Rumour has it that Giles Coren has been dumped from the next series of the "F Word". Why? Because the dimunitive restaurant critic and big Gord had several fall outs.
I guess an outspoken, witty, albeit vertically challenged restaurant critic and an outspoken and er?? tough-talking chef, who loves taking the P out of short men, was never going to be a match made in heaven.
Anyway Coren will hardly be worried about his TV career as he has two new TV shows in the pipeline this year.
KR hears from reliable sources that Hopkinson Catering is set to announce it has been taken over by boutique contract caterer Duchy Catering.
KPMG is handling the sale of Midlands-based Hopkinson, which is particularly strong in the education market.
More as we get it...
I noticed Gordon Ramsay called New York the restaurant capital of the world in his self-congratulatory autobiography Humble Pie (which I have just finished reading in about three days - a record for me, but probably more to do with the big text and the over use of fucking as an adverb).
Whether New York is the restaurant capital of the world or not is probably debatable, but where it certainly knocks the socks off both London and Paris is for its ferociously competitive nature and no-holds barred attacks administered by those in the hospitality industry...... and hence the reason for this post as the fallout from the Jeffrey Chodorow and Frank Bruni spat continues.
I've found it all immensely interesting, particularly as Jeffrey is soon to debut in London town... so I notice this latest post on ChodoblogGate on Eater and also this on the Grinder.
It seems that overall, the general feeling is that Chodorow is crazy to take on the restaurant critics... let us know what you think?
Anyone who follows the New York restaurant scene will be aware of the almighty spat that has erupted between New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni and restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow, who is famous for Asia de Cuba and China Grill.
What makes this spat really interesting for us in the UK is that Jeffrey Chodorow is about to launch a new restaurant in London called Suka, which replaces Alain Ducasse's Spoon at the Sanderson hotel on 14 March.
But while Jeffrey has about 26 restaurants in the US,, his latest offering in New York, the Kobe Club, got a real panning from Frank Bruni about two weeks ago.
Apparently, dear readers, three-Michelin chef Heston Blumenthal's latest menu innovation is the ubiquitious iPod.
Yes, the man who helped bring the chemistry lab into the kitchen has hit on the idea of marrying a specific salty soundtrack with his latest dish at the Fat Duck restaurant in Bray.
Those enjoying The Sound of The Sea, a dish featuring shellfish, foam and edible sand, are being encouraged to hook up a personal music player and listen to, well, the sound of the sea, to heighten their enjoyment.
I nearly choked when I read William Sitwell's Food Spy column for ES magazine (for those who don't live in London this is the Evening Standard's Friday glossy mag).
Sitwell, who is Waitrose Food Illustrated's editor, and also pens Food Spy that imitates (poorly!) a gossip column.
KR has recently learned that some chefs have a somewhat unnatural obsession with Michelin stars that goes beyond a few sleepless nights in the run up to the annual guides publication....but for some chefs this love of all things Michelin goes further, much further.
Normally, getting a tattoo is reserved for the woman you love, the names of your children, the football team you madly support, or to have "love" and "hate" emblazoned across your knuckles.
It's amazing how a story can so quickly change from rumour to fact in the stroke of journalist's pen..... I guess this blog has been guilty of setting one or two hares running in the past... but only when there has been more than just a mere whiff of rumour... so how did the Evening Standard link Gordon Ramsay with Von Essen's new Baterrsea boutique hotel project in London.
Roadside Caterer OK Diner, which has nine sites across England and Wales from Elwick in Hartlepool to Cannock in Staffordshire, does all it can to recreate the feel and look of the iconic 1950’s American diner, made famous by the likes of Grease and Happy Days. While Little Chef languishes Ok Diner is doing well for itself, thank you very much, and has big ambitions in the sector. But as one would expect from a roadside caterer the car is very much the star, and there’s even a handy map at the company’s website to direct peckish motorists to their nearest store. So it was with furrowed rat brow and, quite honestly a growing sense of dread, that I read through the company’s latest press release inexplicably trumpeting the demand for and introduction of Braille menus at the car reliant sites.
The boozer bought by Jamie Oliver his new show "Jamie's Chef" - The Cock in Essex - is widely believed to be a far more hospitable venue than before.
Former carpet-fitter Aaron Craze, who won the show, has been praised for transforming the pub "from grotty drinking denizen to stylish gastropub has been remarkable".
Unfortunately, some of the old regulars take a different view.
von Essen hotels are rumoured to be on the verge of buying the Port Palace Hotel in Monte Carlo. The harbourfront property's proximity to the Monte Carlo heliport makes it an ideal fit for the luxury hotel group, which has this week acquired the freehold of London Heliport, and which runs a fleet of executive helicopters and jets.
So Amanda Scott is leaving the Waldorf Hilton after five years, for what will no doubt be a well deserved break.
What a shame for Hilton - who must be ruing the day, given she's one of the few female GMs around - and a very high profile one at that. She was surely a great advertisement for them and women in the industry as a whole.
She says she's going to return to the sector after a break, so I'll be listening out for any news on where that might be...... but why the sudden departure? Did Hilton and Amanda not see eye-to-eye on something or had she genuinely had enough and wanted a break... if you know anything, drop KR a line.
Kitchen Rat hears that former bad boy chef Tom Aikens is to open a new place in Chelsea - and it's going to be a posh fish-and-chip shop. The restaurant and take-away will be located on Cale Street, the same street as Tom's Kitchen and his self-named eaterie Michelin-starred Tom Aikens.
Perhaps Tom should be renamed Lord Aikens of Cale Street - there's certainly a bit of Aikens' domination going on there...
Anyway it's going to be an upmarket fish restaurant with a very strong eco-friendly element... so sustainable sourcing, packaging and environmentally friendly design.. so good on you Tom.
Maybe Michael Winner got off lightly when he was kicked out of Jean Christophe Novelli's Harpenden pub, the White Horse, last year, as the Gaelic love bomb has just signed a deal to be the face of....yep, Findus.
Okay, Findus crispy pancakes have kept many a student going in their time but how Novelli says, straight-faced:
"Freezing is nature’s best way of preserving flavours, colours and vitamins.But any finished dish is only as good as the raw ingredients and imagination put in at the beginning, so it is a pleasure working with people who share my high standards in food preparation and presentation. I see this as just the start of a wonderful relationship”is beyond the Rat.
Never a hotel chain to miss out on a some good local PR, Malmaison has named two suites at its latest hotel opening in Liverpool, after the things most dear to the hearts of supporters of the city's two football teams.... so there is the Kop and the Toffee Shop.
