The Plonker Club

That’s right, Gordon Ramsay will be heading down under to help Sanctuary Cove in Queensland celebrate its 21st birthday.

More to come as this exciting story unfolds

David Driscoll
Chief Plonker at The Plonker Club
The Unofficial Gordon Ramsay Fansite

www.theplonkerclub.com

At the time of typing this, there is only 17 days 17 hours 36 minutes 22 seconds
left until Hell’s Kitchen Season Five Begins, according to the counter on the Plonker Club Website – the home of the Unofficial Gordon Ramsay Fansite!

And if you are wondering who will be keeping us entertained (at their own expense) you can now check them out.

Their photos now appear on the chopping block on the Official Fox Homepage http://www.fox.com/hellskitchen/ – along with Gordon Ramsay, and the other sous chefs!

There is also an official Facebook page for Hell’s Kitchen – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hells-Kitchen/13427984738

Only seventeen more sleeps (maybe sixteen – I might not be able to sleep the night before!)

David Driscoll
Chief Plonker at The Plonker Club
The Unofficial Gordon Ramsay Fansite
www.theplonkerclub.com

While reading between the lines on some old google alerts, I was ecstatic to discover that new episodes of my favourite television show, Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares have already been made! Yes that is the UK edition and not the bastardised over-hyped, poorly edited, super predictable US version!

The report talked about how a restaurant that was ‘rescued’ four months ago had Gordon Ramsay there four months later (from mid-December) to shoot his part of The Great British Food Fight. the restaurant is Silversmiths Restaurant in Sheffield City.

I can’t wait until I can go back and see a Kitchen Nightmare where I can learn something about restaurants and maybe a recipe or two, not just hyped up confrontations, a contrived story line mixed with renovations and a happily-ever-after ending. Not to mention the editing of fights where the peoples clothes change colour as they appear to make a number of exchanges, just one – before the revalation occurs (midway through the final service). Add to this the American arrogance of inviting Gordon Ramsay to your restaurant, then telling him he can’t cook, doesn’t know what he is talking about and that there is no problems because all of the customers love whatever the offend dish/feature is.

I only really watch the show because I am a Gordon Ramsay fan, and occasionally the script isn’t followed to closely.

In case you can’t tell, I’m not a big fan of the cookie cutter US version, it is like a cross between Jerry Springer and a renovation show, with lots of spoilers and recaps to fill in the time!

I’ll email Channel 4 and Optomen to see if I can find out when we can expect this! There will definitely be a counter on The Plonker Club homepage for this one, similar to the one we have for Hell’s Kitchen USA Season 5!

2009 is already becoming a great year!

David Driscoll
The Plonker Club
The Unofficial Gordon Ramsay Fansite
www.theplonkerlcub.com

Right on the heels of my previous posting about a failure of (another) Gordon Ramsay Restaurant – from Kitchen Nightmares in the UK that is, (see Another Gordon Ramsay Lover Goes Under) comes dire news of a similar vein in the US.

It seems that J Willy’s BBQ House, may be closing up at the end of January unless a buyer can be found. J Willy’s had apparently been up for sale at the time of airing of the show (they are now looking for a partner) and once again ,the cause seems to be the global credit crisis. According to the local newspaper, the South Bend Tribune, (follow the link here) the business will be taken off the market at the end of January.

At that point, who knows what will happen to the made-over restaurant and the interesting BBQ Sauce (side) business that resulted from input by Gordon Ramsay? Around the time of the show airing, I remember seeing the owner promoting the episode on the Fox forums, inviting people to the restaurant for the (long-delayed) screening and plugging to death the BBQ sauce.

Well it may be plugged for the last time at the end of January, we will wait and see.

David Driscoll
The Plonker Club
The Unofficial Gordon Ramsay Fansite
www.theplonkerclub.com

Sorry, this one isn’t as scandalous as previous headlines of similar themes that appeared some months ago.

This one refers to a restaurant that Gordon Ramsay tried to save on Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares – the UK edition.

Of course the misleading headline refers to Love’s Fish Restaurant – which kicked of Season 5 of, in my opinion, Gordon Ramsay’s best television shows (please don’t mention the US version in the same sentance)!

The restaurant was formerly known as Ruby Tate’s and according to reports, a note on the front door now from patron Allan Love reads “Dear all. Unfortunately because of the credit crunch and lack of bookings, Loves restaurant has had to close for business”.

According to their own website (http://www.lovesrestaurant.co.uk/), amongst a lot of great content is a message confirming this story. The notice on the top of their webpage simply says

“Allan and his staff would like to thank everyone who came to the restaurant over the
past 2 years for their support and good wishes.

We were very lucky to have had such a wonderful mixture of people to serve.
It’s a very sad time for us all but we hopefully will try to be positive for the future.

As a final note, let me wish everyone a Prosperous New Year and I hope you
all obtain all that you ever wished for.

Once again. “Thank You”

Love, Allan Love.

P.S. Also! Thank you Gordon Ramsay for all your efforts, at least we tried eh? Love you!!”

My plan has always been to go to the UK and visit all of the kitchen Nightmare Restaurants (seems like this trip is getting shorter and shorter!)

Sad News indeed!

David Driscoll
The Plonker Club
The Unofficial Gordon Ramsay Fansite
www.theplonkerclub.com