Heston Blumenthal is a twat

[VKK3450]

Ok, he probably isnt, but I'm watching this show called "Big Chef takes on Little Chef" in which he is coming off as a twat.

Basically he is coming in to an ailing roadside dining chain which is about the equivalent of Shoneys or Dennys and he is supposed to redesign the menu / decor to turn it around.

These are places which the common man stops at to get a quick meal at a decent price and get back on the road. Its a low cost chain with unskilled workers (not trained chefs) that needs to produce a replicable menu which appeals to a common denominator of tastes.

What does he do? Come up with tea and smoked salmon scrambled eggs, a hotpot with oysters and sweetbreads, and a dry ice dessert...

Its still the first episode and I can imagine this will take a few tries, so lets see what he comes up with

K

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by VKK3450

Ok, he probably isnt, but I'm watching this show called "Big Chef takes on Little Chef" in which he is coming off as a twat.

Basically he is coming in to an ailing roadside dining chain which is about the equivalent of Shoneys or Dennys and he is supposed to redesign the menu / decor to turn it around.

These are places which the common man stops at to get a quick meal at a decent price and get back on the road. Its a low cost chain with unskilled workers (not trained chefs) that needs to produce a replicable menu which appeals to a common denominator of tastes.

What does he do? Come up with tea and smoked salmon scrambled eggs, a hotpot with oysters and sweetbreads, and a dry ice dessert...

Its still the first episode and I can imagine this will take a few tries, so lets see what he comes up with

K

I think that's kind of the point of this show, it isn't exactly meant to be practical.

 

[VKK3450]

Originally Posted by SField

I think that's kind of the point of this show, it isn't exactly meant to be practical.

The premise they give is that it is supposed to be practical. Its a commercial decision to bring him in. he is supposed to develop a commercially viable menu which will appeal to the common man stopping off at a roadside restaurant and can be rolled out to close to 200 restaurants nationwide.

K

 

[VKK3450]

It does seem like he is getting blocked /used by management... Like I said, its early in the show, so lets see what happens.

K

 

[kwilkinson]

Heston Blumenthal is one of a select few culinary gods alive today.
He is no twat.

 

[bowlhead99]

On Gordon Ramsay's kitchen nightmares (and the trashier kitchen nightmares USA), he basically had one standard idea - visit an ailing restaurant, replace the menu with a much shorter one: locally sourced and less complex dishes, fewer menu choices, focus on a quality product done well, stick to what you're good at. And kick the head chef up the arse, clean the kitchen and give the front of house a free makeover.

I quite liked the original series, you could tell he knew what he was doing with this approach as he brought his obvious experience to fix the restaurant - "if this was my business and my livelihood this is how i would do it". In the later series (USA) it was more sensationalist TV, promoting "Chef Ramsay''s fiery personality and making people cry or firing them. But no denying the guy could cook, and run a restaurant.

I haven't seen the Blumenthal one, but if the plan is to go to a national chain of low-rent roadside diners where most of the stuff is deep fried or microwaved, and teach them to serve foie gras foam with the sausage and chips, it may be a little flawed.