre-Gordon's menu, they said the food had not improved from last year.....so why the fuck did they come back this year for banana & chicken.

What would be interesting for him to go into a business that was doing okay and just surviving doing what Gordon generally advocates and see how he tackles it...though I suppose it wouldn't fit under the word nightmares.....ah just read previous posts

[RDB]

..................chicken and banana! Reminds me of when I went to a version of KFC in Dublin as a teenager and ordered a dish called 'chicken maryland', which of course was bread coated chicken with bread coated bananas and pineapples. Absolutely tramautising experience when you are unaware that a greasy banana lay in wait instead of a piece of chicken. I can definitely relate to Gordon's repulsion.

[MartinGill]

Missed the first half, but did I read this right on the channel 4 website? They served prawns and chocolate followed by chicken stuffed with banana yet they only lost £22,000 last year?

[bakerestates]

another good show last night which did not stick strictly to previous format....enough difference to keep us watching. And it looks like from the preview of next weeks show he is going into a place that appears to be established with michelin et al recommendations. I can see Ramsey ripping this guy apart more than anyone so far...can't wait.

[Basildog]

The worst thing about last night's show was my wife repeatedly telling me "That's you that is!"

So i buy a bit of gear off ebay, i could stop if i wanted to

Must dash, i'm covering my chairs (ebay) with faux leather(ebay).True

[Bapi]

The worst thing about last night's show was my wife repeatedly telling me "That's you that is!"

So i buy a bit of gear off ebay, i could stop if i wanted to

Must dash, i'm covering my chairs (ebay) with faux leather(ebay).True

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Uncanny, a few hundred miles away, and at the same time, I was saying the same thing about you to Rosie.

But - what's this? Re-covering chairs ? Are you aspiring to be the next Linda Barker?

[Champagne Sadie]

The worst thing about last night's show was my wife repeatedly telling me "That's you that is!"

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Uncanny, a few hundred miles away, and at the same time, I was saying the same thing about you to Rosie.

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Me too!

[Basildog]

To be honest, it's one part of being a one man band that i really enjoy.Decorating, upholstery, plumbing,refitting kitchen, etc ,there is no begining to my talents!

My chairs cost about £15 each(including hiring a van to get them), add £60 for new covering and about 2 days to do the work.They cost about £140 new.You do the maths!

But if you weren't such a messy eater, i wouldn't have to recover them

[Kropotkin]

I missed the first five minutes so I can't be sure, but wasn't GR's usual topless shot missing last night? He did his standard piece to camera while changing clothes, but was shot from the neck up - no gratuitous torso footage anywhere!

Is he becoming more modest as the years take their toll, or has his producer finally realised that these flesh shots render him still more of a caricature???

[erica graham]

The worst thing about last night's show was my wife repeatedly telling me "That's you that is!"

So i buy a bit of gear off ebay, i could stop if i wanted to

Must dash, i'm covering my chairs (ebay) with faux leather(ebay).True

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I recorded it and showed it to my old man- God I laughed my socks off!!!!!!

Especially when I saw the plates saved on a shelf for use on "another dish" ( although we do use ours a bit more than that, so they don't actually get cling filmed!!

Did I ever tell you the one about the water bath we bought from ebay.................