Raymond Blanc last night named JJ Goodman and James Hopkins as the winning couple in the third series of The Restaurant.
But while the pair, who ran the Summer House restaurant during the show, were over the moon, the public reaction to their win has been less than kind.
JJ and James, whose restaurant concept is food paired with cocktails, beat Christopher Hackett and Nathan Gooding to the title of The Restaurant. During the series' final both couples were asked to serve a banquet for Lord and Lady Arran and their guests at their stately home in Devonshire.
While Chris's menu went down well with the Arrans' guests, JJ's lack of experience in the kitchen proved a disaster, with his risotto tasting like "wallpaper paste" according to judge Sarah Willingham, and his unset sorbet being turned into a Champagne cocktail.
However, Blanc praised the pair for their consistency. "One of you has got something, something which kept you consistently in the competition," he said announcing they were the winners.
"It is the idea which truly excites you. And even in the final, concept saved you."
The public reaction to JJ and James winning The Restaurant has been anything but supportive, with the Twitter brigade having a real moan about the results.
This morning, my inbox was swamped with comments from angry viewers. Here is what some of them said:
"JJ and James should have been out on around the third show as it was obvious they can only do basic barbeque food and cocktails. They absolutely love themselves and are on a completely different planet when it comes to reality!" Alison Willis
"I'm a great fan of Raymond Blanc's and have enjoyed many excellent lunches at Le Manoir over the years. When the show The Restaurant came on screen a couple of years ago I was delighted and not disappointed at the first two series. However, what a shame that this excellent show has been ruined by choosing a winner that cannot cook over one that could." Belle Casa Restaurant Watford
"I am still reeling after the ridiculous decision to let JJ and gormless win the 2009 Restaurant show. Should have seen it coming because why else did they get to the final, a chef who was clueless and made a complete hash of everything he attempted." Lorna
"I would like to ask without any [rude] language if possible, how the hell did those blond twits that can only make cocktails win a cooking show and win a restaurant?!? I will never watch this programme again!" Stephen Peppercorn
"Was Raymond Blanc paid to give the winners the prize? There is no way I or my friends would go to their restaurant, they cannot cook. If a chef cannot cook a rissotto, or a souffle he is not a cook let alone a chef. The result must be a fix. The program result was terrible." Kelvin Hasler
"The result was just a farce. It just goes to show that Blanc is just going for some image thing rather than any talent. It's just an insult to all the contestants who thought they were entering a competition judging their ability to cook and run a restaurant. OK JJ and his pal can blag their way out of situations but surely they needed to show some cooking ability or some progression throughout the series - they did not - look at that soufflé and risotto - it's just a joke and Blanc has really gone down in my estimation." Pete Southgate
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Having eaten in Le Manoir several times and known Raymond since the 80's, I am totally shocked at the result of last night's programme. This does nothing for his reputation as a serious chef or even a television presenter. It may be about restaurant concept and persistance, but this goes beyond a joke. How the judges could allow such a result is beyond comprehension and gives the conspiracy theorists an open target. There is no point continuing with the programme if this is the dumbing down we can expect. With the public vote in Strictly Come Dancing or the campaign for Rage Against the Machine to reach number 1 you can support the underdog and vote for people power; you don't expect two useless lapdogs acting like 10 year olds to win a show that pretends to be serious. This is a low as it can get; like a liquid soufflé. ( Apologies to any 10 year olds reading this)
I can only assume that April the 1st has arrived in December this year.
This series was more of comedy show than a series competition.
How on earth can a top chef such as Raymond Blanc come to the conclusion he did.
The only consistancy that JJ showed was his inability to cook apart from his accident with the beef ie. chuck it in pan and wait. I also wonder were the issue concerning his excellent palate came from,it can't only be from his cocktails surely.
I seriously wonder how bad the other prospective contestents that were rejected in the run up to the show were.
Well, what I would say is that frankly, from the start this was the worst set of contestants I have seen on this programme. How this selection of misfits got selected from "thousands" (what the hell were the others like!!!!)goodness only knows!. Quite honestly I wouldn't consider giving them a burger van to run !!!. Good luck to their sponsors -and I will be VERY interested to see the follow up programme (although I doubt that it will get that far !.
It's a TV show. JJ & James were the only ones who realised that and played to the cameras. Raymond Blanc sold his integrity for a mess of pottage. The only good thing is that when they open their restaurant we can all go and tell them to their faces what a couple of to***rs they are.
I somehow knew that James and the ghastly JJ would win this programme. They couldn't actually do anything except make drinks and the result made a mockery of Chris's hard work and skill and Nathan's improvement. The winners were just a pair of preening conceited fools who spent most of their time blagging their way round each task and doing high fives. Having run my own food business for years I am sure that any venture of theirs will fail once the chips are down. Shame on you
M Blanc.
I totally agree with the above comments. JJ and James should have been out by the second show! JJ can't cook and compared to the other couples, the food was of a very low standard. The couple can only make cocktails- how are they going to run a restaurant?! It made the whole programme a complete shambles...
I totally disagree with the comments. I would have been annoyed if Nathan had won. Unlike JJ and James the other couple were clueless when it came to the front of house. Nathan was arrogant and downright rude to customers everytkme something went wrong. The only way he could run a restaurant us if nothing went wrong. If he gad had the nightmare situation that JJ had we would have seen unpleasant service. JJ pulled it back and turned his customer around and that is why they won. Running a restaurant is not just about the cooking
no wonder fans reacted badly. it's a joke those two won. seriously, why did they choose them? of course they train the winner up massively before they actually open a restaurant but surely nathan and chris had so much more to give. weird...
guess if Blanc thinks JJ and the other w*nker are the best restaurant business partners, Ramsay needs to reinvite Blanc onto Kitchen Nightmares for the next series
You are all wrong. I knew from the start that JJ and James would win. Raymond is looking for flair, style, enthusiasm and a pair who work well together. They are up themselves, yes, but who cares. Chefs can be trained. These two have got guts and they never gave up.
what a farce this programme has beeen. at the end of the day it didnt matter that the chef didnt knnow what a blini was had never cooked a rissoto and when he did it looked and tasted disgusting and even with a recipe to follow could'nt turn out a souffle. It started me thinking that maybe he was in some way related to one of the judges but then I remembered the very first programme with the wink. You know what they say a winks as good as a nod or something like that. Let me know when the next audtions come up i'll enter the cat!
Cant believe Raymond has sold out the whole concept of 'The restaurant' To a cocktail Bar serving bites.
They got rid of a couple for not keeping to their concept. so I say get rid of Raymond for spoiling a good cookery program for his ex fans. Will not be watching next year.
Having been a fan of Raymond Blanc for may years and a fan of this show - I stress the word been - I was apalled at the decision, it was obvious that Sarah wanted this pair to win and it seemed Raymond did too, despite him getting annoyed at one of them for winking at hime in the first episode. The chef can't cook, they failed most of the tasks, they couldn't get a single person to attend their cookery class and their concept is rubbish, if people want a cocktail they go to a cocktail bar, if they want a picnic they'll go and have one - but not in a restaurant. These two are so far up their own backsides I hope that's where they end up. Sorry Raymond,you got it wrong this time,I shall not be watching in the future.
Looks to me that R Blanc and co want to expand into the cocktail bar business, because that is all these two would be good at. They will probably be serving crisps and nuts.
Show has been great till now come on get together some contestants that really want to open a restaurant and not play at it.
I give them 6 months if they are lucky or surround them selves with staff who are good
We would like to ask:- What sort of example does this programme set for any would be restaurateur* ? If contestants such as JJ & James are what Raymond and his associates truly believe represent the best of the (admittedly uninspiring) bunch of 2009 contestants, then heaven help all of us diners in the future ! Still, if JJ & James do get to open their restaurant, at least we’ll all be able to get completely smashed on their delicious cocktails – to help take our mind off the appalling food !
JJ couldn’t even read and follow the recipes for the risotto and the soufflé. Even the most basic cooks know that you have to whisk the egg whites and then fold them into the soufflé mixture – not put them in without whisking them first !
Earlier on in the series Sarah wanted to get rid of JJ and James – but she went completely the other way in the final programme – despite saying that the blinis were too big and the risotto diabolical.
In the final the ingredients were purchased specifically for the food choices that were to be prepared. Therefore we have been left wondering where JJ & James suddenly found the vodka to make the cocktails when the soufflé went wrong ? (They also offered gin cocktails as an alternative but Lady Arran plumped for vodka).
JJ & James’ theme for their restaurant was ‘picnic food’ but throughout the series there were hardly any opportunities to use this theme because Raymond set up things such as the banquet which dictated the types/styles of food required. So what was the point of all of the contestants having a theme ?
As other contributors have previously commented here, we too thought that people entering this competition were supposed to be able to cook, but it turns out that that is not the case. You can be ‘hopeless and trainable’ according to Raymond. Do looks and smarminess count for everything in Raymond’s eyes ?
Anyway, although we won’t be watching any future series of ‘The Restaurant’, we can’t wait to see a ‘What happened to JJ & James’ follow-up programme - if it is ever aired on TV.
* Why was this key word routinely mispronounced as ‘restaurant-er’ throughout the entire series ?! This is, perhaps, indicative of the sort of thing that happens when you champion self-confidence over knowledge and ability ?
This programme is not 'let's get some useless cooks on and train them'.There are other programmes that do that - but this isn't one of them !
I think that after a while even James would get fed up with JJ's food being sent back to the kitchen with complaints that it was inedible !
JJ and James.... a pair of Tw*ts in my eyes, cheesey it not the word, the chef can't even cook...JOKE!
Raymond ...what on earth are you doing ??
The Restaurant is officially car crash tv, dumb and dumber wiinning ?? They are the jedward of 'The Restaurant'
An open comment to Mr Blanc
Sorry Raymond but you have lost respect as a serious chef. Your right hand man is only on it because he can promote his restaurant in the last episode of the series and as for the decision... well I agree with previous comments above. The cash from the TV producers have finally broken you down. There is no way you can tell me that the couples were chosen on their ability to cook and provide hospitality. Its the poor cousin of the apprentice and the producers wanted to get people talking and they have but to your detriment.
Good luck with I'm a celebrity... Big brother etc.
The only way that those two twits stayed in the competition was because Blanc had decided they would win right from the start. Each week, JJ and James should have been out, but no, they made the final and totally bodged that up as well. Blanc used the BBC and us, his ex-loyal viewers.
I new these two jokers were going to win after a couple of shows as despite their complete inability to actually cook, Raymond kept keeping them open. Are they friends of the Family? I thought the show was called 'The Restaurant', not 'The Cocktail Bar'. I believe they already run their own bar in London (not a cheap thing to do), so are obviously 'well healed', so being gifted another business when they were so clearly un-deserving really irritates. Had say, the young married couple who were knocked out in the semi-final won it would have completely transformed their lives and been a heart-warming story in tough times. (He could actually cook, improved and took on board everything he was told throughout the weeks and what his wife lacked in experience she made up for in friendlyness-not smarm-to her customers-remember the singles night!)What was the point of the final, they were completely out-cooked and still won!I for one won't bother to watch any future series of the show,what's the point if the winner has been pre-chosen. I also would never eat in any establishment involving JJ & James (did you see his finger nails in the final?)
Francis (Chichester)
Well I agree with Francis(Chichester) I'm so glad I'm not the only one who noticed JJ's filthy finger nails! Had Chris teamed up with James they would have been a winning pair. I'm sorry to say Nathan (I liked you)but did not feel your heart was in the front of house, service to customers & attention to detail as David took great pains to point out to you @ every turn.
I also wonder how much Lady Aran influenced the final outcome, how could she not have been wowed by James who seemed to add an element of fun to her evening with the lethal cocktails served with a flourish---I'm sure her usual chef flown in from France to cook for her guests would not have been so entertaining! Lady Aran's guests will always remember the "cocktail evening", and from the start to finish of this competition the whole contest has been about COCKTAILS!! and not about "restaurant concept" as Raymond likes to believe.
Well done Chris, in my book you are the true winner, & I've no doubt you will have your own restaurant! Good luck.
Totally agree with all these comments. Just two words farce and rip off. What a waste of licence payers money. Raymond Blanc has totally devalued his brand. These chefs did not buy any fresh ingredients, or try to improve their cooking skills. They failed tasks and just blagged it. I thought Raymond Blanc was meant to be about quality and substance. Where was his judgement and professionalism here ?
If you watch the series back-to-back on iPlayer you'll notice that the pre-verdict sit-down sessions between Raymond, David and Sarah must have been filmed simultaneously: the three are wearing identical clothes in each supposedly separate session, the table is set up precisely the same each time, the lighting identical etc etc. In other words, the series was filmed first and the "weekly" decion-making sessions scripted and slotted in afterwards. And yet, despite this, the judges managed to be inconsistent throughout, for example castigating JJJ's lack of a viable concept week in, week out, only to praise the concept in the final. I can only imagine that, having identified their preferred winners at the outset, the BBC and the judges scripted this to "throw" the audience. Its all been a complete farce and has - as so many have commented - seriously damaged Raymond's hard-earned reputation.
who would eat in JJ and James' restaurant ? not me. After such a decision I would even think twice about going to Raymond' restaurant. what poor poor standard this has set.
I'm sorry but I wouldn't have wanted to open an envelope with any of the contestants never mind the two juvenile half wits who won. The stupidity and rudeness of some complimented perfectly the complete lack of any basic cooking skills in others. This show perfectly encapsulated the dumbing down of Britain. Sad Sad Sad .....
Just a thought...why has the final been pulled from i-player so quickly?
As with all the other comments I too cannot believe the result of this series. From the start the calibre of the couples was poor to say the least, surely in the whole of the UK there are more talented and ambitious chefs than this lot. Why could the judges not see what a waste of space and money this pair are. I for one would never eat in their restaurant. How must the others feel - to lose to a chef who cannot cook even the basics. My respect for Raymond Blanc has completely disappeared. Shame.
Oh my god,we have been watching the series for the second time and we are both still in shock at the outcome of the show ! One by one all the contestants that could at least cook were evicted from their restaurants and the scotch egg, picnic pansey`s cocktail swilling continued ! We laughed continually at there total non cooking and sickly sweet front of house antics,felt so sorry for that chef who done all the cooking instead of JJ .So Mr Blanc,we so look forward to seeing scotch eggs on sticks and lovely runny burnt rissoto on your menu.A disgrace to a t.v show like this and total disrespect to not only you but your two useless side kicks harold and hilda .
JJ and James did not deserve to win. Compared to previous series, none of the couples deserved to win either. I too thought the programme had been changed in order to attract viewers heated discussions. The Restaurant was the only type of "reality tv" show I had previously watched, as I felt it was more true to life than any of the others around. I will not be watching the third series (if there is one). I felt very disappointed in Raymond Blanc for bowing down to tv company pressure and fit the reality tv mould.
I am told that the BBC have cancelled season 4 of the restaurant due to viewer protest and instead replaced it with the a new concept reality show "the cocktail Bar" I'm wondering if i make it on the show and each week make Cottage pie, Will i get to the final? Shame on you Raymondo
Surely it was all a ploy to help Itchy and Scratchy expand their existing London Cocktail Club to the well-to-do West Country?
The really interesting question is: who, apart from the blondes themselves, was in on it right from the start?
My money would be on Sarah who is heavily into restaurant concepts and branding. But the list of suspects includes Raymond and David, of course, as well as the freelance production company, and the BBC producer(s) who liaised with them.
Or was it the brainchild of more senior BBC management, in a truly Machiavellian plot either to destroy Raymond's future in broadcasting, or else to hamstring the growth of "Foodie Reality TV" on their channels?
Actually I discount this last theory, however fascinating. I think the Beeb was just too spineless to pull the plug once they realised that series 3 was a car crash in the making.
All the negative comments - all wrong. JJ and James are a couple of descent guys who will charm and humour guests, and their unique product of summer bites will catch on. Raymond made the right choice. Can't wait till it opens, I'll be a regular!
What? you think the 'concept' of these clowns will catch on? Bought-in snacks to go with pretentious drinks? I beg to differ.
I was left fuming over Raymond's misguided decision to alienate foodie viewers (his core audience) by appointing these self deluded, talentless tw@ts as winners of The Restaurant 2009. I thoroughly enjoyed my only visit to Le Manoir a while back but, in associating himself to these chumps, Raymond has devalued not only this tv series, but his entire brand.
A disgraceful insult to the other contestants (those who at least managed to deliver some food), to the tv audience, and to the restaurant industry as a whole. Shameful!
I look forward to these two idiots having a very short tenure indeed - 'summer house rocks' (above) suggests these toff blaggers are 'descent (sic) guys' - quite right, they'll be on their way down shortly!
Have i missed something? Why does everyone keep talking about the CONSISTANT CONCEPT? From the start those two pillocks wanted to open a picnic restaurant - not anything to do with matching cocktails to food until the second last episode. The cocktail 'concept' was dreamt up by the judges at the end of the series after blondie messed up (AGAIN) and had to fall back on alcohol to pacify hungry customers. Their concept was scotch eggs....
I'll be avoiding JJ and his dippy partner's restaurant, as i will be avoiding Raymond Blanc from now on too - how can you trust his judgement of quality from now on? Shame
I usually watch reality cooking programmes to learn new recipes as well as to watch a young chef grow, but all I learned this time was how to order in, snap at customers, and find a way to just scrape through on luck at every turn! I'll go back to Hell's Kitchen, The F-Word and Kitchen Nightmares, at least Gordon Ramsay can show you how to cook. Thanks for nothing Monsieur Blanc!
Raymond Blanc will always be an inspiration to me. He made a mistake however I think he chose the winners based on who had the most passion and desire to learn so he could teach them, even though they were absolutely terrible. None of them deserved to win so he was dealing with a very bad bunch. It was just a TV show and even though it failed miserably this one time, I don't think he deserves such negativity. Raymond is still a fantastically original and highly talented chef.
Received from Raymond Blanc today...
I have been amazed and touched by the number of emails we have received following the conclusion of The Restaurant in December – some offering congratulations, others expressing disappointment in the final choice of winners. My busy schedule will not allow me to answer each message individually but I wanted to thank you for taking the time to write and for sharing your passion and interest in food with me. The casting of The Restaurant is the BBC’s responsibility and they adhere to strict guidelines. The winners chosen by my fellow judges, Sarah and David, and me, were the team we felt to have the most potential to develop, particularly in the current climate. Believe me, it will not be easy as we go into business together at a time when it is tougher than ever but I know that James & JJ, equipped already with their solid working relationship, resilience and positive attitude, will rise to the challenge.
Poeple are still commenting about this specific episode of a show that held such high hopes in the world of culinary skills.
Even viewers in Holland realised that those two dimwhits had no skill or sense in displaying there ability to tentalise and stimulate the human pallete and inspiring young wannebe's in the world of cooking.
J.J's blaise attitude to the finer details of the dish, his filthy kitchen, inability to plan and excecute a banquete, his sloppy way of cooking (even the walls had a taste of his risotto), and absolutly filthy finger nails gave viewers the impression that their dishes did not contain carefully manipulated ingredients but more a cocktail of harmfull microbes and possibly fatal bacteria.
Well done Raymond and the hillbilly team in chosing two no-bodies. This oppertunity to open a restaurant where people would enjoy excellent meals should so rightly have belonged to Chris and Nathan. Chris done soo well and hope that the programme has given him the incentive to excell in his ability. Well done Chris and Nathan and shame, shame, shame on you Mr Blanc.
I have just found this site with all its comments concerning last years Raymond Blanc restaurant winners. Wow Mr Blanc you totally deserved every ounce of criticism that has come up over the past couple of months. I was astounded and furious that those two plonkers won, so were several of my friends. Will not be watching you again Mr B. you have no integrity and your reply on this site was ridiculous....how about an apology to your viewers?
If the programme was about teaching people, then I've been watching the wrong thing for 3 series! Chris was amazing and Nathan could have learnt front of house with very little guidance (remember programme 2!), I'm sure Steven and Rebecca would have done better than the two showmen, every week I expected them to go. As for working relationship.... again I didn't see this. I really doubt I would watch another series unfortunately.
The show has been airing here in America for a couple of months and every week we watch we think this has to be the week James and JJ are eliminated. After this week's episode, where they make it to the final, we couldn't believe it! With dread we Googled the winners and wouldn't you know it! I don't understand why the episodes were edited to show all their incompetencies only to have them win in the end! We won't be watching the final episode since we are so disappointed in everyone involved in bringing this program to air. Other comments have said they "blag" their way through every episode. I guess blag equates to bullsh*t in American English because that seems to be the only thing they are good at cooking up.
Just saw JJ win. Biggest Joke of 2009 and 2010. These guys were muppets. I'd have preferred the lady who tried to open a tin of tomatoes with a kitchen knife (went out first round) than these morons. I'm done with the show and written to BBC America. Garbage.
Myself and my wife have boycotted Raymonds new show as a result of The Restaurant.
He obviously decided at the beginning he preferred their concept to the others and wanted to open a restaurant using it. So despite their inability to cook he just kept them in. There was literally no point in the other couples performing well as it just delayed the inevitable.
Wow. Such a disappointment. Can't say I didn't see it coming, though. I figured that Raymond wanted to go into business with those two chuckleheads at the end of ep 2.
What was with the sudden praise and understanding of their concept during the finale anyway? Sarah hated it the whole series through up to that point.
Well, after ep2, it got demoted from live viewing to dvring. I cannot be bothered with it at all next time around. The format was horrible. Commercials played declaring 9 couples would open a restaurant - only 6 did and it was all so very rushed.
Lesson learned? If you already have a business, you, too, can win Last Restaurant Standing.
Who wins next? A couple that stocks the local wheel of ptomaine at any factory with out-of-date sandwiches and other disgusting fare? The guy who owns a few soda machines and candy machines?
As long as your business makes money - you, too, can open a restaurant with Raymond Blanc. Can't cook? No problem. Can't communicate between front of house and kitchen? That can be overlooked. Lie to your customers about how long the wait will be until they get fed up and leave? That's charm, right?
It was almost like JJ & what'shisname approached Raymond to partner with them in a bar/restaurant enterprise, and decided the best way to promote it would be by having them be surprise winners of Last Restaurant Standing.
Meh.
Absolute load of sh*te! Maybe the next series should be called ''Last blaggers standing.''
From a person who has previously worked in 5 star establishments both in kitchen and front of house.
I saw the final show here in the U.S. on February 23, and could hardly believe the result. As a Brit in the U.S., I am convinced that the result is class-based. In order to reach a wide audience, couples from diverse backgrounds are selected to compete, BUT, Raymond and his two judges were obviously looking for contestants with the right accents who could operate in their world of expensive, upper class restaurants. It might be fun (they think) to have contestants who speak with working-class accents, but please, don't expect us to open a restaurant with them. Better by far to have two people who (supposedly) look good, speak well, and can associate with the 'right sort of people' with ease, even though they have no cooking ability at all, and have a 'half-baked' picnic concept. The standard of contestants this season was far below that of previous seasons, but there were some promising couples and several good cooks. Such a pity they couldn't speak The Queen's English to the standard of Lady Arran and her houseparty guests. If I were a prospective future contestant (if there are further competitions) I would cultivate a cockney accent for the first few episodes and then - miraculously - start speaking with a plum in my mouth. The cockney accent would get me on the program and the 'plu-in-the-mouth' accent win it for me. Being able to cook well might also help -but then again, maybe it wont.
It would have been easier to hire an award winning bar tender. It was obvious thats why JJ and James won the show. You want a real cooking show, I would just stick to Gordon Ramsey shows. He would have knocked those guys out in round two. Third season of LRS was disappointing.
Being sidelined with a knee replacement I have spent a good deal of time on the Internet reading forums about Season 3. It just finished here on BBCA where it is titled "Last Restaurant Standing". And BBCA viewers feel the same way about it as BBC ones.
I can't confirm most of this, just things picked from from other forums and somewhat confirmed by one of the contestants who commented on one from time to time (consensus it was Rebecca).
Due to overall low viewer ratings for Season 1 and 2, funding for Season 3 was cut significantly. Likely why the season was shortened and all of it took place in Bristol.
The producers were totally responsible for selecting the teams. RB, Sarah and David had no input in that regard. I get the impression the first time they met them was for the first episode.
There were 3-4 selection interviews. The only cooking to demonstrate was to make an omelet, and many could not do even that. Commentor said they thought many strong teams were passed over. In their final heat, they were the only team to do a successful omelet, yet four others in the heat made the final 15. Comment was the stand-by six were quite bad, apparently being selected due to their oddity.
Selection seems to be more by quota. In all three seasons there were a black couple cooking ethnic crusine. Family teams, married/living together teams, friends and possibly lovers. Something for everyone.
Selection also seems to be to get three early throw-ous, three to last to mid-season and three finalists. Three teams were eliminated in the first two episodes to bring number down to the six restaurants they had available.
On the key selection the commentor said they could choose any set of keys they wanted to, but they were positioned such that they would have a high tendency to select a certain set. All noted was it funny each ended up with the best location to suit their concept, such as the Nigerian restaurant being in a mixed race neighborhood.
Bristol has a population of some 460,000, so I assume numerous restaurants. However, the final three were all within a ten minute walk of each other.
Remember RB has been burned at least once, possibly twice now. Jeremy and Jane walked away from their restaurant after about six months. While Russell and Michele have The Cheerful Soul at the Hare and Hounds, it is getting quite mixed reviews. Someone noted in an annual Marlow restaurant ranking they came in 5th place. (I couldn't find any Internet reviews of The Cheerful Soul, but found about 30 of them under Hare and Hounds.)
Negative comments have been mostly the tables are small, food either over or under cooked or not as ordered and slow/inattentive service. Comments on Michele were mostly positive but none of the 30 mention having seen Russell.
And, wow, the prices you Brits pay for restaurant fare. In the U.S. you can get prime steaks, side dishes and beverage for two for about 30 pounds. And that would be at a really nice restaurant.
I think RB, Sarah and David (who didn't seem enthusiastic though) made the best decision at the end. Sort of the lessor of two evils. JJ and James already operated a cocktail bar with plate food, so they didn't have to start from scratch, as they would have for either Chris and Nathan or Steven and Rebecca.
Apparently James and Ali (Season 2) now have their own BBC2 program called "Plate Expectations" which follows them catering to events.
I've just finished watching the third series of the BBC show The Restaurant. Like many others, I'm embarassed by how upset I got at the result of this competition. After all, "it's only a game"!
Setting entertainment value aside... what this series actually showcased was the values and differentiating features of a man who has been recognised for achievement within our culture - Raymond Blanc. I therefore argue that this competition is something which is worth taking seriously. Aside from entertainment value, the show is about our moral values, and what we believe goes into making a great person. The fact that the show is named The Restaurant belies the fact that it focuses attention on the values of the celebrity around which it is formed.
Those of you who watched it know that in the final instance, the "prize" was awarded to a couple who consistently failed to produce good food - a quality which one would have thought remains an important part of providing such a service! In making his judgement, it became clear that Raymond was not making a judgement based on excellence of service, but rather on the viability of a business proposition.
I know that in our economic system, business success is not determined by excellence, but rather by the greatest appeal made to the consumers, without regard to the effect. Nonetheless, haven't we at least started to learn that this short-term outlook is a bad strategy for success on any level?
I'm so disappointed that the celebrity chef who showed amazing capabilities to inspire, teach and guide is instead just another business man - great at what he does, but having betrayed the true calling which is so obvious in his demeanour, charm and so impressive when expressed without the chains of today's business culture constraining it.
I have been a huge fan of "The Last Restaurant Standing" (America's version of The Restaurant) and could barely wait for this years airing.
After the incredibly horrific first episode, I could help but wonder who was picking the candidates as they seemed more suitable to "Survivor" than any cooking competition. How about the mother and daughter who tried to open a coconut and can with a chefs knife while holding it by the blade?
IN any event, I was horrified and only hoped that the contestants would prove themselves to be far better than first impressions. I am afraid that after watching each and ever show, I was wrong and the contestants, whereas they may be very nice people, were the biggest group of culinary losers I have seen on any cooking competition, especially when considering the final prize!
Well, I thought that the two final winners (JJ and James) should have kicked off in the second or third show, I began to get a very creepy feeling as i watched the show progress.
My final feelings about one of my favorite culinary shows have been taken to task and blown around the world as the final two are jokes (and I am being incredibly kind). My sense of Raymond, his fellow investors and the show in general has plummeted and I will make certain that I never watch another season of this or any other show that Raymond and friend bring to the BBC.
In all three series of The Restaurant Raymond Blanc chose the right winners. No doubt about that. All restaurateurs will agree, I am sure. Being "nice", or "safe", or "enthousiastic" isd not enough to become a chef/host. One needs a spark.
Thanks for your comment Jack.
Considering that two out of the three restaurant winners two are no longer in business (the third haven't started yet), it's not really been that obvious to me that Raymond always chose the right winners.
We are coming up to the final episode of series three in Australia at the moment and though I will be tuning in mainly out of curiousity I am absolutely shocked and apalled that Raymond Blanc chose JJ & James as the winners. I've been waiting several weeks now for them to be eliminated but frustratingly it hasn't happened and now I learn this. M Blanc mentioned a 'work ethic' that must be code for 'these bozos are complete losers but the posh concept is going to make me a lot of money. From day one they never took the competition seriously and as others have mentioned the cooking skills were non-existent. I was a fan of the previous two series but now I'm glad The Restaurant show is closing its doors for good.