The Restaurant 2009

With the greatest respect, it may be you that is confused.

The vast majority of the people that have complained on this, and other message boarRAB, have done so because they feel have been treated with contempt by the BBC and RB.

The 'concept' (to use a, by now, thoroughly debased word) of the programme was presented as a competition to find a couple who could become partners with RB + Sarah and David. So far so good but the competition relied on a series of tasks that RB claimed were essential for him to judge the suitability of the contestants as prospective partners.

All of the contestants failed some of these tasks and JJ, in particular, failed most of the ones he participated in.

It appeared to many viewers that despite his failures, JJ was seen with favour by RB long before the farcical, final task where any sense of fairness to the other competitors was jettisoned by RB and his cohorts.

I don't believe many viewers (if any at all) thought they were watching a kind of Masterchef competition and neither did they think it was purely a popularity contest.

Rather they thought it was a competition based on the tasks that were imposed on the contestants and that RB's protestations, about high standarRAB, excellence in cooking, honesty and integrity in dealing with customers& etc., were to be taken seriously.

RB's misguided decision to choose JJ and James, when in reality they by no means fulfilled the criteria set by the BBC and RB as essential, has led to the outpourings of dissent and complaints.

If RB and his partners wanted to diversify into cocktail bars on the high street, good luck to them. If they want to use the experience JJ and James have gained in the one year they have run their own establishment, again good luck to them.

What RB shouldn't do is expect the BBC to fund his business expansion by paying to him to front the travesty of a competition called The Restaurant.

By the way, like you I have ignored the posting requirements you have included in your P.S.

P.S.
Is that you Crazy Ray?
 
That Bristol review a few posts up is the best one I've read about Series 3.

WRT Chris and Nathan their big problem (although it wasn't mentioned until the end) that Rags and Riches was not onlya poor concept, but it wasn't a concept at all. Raymond didn't think such an idea had legs and he was right. Chris obviously had a love for food and a good, natural feel for the ingredients and the cooking (for example, he would have known HOW to make a souffle and what PROCESS made it rise, even if he'd never done so before) but there are 30 chefs at Le Manoir who have this. Of course JJ, despite Raymond's views to the contrary, appeared to be completely ill-at-ease with food and has no idea of how to bring anything together - which is odd because he obviously does do with drink. Maybe Raymond can train him "in 10 years" but I could train a dog to walk on a beach ball in 10 years, the question I should be asked is 'why?'

I'll say again - I understand why Raymond chose JJ and James and I do think they'll be a success but for most of the series we were misled as to the true intentions of the series. I intensely disliked the winers of S2 (and S1, for that matter) but the result was consistent with the premise. In Series Three we were seeing 'through a glass darkly'. Only at the very end did we (and Chris realised this when he sipped the cocktail) 'see face to face'.
 
Heavenly or unearthly?

Generally, I don't understand the point of cocktails. There's only one thing to put in a whisky, and that's another whisky. I stretch the point, though, to put dry martini in my gin



Perhaps he wrote it in France? Waiting for Eurostar and lost all track of time..............?

"Crazy Ray's twatter page" - I like it
 
Interesting that RB has placed the winkers in an upmarket tapas bar that does cocktails. That's what I thought ze concept would pan out as once they'd dropped the wet eggs and pork pies in baskets. Still think it'll be a cocktail bar with snacks not prepared by JJ - can't see him being let within a mile of the kitchen at that end of the market.

'Citin.
 
Yeah that was a bag of crap. BBC please save our money and don't commission another series. Spend it on Hole in the Wall or some other high brow show.

And Raymond, get to St Pancras, take your fee from this travesty of a show and buy a ticket on Eurostar, one way!!
 
By picking JJ and James, they have "bought" a concept.

There are now five partners, three who will put in money, and two who have supplied the idea of picnic food with cocktails.

Does anyone think that JJ and James are going to spend all week at their restaurant? No, they have other businesses and bars, and aside from that, JJ cannot cook.

So, in addition to two partners who have put in no money, and do no work, they aill have to hire a chef and probably a front of house too.

I don't see the business advantages that are being argued by some.

And apart from all that, JJ and James were a couple of lying blagging posh gits who made my flesh crawl :D
 
It's just like a bad Hollywood movie where the scriptwriters have thought up the end before they have thought about how their characters are going to get there!... and then gets filmed, passed between editor, director and producer. They chop together some kind film out of all the bits they have but it's a bit of a mess and gets released direct to DVD!
 
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