Little Chef, the budget conscious roadside eatery, is suffering from lack of business and Channel 4 have an idea to revamp it. A restaurant makeover program where a celebrity chef revamps the menu and gives the punters quality food within a strict budget. We’re familiar with the plot at this stage however Jamie is laid up suffering from serious over exposure to TV crusades and Ramsey is suffering a similar fate on restaurant makeovers. Who are you going to call next? Some genius, and I mean genius, gives Heston Blumenthal the gig and the three part series to follow the chef-magician as he attempts to revamp the fortunes of The Little Chef is born.
Heston’s Fat Duck restaurant is world renowned. His dishes are extraordinary and are priced to match so what is he doing at Little Chef trying to cook scrambled egg? The attraction of the show is the sense of a car crash right from the start. CEO Ian Pegler has an idea that he can get Blumenthal dishes for £6 a head, Blumenthal asks him to come to the Fat Duck and pay £250 in order to see the difference. Pegler’s overt disappointment and amusing David Brent style comments at the first draft menu tasting chip away at Blumenthal’s resolve making some excellent scenes but also demonstrating the chef’s commitment as he maintains his professionalism while being hung up on and enduring some pretty rude behavior.
As Blumenthal deals with Pegler another skirmish develops between the fiercely loyal Little Chef Restaurant Manager (an employee of 30 years as he frequently reminds us) and Heston’s staff as the Fat Duck take over a corner of the Little Chef kitchen. The manager’s fear of what the Fat Duck team may do to his beloved Little Chef is palpable and backed up with “you’re not better than me, don’t think you are” style comments.
Excellent show and fair play to C4 for not drawing it out as a six parter, I hope the remaining two are as good.
21/01/2009 at 11:10 am Permalink
Enjoyed the 2 episodes I’ve seen thus far. The owners of Little Chef (Venture capitalists) are taking a good enough margin but heaving through volume on the, for example, Olympic breakfasts. Not sure what Chef Blumenthal is expected to produce to match this cost-vs-value model. McDonald’s have the exact same likeness of cooking and service the world over. I like Heston and I like his scientific food shows but not sure I’d partake in his food. Just not my taste. The Little Chef is what it is.
Sometimes I miss the one off the Kinsale Rd roundabout… we might all give out about the quality but with a hangover in full throttle a Little Chef Olympic breakfast that has had all its’ component parts deep-fried ( ‘cept for the eggs cos they are cooked in Belgium or Latvia the week before…) somehow always hit the spot.
21/01/2009 at 12:27 pm Permalink
The Kinsale RR Little Chef was a invaluable resource for the hungover of Frankfield. I remember a Triumph Herald and five Olympic Breakfasts one July morning circa World Cup ’98. Vaguely.
21/01/2009 at 1:26 pm Permalink
What a great idea for a television show. I would not be surprised to see that type of show on my side of the ocean (Boston) soon enough, with the way our economy is going. In my town alone, several shops and restaurants are closing, and business is slow everywhere else. Restaurants of all kinds are competing for business, so a revamp by a celeb chef is a great idea.
By the way Ivan, congrats on your nomination for the Irish Blog Awards……. I read about it somewhere else on the internet and am happy to se you have mentioned it here. Well Done!
22/01/2009 at 3:47 am Permalink
Thanks Ellen. Having had a tech background but zero web knowledge six months ago I’ve surprised myself with the amount I’ve got done. It’s turned itself into a nice hobby at this stage.
13/03/2009 at 2:52 pm Permalink
Great Blog!