I just got around to watching the final, although I knew who'd won. I realise this has probably already been said but Raymondo has most definitely lost the plot. I guess the backlash was bigger than he thought it was going to be which is probably why he got his blog justification in just after the final and has now gone quiet on the twittersphere/blogosphere. Some things, despite your best efforts, you simply cannot justify
Also, David Moore is a complete and utter ****
*shakes head* Words fail me at how they've collectively managed to ruin what was a great programme. After finally getting around to watching the final ep it made the winning choice even more bizarre.
If this is lucky enough to come back for a new series, revert it back to the previous format and replace RB who has just completely kiboshed his own credibility.
This years Restaurant was really disappointing - how on eath JJ and James even made the final is beyond me, surely this programme is about opening a restaurant with someone. He didn't even do his own sodding cooking. He didn't use fresh produce, I actually shouted at the tv when Raymond said their names, I couldn't believe it. I'll bet Chris was spitting feathers, he was soooo much better, did everything that you would have expected, Nathan got better nearer then end too.
I really wanted Rebecca and Stephen to win.
In Stephen's nerves defence, my BIL is a michelin star chef in London, he is very quiet, he just cooks, gets on with it. He's not like all the gobby tv chefs. Why should they be, their passion is cooking. Stephen and Rebecca should have been in the final and I wish them all the best in the future.
Hi all, just registered with this thread but lurked on the series 2 one. Like majority I was initially angry at result. Thinking about it now though I feel format was either wrong or not expressed correctly from start.
For me really two points:
I really wanted to see the two blaggers get some kind of pay back even if only to straighten them out long term. This looked like it was going to happen in final challenge but not so. I think from Reading comments others feel the same even if it makes us similar to romans watching the gladiators.
Secondly it highlights issues in my and suspect others worlkplaces where this kind of blagging and off the cuff rubbish seem to produce results and hard work appears not to. The final seemed to rub this in a little which I think is one of the reasons we are getting annoyed.
One team was lucky and got breaks but that's how it works for some people and others are attracted to it as a quality. In this sense I suppose the correct decision was made even if I would have preferred the picnic boys to fall flat on their faces get carpetted by ray and co and loose the contest
Hi all, just registered to forum but was a lurked on series 2.
Like many on here I was initially annoyed by result of final show but now think it is down to change in format to which we were not made aware of till end of the series that has caused the upset.
A few points:
I was thinking that eventually the picnic boys would be found out and dealt with accordingly. As it ended up this never came about and I suspect this added to my annoyance. I now wonder if this makes me similar to Romans watching the gladiators and it being settled by tossing a coin but I think others probably feel the same.
I can't be the only one to draw comparrions to my work environment where this goes on : blaggers succeed in place of hard work. The last challenge and result seemed to highlight this as the norm.
I suppose some folks are attract luck and opportunity. These attributes can not be overlooked in choosing business partners and in that respect perhaps the better tea
won. Still doesn't make the result and wider context any easier to take though!
"The Restaurant was a farce. Not only were most of the would-be restauranteurs unable to cook, but the challenges were impossible. In one programme they had to provide an English tea for a tea dance and were told this hours before it had to be served; then they had to do their normal evening service in their own restaurants with ridiculous requests thrown in.
One couple were told they’d have to cater for a party that required a special cake designed as a beautiful aircraft taking off! Raymond Blanc has allowed his programme to sink to the depths of silliness."
RT response:
"Many readers thought this series of The Restaurant was a duffer".
We are all still here waiting for the update to your blog you promised you would post 11 days ago.
Did you think we had forgotten? No such luck I'm afraid.
I imagine he will have some publicity duties for when the spin-offs appear next year so he's probably fine tuning and polishing his responses to the inevitable questions.
Nah, on second thoughts he'll just get JJ to whip up some cocktails to get the journos plastered whilst he nips out the window with a muttered gallic "zoiks".
I have loved the past series of the restaurant but this was appalling. But compulsive for its awfulness. How these two won is beyond me (well thanks to JJ's inability to do anything apart from make cocktails when all goes wrong) although their competition was not that strong.
I would not want to step foot in their restaurant and "JJ" in particular comes across too much as a wide boy for me to take him seriously or trust him in the kitchen. Admittedly their concept was a little stronger than Nathan/Chris' concept but even so.
In the final it would have been better to have had Raymond suggesting Chris (runner-up chef) paired up with James (winner front-of-house) and those two had their own restaurant, concept to be re-worked a little perhaps, at the end of the competition - or no winner otherwise!
I wonder how well JJ and James' restaurant is doing now
In Stephen's nerves defence, my BIL is a michelin star chef in London, he is very quiet, he just cooks, gets on with it. He's not like all the gobby tv chefs. Why should they be, their passion is cooking. Stephen and Rebecca should have been in the final and I wish them all the best in the future.
Finally someone else who wanted R&S to win! They've been slagged off a lot in this thread but I thought they came a very long way and worked really well together. It was such a shame that Stephen got so worked up over small things because he was probably the best chef there and I felt Rebecca was a great front of house.
Ok I'm going to throw this out there.. because currently there seems to be a lot of "They made the wrong decision" but not much talk about the other team in the final and in particular Nathan.
So.. you all say Raymond made the wrong decision, so what was the right decision? To hire Chris and Nathan? They can't mix and match the teams, that would go against the entire principle of the show. So if the winkers were the wrong choice, Chris and Nathan were the right choice? And if so.. how do you all think Nathan would have performed as front of house in the proper restaurant? Do you all feel he could have done well?
It may be that you feel if they can train JJ to cook, they can train Nathan to be nice to people, but could they really? I just see a lot of attacking of the result but not much in the way of reasons why Chris and Nathan should have won.
Chris and Nathan shouldnt have won for sure (Nathan was just unpleasant, arrogant and ignorant which showed too much) - but he is as equally unimpressive and uninspiring as JJ. Yes they could both be trained up though.
But at the end of the day Raymond, David and Sarah got themselves in the situation where it was pretty much 6 of one and half a dozen of the other in the final.
But I think Stephen and Rebecca would also have been a mistake - lovely couple, if a touch instable with their histrionics and inability to cope with pressure. But again, none of the couples really shone as being competent as a duo.
Chris and Nathan shouldnt have won for sure (Nathan was just unpleasant, arrogant and ignorant which showed too much) - but he is as equally unimpressive and uninspiring as JJ. Yes they could both be trained up though.
But at the end of the day Raymond, David and Sarah got themselves in the situation where it was pretty much 6 of one and half a dozen of the other in the final.
But I think Stephen and Rebecca would also have been a mistake - lovely couple, if a touch instable with their histrionics and inability to cope with pressure. But again, none of the couples really shone as being competent as a duo.
I disagree. I think Stephen and Rebecca, over time, would have been the BEST couple. They were passionate about the restaurant, stayed true to their theme and worked their socks off, with good results.
I only hope that they have gone onto bigger and better things and have their own restaurant!
yes "over time" but then equally "over time" arguably any of them would be adequate with Raymond's training!
But like I said, they were a decent couple and yes they were hard working (well, when Rebecca wasn't in moany whingey mood and Stephen wasn't on the verge of tears) but at that point of things they didn't have it. (And deepfried battered steak and kidney pudding with double-cream laced puddings and buttery starters would take its toll on the arteries...). But solid comfort food for sure. Sadly, the others didnt quite have it to a great extent either so I guess all 3 were much of muchness!!
Ok I'm going to throw this out there.. because currently there seems to be a lot of "They made the wrong decision" but not much talk about the other team in the final and in particular Nathan.
So.. you all say Raymond made the wrong decision, so what was the right decision? To hire Chris and Nathan? They can't mix and match the teams, that would go against the entire principle of the show. So if the winkers were the wrong choice, Chris and Nathan were the right choice? And if so.. how do you all think Nathan would have performed as front of house in the proper restaurant? Do you all feel he could have done well?
It may be that you feel if they can train JJ to cook, they can train Nathan to be nice to people, but could they really? I just see a lot of attacking of the result but not much in the way of reasons why Chris and Nathan should have won.
I don't think this was just about RB's decision which of the two teams should win the final. The main issue as I , and I believe a lot of other FMs, see it was that JJ and James ever got to the final.
They consistently failed task after task from week one, didn't cook, blagged to the hilt etc etc. The point is that they should have gone weeks before the final.
The majority of comments on this forum are not that Chris & Nathan should have won instead. The consensus seems to be that neither pairing should have won the competition, as it has been a travesty (and some say a fix) from the start.
The most sensible decision would have been to declare there were no winners.
I agree, although I don't think anyone knows the answer to my question from a few weeks' back when I asked if this was possible under the programme's rules.
Of the teams which stayed the course, JJ and James did seem to have the best customer interaction, but (as many have said) that should not have been enough to win this particular competition.
As for the question someone else raised about another series I think that the simple answer is that controversial "car crash" reality programmes attract comment and therefore viewers so there probably will be another series. My only question is whether or not the selection policy and/or "prize" will change.
If a programme such as MasterChef can survive with a prize of what is effectively a training period in a Michelin restaurant, why not something similar for The Restaurant?
The majority of comments on this forum are not that Chris & Nathan should have won instead. The consensus seems to be that neither pairing should have won the competition, as it has been a travesty (and some say a fix) from the start.
Well I'll adjust my question, so who should have won then?
Personally I think this show went rapidly down hill the week Bodger and Badger left.
yes "over time" but then equally "over time" arguably any of them would be adequate with Raymond's training!
But like I said, they were a decent couple and yes they were hard working (well, when Rebecca wasn't in moany whingey mood and Stephen wasn't on the verge of tears) but at that point of things they didn't have it. (And deepfried battered steak and kidney pudding with double-cream laced puddings and buttery starters would take its toll on the arteries...). But solid comfort food for sure. Sadly, the others didnt quite have it to a great extent either so I guess all 3 were much of muchness!!
I dont think any of the other couples (probably apart from Chris and Nathan, although I wasnt keen on Nathan's attitude) had the ability. Yes, I'm sure RB could mould anyone into a chef/FOH but S&R just had that "something" for me. Its like I knew they would succeed if they had won.
And as for Rebecca being moany and tearful - I probably would have been the same. It just shows the passion, frustration, nerves, overwhelming emotions that they went through. And their comfort food DID get miles better as time went on - even Sarah commented that she was impressed on Stephen's improvement.
I wish there was somewhere we could read an update on all the couples to find out what they are doing now as I would love to know what happened after the show.
Comments
... how could you forget the Scotch eggs!
Also, David Moore is a complete and utter ****
*shakes head* Words fail me at how they've collectively managed to ruin what was a great programme. After finally getting around to watching the final ep it made the winning choice even more bizarre.
If this is lucky enough to come back for a new series, revert it back to the previous format and replace RB who has just completely kiboshed his own credibility.
Maybe a couple of times :rolleyes:
Never mind: "The more, the merrier"
parthena
This years Restaurant was really disappointing - how on eath JJ and James even made the final is beyond me, surely this programme is about opening a restaurant with someone. He didn't even do his own sodding cooking. He didn't use fresh produce, I actually shouted at the tv when Raymond said their names, I couldn't believe it. I'll bet Chris was spitting feathers, he was soooo much better, did everything that you would have expected, Nathan got better nearer then end too.
I really wanted Rebecca and Stephen to win.
In Stephen's nerves defence, my BIL is a michelin star chef in London, he is very quiet, he just cooks, gets on with it. He's not like all the gobby tv chefs. Why should they be, their passion is cooking. Stephen and Rebecca should have been in the final and I wish them all the best in the future.
For me really two points:
I really wanted to see the two blaggers get some kind of pay back even if only to straighten them out long term. This looked like it was going to happen in final challenge but not so. I think from Reading comments others feel the same even if it makes us similar to romans watching the gladiators.
Secondly it highlights issues in my and suspect others worlkplaces where this kind of blagging and off the cuff rubbish seem to produce results and hard work appears not to. The final seemed to rub this in a little which I think is one of the reasons we are getting annoyed.
One team was lucky and got breaks but that's how it works for some people and others are attracted to it as a quality. In this sense I suppose the correct decision was made even if I would have preferred the picnic boys to fall flat on their faces get carpetted by ray and co and loose the contest
Like many on here I was initially annoyed by result of final show but now think it is down to change in format to which we were not made aware of till end of the series that has caused the upset.
A few points:
I was thinking that eventually the picnic boys would be found out and dealt with accordingly. As it ended up this never came about and I suspect this added to my annoyance. I now wonder if this makes me similar to Romans watching the gladiators and it being settled by tossing a coin but I think others probably feel the same.
I can't be the only one to draw comparrions to my work environment where this goes on : blaggers succeed in place of hard work. The last challenge and result seemed to highlight this as the norm.
I suppose some folks are attract luck and opportunity. These attributes can not be overlooked in choosing business partners and in that respect perhaps the better tea
won. Still doesn't make the result and wider context any easier to take though!
"The Restaurant was a farce. Not only were most of the would-be restauranteurs unable to cook, but the challenges were impossible. In one programme they had to provide an English tea for a tea dance and were told this hours before it had to be served; then they had to do their normal evening service in their own restaurants with ridiculous requests thrown in.
One couple were told they’d have to cater for a party that required a special cake designed as a beautiful aircraft taking off! Raymond Blanc has allowed his programme to sink to the depths of silliness."
RT response:
"Many readers thought this series of The Restaurant was a duffer".
Now, what’s the circulation of RT Raymond?
Good for RT. And it's nice to know our opinions have hit home.
parthena
We are all still here waiting for the update to your blog you promised you would post 11 days ago.
Did you think we had forgotten? No such luck I'm afraid.
I imagine he will have some publicity duties for when the spin-offs appear next year so he's probably fine tuning and polishing his responses to the inevitable questions.
Nah, on second thoughts he'll just get JJ to whip up some cocktails to get the journos plastered whilst he nips out the window with a muttered gallic "zoiks".
I would not want to step foot in their restaurant and "JJ" in particular comes across too much as a wide boy for me to take him seriously or trust him in the kitchen. Admittedly their concept was a little stronger than Nathan/Chris' concept but even so.
In the final it would have been better to have had Raymond suggesting Chris (runner-up chef) paired up with James (winner front-of-house) and those two had their own restaurant, concept to be re-worked a little perhaps, at the end of the competition - or no winner otherwise!
I wonder how well JJ and James' restaurant is doing now
Unfortunately there is a lot of evidence that many series which the public complain about are frequently recommissioned.
There are also lots of instances of individuals slated by the public who also managed to get new contracts.
I doubt it's even opened yet. They'll still be in the training phase.
Finally someone else who wanted R&S to win! They've been slagged off a lot in this thread but I thought they came a very long way and worked really well together. It was such a shame that Stephen got so worked up over small things because he was probably the best chef there and I felt Rebecca was a great front of house.
So.. you all say Raymond made the wrong decision, so what was the right decision? To hire Chris and Nathan? They can't mix and match the teams, that would go against the entire principle of the show. So if the winkers were the wrong choice, Chris and Nathan were the right choice? And if so.. how do you all think Nathan would have performed as front of house in the proper restaurant? Do you all feel he could have done well?
It may be that you feel if they can train JJ to cook, they can train Nathan to be nice to people, but could they really? I just see a lot of attacking of the result but not much in the way of reasons why Chris and Nathan should have won.
But at the end of the day Raymond, David and Sarah got themselves in the situation where it was pretty much 6 of one and half a dozen of the other in the final.
But I think Stephen and Rebecca would also have been a mistake - lovely couple, if a touch instable with their histrionics and inability to cope with pressure. But again, none of the couples really shone as being competent as a duo.
I disagree. I think Stephen and Rebecca, over time, would have been the BEST couple. They were passionate about the restaurant, stayed true to their theme and worked their socks off, with good results.
I only hope that they have gone onto bigger and better things and have their own restaurant!
But like I said, they were a decent couple and yes they were hard working (well, when Rebecca wasn't in moany whingey mood and Stephen wasn't on the verge of tears) but at that point of things they didn't have it. (And deepfried battered steak and kidney pudding with double-cream laced puddings and buttery starters would take its toll on the arteries...). But solid comfort food for sure. Sadly, the others didnt quite have it to a great extent either so I guess all 3 were much of muchness!!
I don't think this was just about RB's decision which of the two teams should win the final. The main issue as I , and I believe a lot of other FMs, see it was that JJ and James ever got to the final.
They consistently failed task after task from week one, didn't cook, blagged to the hilt etc etc. The point is that they should have gone weeks before the final.
The majority of comments on this forum are not that Chris & Nathan should have won instead. The consensus seems to be that neither pairing should have won the competition, as it has been a travesty (and some say a fix) from the start.
Of the teams which stayed the course, JJ and James did seem to have the best customer interaction, but (as many have said) that should not have been enough to win this particular competition.
As for the question someone else raised about another series I think that the simple answer is that controversial "car crash" reality programmes attract comment and therefore viewers so there probably will be another series. My only question is whether or not the selection policy and/or "prize" will change.
If a programme such as MasterChef can survive with a prize of what is effectively a training period in a Michelin restaurant, why not something similar for The Restaurant?
Well I'll adjust my question, so who should have won then?
Personally I think this show went rapidly down hill the week Bodger and Badger left.
I dont think any of the other couples (probably apart from Chris and Nathan, although I wasnt keen on Nathan's attitude) had the ability. Yes, I'm sure RB could mould anyone into a chef/FOH but S&R just had that "something" for me. Its like I knew they would succeed if they had won.
And as for Rebecca being moany and tearful - I probably would have been the same. It just shows the passion, frustration, nerves, overwhelming emotions that they went through. And their comfort food DID get miles better as time went on - even Sarah commented that she was impressed on Stephen's improvement.
I wish there was somewhere we could read an update on all the couples to find out what they are doing now as I would love to know what happened after the show.