The Plonker Club

The Telegraph in the UK is reporting that at the newly award winning York and Albany Restaurant in Camden Town, North London will charge ‘no-showers’ a discretionary £30 for a table of five booking.

I’m not sure why this is news. When I reserved a table for two at Gordon Ramsay at The London NYC in October last year , I was told that cancelling less than two weeks before the booking date could result in me being charged for one person (which at the time was $135 American – about $4 million dollars Australian since it was at the Aussie dollar’s weakest day in recent history).

£6 per head or less seems very reasonsable to me!

Regardless, in related news Anglea Harnett was awarded three AA rosettes for both the York and Albany as well as Murano, which according to the reports rewards one for serving food deserving of recognition well beyond the area.

I’m not a foodie (or from the UK/Europe) so the only time I have heard to an AA rosette was in Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, in the Rococo/Maggie’s episode. According to wikipedia – it is a food award offered by a company (The Automobile Association) who provide insurance and breakdown assistance.

And how’s this for coming full circle. I was looking at the AA website and came across 2008-9 Restaurants of The Year – and one winner was the Walnut Tree Inn. Yes, the same restauarnt that was featured on Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (the one run by his arrogant Italian friend who wouldn’t reduce his prices!). It was sold in 2007 and now has this amongst its accolades.

Stranger things have happened in the world of Gordon Ramsay!

Anyway, back to the York and Albany – it also has recently opened Nonna’s, which is a deli attached to the restaurant, offering a range of seasonal fresh produce (I bet it’s rustic and all of the other Ramsayisms!!) which can be found at http://www.gordonramsay.com/nonnasdeli/

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

www.theplonkerclub.com

While other reports have sighted Gordon Ramsay in Los Angeles prerparing for the latest season Of Kitchen Nightmares USA (and been trashing him about his alleged fake tan and lighter coloured hair – such important topics!) the real news is Gordon Ramsay in South Africa.

As part of the ever expanding Gordon Ramsay Holdings – the latest edition of the restaurant MAZE, will be opening in Capetown. It will be part of the ‘One and Only’ Resort and feature the now almost-standard Chef’s Table. We can only wonder if it will follow the Gordon Ramsay theme of featuring ‘local produce’ and if so, exactly what that would be (insert least favourite African animal here!)?

No rumours yet surrounding a Hell’s Kitchen show, as there is around the Australian version of Maze in 2010, but since doora are apparently opening on May 1 of this year, I figure not even Gordon Ramsay himself could pull that one off!

The notoriously slow official Gordon Ramsay Fansite has no mention of the restaurant, under the restaurant section, nor under the news section – the latest news is from November talking about bookings for New Years Eve!

Caterersearch.com was the source of most of this information and had an official comment about plans for further opening of ‘Maze’ restaurants across Europe and Australasia that are currently in negotiations!

So if you are in Capetown after May 1, get down to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and get your taste of Gordon Ramsay – South African Style!

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