Gordon Ramsay's New Menu: Trouble at the Top (documentary) (2003)

[Music] Gordon Ramsay presides over four of the UK's most prestigious restaurant [Music] hey stranger bow time from the kitchen of his famous michelin-starred restaurant in Chelsea he's planning his next conquest back on old Hotel all the critics are saying is not broken why fix it well it is broken and it needs a breath of fresh air missed several critics that I've Illustrated over the last couple of months that's the Connells part of British tradition but it's not British division British dodge but some of the Connells rich and famous regulars are appalled at the thought of the ramsay invasion someone like Gordon Ramsay to say oh yes well it was you know of a very little interest to people is is to ignore the fact that only two years ago the Connaught was the second highest rated restaurant in our survey after his Gordon Ramsay on Royal Hospital Road so this was a restaurant which was really satisfying a great number of people to a very large extent ignoring his critics Gordon replaced the old French chef with his protege Angela heartland it's just is quite daunting I mean without sounding - it's all on my shoulders by the end of the day it is if this point it brings down here it brings down Marcus of the truce it brings down clarity's so riding on this one and I'm just gonna have to carry the phone [Music] [Applause] Angela's just moved into one of London's biggest kitchens this is the main kitchen this is the rule this is what everyone in the company takes me for cuz I've got the best kitchen now it is over a million pounds is being spent on redesigning the restaurant and refurbishing the kitchen so the pastry right through to the larger there's one continuous line so from a chef's point of view it's brilliant you actually get to see every single thing that's going on and that's an essence of Gordon's kitchens if you like that it's controlled by the chef the whole time it's up to me to set the standard and make sure that my cooks following that procedure and if they don't then they're not really the cook so I'm working for me I mean it's the same principle was it Gordon I had to work for him you know and I believe we all go enough roller Kuhns to holes it's not what he meant was it and Gordon has high expectations for the Connaught and for Angela they run up to logic anyway that level is physically tough and and mentally draining and that's what I'm just trying to come to terms with now is not so much cooking from the back and her standing on the stove 16 hours a day she's gotta be everywhere she's gonna be the mother she's got to be the firm father figure in the kitchen it's going to be the creator she's got to be the inspiration and she's got to be the Flair I want by the way you got to find time to cook as well so opening a restaurant that level is tough day one but everyone ignored me so now you can all bloody listen many of the kernel chefs chose to leave at the end of the old regime those that have decided to stay don't know what to expect there's a lot of things were not so sure about working Angeles they would be the menu we don't know what sort of style food we're doing if she left and went to a brand new restaurant you'd know the food you were doing because you could see the place before you could go there and see the food the gym works and now we just it's a it's a waiting game we're getting sold some things but we just not seen any of the food properly yeah thank you sir we know we have the menu and everything it's gonna be much easier for us to really know if this where we want or not and it's not just the kitchen staff who are worried the current guests are very loyal but they also expect the best general manager Anthony Lee has worked at the Connell for over 20 years this suite if you took it as it is it would be one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds a night I mean these suites are what people love most of all about the cannot we've had many very well-known people that come here first business and from the film industry we have quite an institution here it really is we've got the captains of industry who are extremely demanding they guard this hotel as their home very jealously and if something they feel threatens that they certainly say so in certain terms which is nice because if they didn't say anything they wouldn't care so every day I get phone calls or letters or emails and I respond accordingly dining at the Conn Holt has changed very little over the last century it's just this wonderful anachronistic couldn't be anywhere else you can't really be that far from some James's because there's all these clubland dishes on the menu but there's also these extraordinary sounding dishes from you know from the from the late 1800s just a wild an extraordinary combination that should be dead but but isn't the Blackstone the company that owned the Connell wanted more profits from the restaurant John Sarah Ali their restaurant consultant decided it had to change we needed to create venues which that were aspirational for a younger customer so that these great assets wouldn't die I think you need to study your customers what's happening with the world of food and wine and then have the courage of your convictions to implement the right plan many of the hotels regular guests were appalled when they heard about the changes in the Connell kitchen Richard and Peter hardened compiler restaurant guide they did a poll of their readers we gave people the option they could have vote did they think the takeover by good and rounds that there Connaught should they press the press a button good on good on your Gordon go for it or should they press the barbarians are at the gate and the barbarians are the gate one eight to one yes I think they think we're about to turn it into I'd like peach to Express or whatever you know there's some time you know which is great I like peach expressed but you know we're not stupid and Gordon knows what he's doing and we know what food we want to do so yeah so I think some people like that old reverence because it probably is one of the very few places in London that is left that does do that but at the end of the day if they loved it so much it would have been full and you know people like Blackstone wouldn't have necessarily brought us in to change the business of it so it's not my mum said Oh Stephen Fry it's not happy about my mom I said you know if you always close the place cuz Stephen Fry's not happy you send up two pots Angela spent the last three weeks with her two head chefs Neil and Massimo creating a menu of ten starters and ten main courses camille the pastry chef is in charge of puddings I just need to get the tastings over the course with Gordon once I've done that is then I'll be it more than not relaxed but I'll be happy in my head and the mome that's the thing that's always niggling at the back of my mind I have to cook for him and Marcus that's gonna be worse for me than cooking on the opening night today's the day she's been dreading the tasting Angela's cooking all the food on her menu for approval by Gordon and his two top chefs Marcus wearing and Mark asked you they're basically gonna get the feel of exactly what I want to do it menu what Camille's decided on the desserts and how we want to do a bit of the service so it's not a case of gay and cool done with a big markup and go no I don't want that dish yes I want that one you know I'll go down after a suit with him we'll have a chat you know I may leave the country the most interesting thing about Angela she won't leave the premises so she's happy admittedly just like when Mark opened Valastro DeMarcos open for truce days off forget about thank you push out olive oil vinaigrette and vegetables promise our yes Rosie called crispy vegetables come little art and walks off that's quite daring isn't it cold laughs I mean a lot of food loves that yeah beauty marinade a lot of yeah Brits will just cringe what blood or eating it isn't that one guy words but his hair I think it lends itself to winter no never somebody comes in and wants the crispy vegetable salad and he said well the way melon we've got lard on it is undercooked and Marley's appreciators it's like a plant watering downstairs in the kitchen angela has no idea of what Gordon thinks of the food unfortunately as an edible that pork I don't know they missed a cookie flat and rolled it around the fire and cold rolled it from that yeah must be cooked before yeah but takes the port Mar you'll see it's actually undercooked you must couldn't even cut through it definitely blanch that baked earth congealed roof at Saturday's yeah yeah I was actually quite shocked when you were trying to cut that open scissors couldn't I don't like that here he wants to find that inedible well yeah yeah the critics would have a bloody field I mean it's not going out like that it sends alarms and I'm surprised Neil if he put the dish together this morning was unaware the fact that it wasn't cooked [Music] next we tell the customers they can share their own truffles are they gonna go bananas let's find they're too thick as well turn upside down there's one underneath but you can't take it buddy wasteful flyer narrator all the dishes have been served Gordon summons Angela and a head chef Neal from the kitchen to tell them what he thinks of their food what I wanna do is rip it to shreds [Music] god I was hardly you know for you bloody tough that was a few yeah just to confuse him enough yeah nothing is personal no no Maka's wanna leave from the top strap sure the cold crispy vegetables yep I think in personalities it's the wrong time of year yeah yeah for me everything's undercooked yeah Marcus the spit-roasted and sucking pig raw just just does have a smell no no no one is very yummy and it's hard yeah my favorite was the result of caramelized sweet breads and she drowned it with the sausage I had a soup with in two spoonfuls yeah too much and you had two slices of the scallops they got to be done in two Nuggets nice and crispy goofily fried scattered on top yeah almost like croutons [Music] hold on and if you're gonna return them back to the pan back in the pan and it lays it with spooning is you does you went in and bang and we lost everything again it's far too rich but the idea was Otto's three breads booba caramelizing lovely yeah what did you think I seen the food coming up a certain things I know as I send him we're not right I need the bouillabaisse I felt the veggie or too cold I could feel that you know y'all knew that certain most of the things you've corrected you know your home parts they're not right don't say you know you know yourself as you are but you can't I've got to send them it's too late yeah I mean those things as you're doing the meal questioning maybe straightaway maybe we should is that all guys were a month away yeah plenty time mark is gonna take two dishes under his wing Mars gonna take two dish under wing the rillette roll off the road mark is gonna go through the bouillabaisse stages with Anja trust me I mean first tasting and you know we've come leaps and bounds the second tasting when we get we're gonna get further and if it needs four more tastings before we have to say her bloody five o'clock in the morning I don't give a fig yeah there's a lot of stuff on board is costing absolute fought in the moment to run there's nothing coming through the till and we're spending hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds getting up to speed but I suppose that's that's part and part of the parcel Angela's working 18 hours a day seven days a week and hardly ever leaves the hotel Gordon will not be satisfied until the menu is perfect someone who knows how tough he can be is mark sergeant head chef at another Ramsey kitchen at Claridge's could be constructive at times but other times you know a little bit harsh and in that kind of like junior stage of opium you could do with more constructive than harshness really but it's fine this is something that's very necessary and something that all we all have to go through and do and but I don't envy you at all to be honest you can talk to your blue in the teeth about you know ideas dishes that go ingredients I saw that with that when I was away traveling and but it's a it's a totally different way of actually complying it also in a man ten stars has been many courses whatever and actually coming up with the best issues that one tastes delicious to look fantastic and three that thirty people in the kitchen can actually do you know for you and then when you tell them to I thought why I'm sorry sorry have you got things up yeah it come on beef Anna euphoric the past no I know I'm sorry I'm just going to try now don't give me it back tomorrow okay oh yeah that's fine very much well when do we get it back tomorrow she looks very tired I think a lot of its tightness through working on now as she's being back she probably got so much under - it's not sleeping too well Joshua myself exactly same mix it's just a really exciting and nervous sight Angela may be tired but there's plenty to keep her awake at night with only ten days to go before she opens the building work in the kitchen and the restaurant isn't finished Gordon still hasn't approved her menu the last tasting to be honest wasn't a great success I know it was the first one but there were some things across the table that were not good insufficient flavor one particular addition the starters was a and pork dish and we all know how dangerous it is cooking pork but this piece of pork was raw and it was served cold every 24 hours that go on this is crucial for us this is absolute the most important time to iron out the creases now and to bring it together so we look like a Polish act because I know full well that the times the observer and Evening Standard have already booked their tables to review the restaurant within 48 hours of opening and I guarantee on our first night there's going to be half a dozen food critics in there as well so it's big stuff it's the final menu tasting for Gordon Marcus and mark before the restaurant opens Angela's had to completely rework a lot of the food they start with some old-fashioned dishes designed to appease the critics thank you yes no one can complain about that coming definitely this time the food's going down well but Gordon still got concerns about getting the restaurant ready getting their own we still don't big time this week can you stop coming in and everything makes good yeah my point you're gonna have time to get them together yeah focus has been on the food for the last three weeks and I'm concerned you know we have to get it going upstairs the dining room some of the Connells non kitchen staff don't like the Ramsay invasion came for me you know followed me in yeah he did yeah grumpy yeah why because he didn't recognize me he said I'll know I'm not too good not too sure who to turn to cause seeing each other many times my friend opening those doors why is he so grumpy ask him that she came in a taxi with with one of the ladies from the the restaurant and that you came onto the taxi to open the door saw his mark and left it misses you too clever you know but yeah definitely definitely definitely will get stuff for that not good what should be yeah even worst in Hollywood nuts yeah but the crumble here before was very good we will get pan for that y'all think don't be wasting it could be bubbling with camel just just make her making her life so much harder when she stopped putting food house that idea it's not the idea what look at the girl to me anytime so Camille the pastry chef needs telling and Angela has some other management skills to work on you spend more time with those guys in the kitchen then you do with your family at home so you know you've got to love each other you got to get on and to be totally honest the closer you get to a young cook you can tell them off better when you don't know them you bounce around them and yet when you've spent that length of time with them you can really seriously basically lay into them and I say lay in term I mean really discipline them and sadly that's what's gonna have to take place now with Andrews you have to really you know let them know who the boss is and they're gonna have to wake up and smell the coffee and start supporting you so there's that little bit of uncertainty at the moment and she's gonna get more frustrated but she's gonna have to get tougher and this is gonna be to make another to test the kitchen Gordon and his team have invited friends and family to the connell to eat for free this is the proper invitation dry runs so it's 40 lunch 60 doing them 60 60 dinner that's busy that's busy though I mean you know we haven't done anything close to that so far are you happy with the table numbers yeah there's a plan in the back of the door see every time you come it's also going to put the waiting staff under pressure it's on the planet you've got um 32 33 34 35 in the corner 36 and 37 easy Angela's worried her staff aren't up to the job should be pop and everything should be ready little pots job is number two so when the check comes on all he has to do is cook it and he's taken everything out so you're literally sitting there saying I'm going on Angela has drafted in Stuart an experienced chef to knock them into shape once they've had a few whatever and they've had a bit of a tough time they'll be folk mentally focused because they will be scared to get the same treatment again because you know it's tough when you get that so they won't they won't you come in you know half the state there we focus and they want to just make sure service is smooth because service is smooth services are real buzz it's great but when it starts to go pear-shaped there's nothing worse than service like that so the up says that obtain all the team are looking at you like alright what are you doing you know why you putting all that thing you stayed down the surveys the flow the food's not like it's a nightmare one person counts down yeah okay so you're the one counting down for everything yeah fish yeah I mean now when you turn up the heat now is when you start to see you start to see I mean we've had a couple of people go already a couple of runners couple appear of just disappeared not come back so and we haven't even started yet really so so you always get up all openings are like that you tend to over staff for openings by about 15 percent because you always lose plenty of staff - this whole time - dating service somebody asked something past they'll say yes or no you don't say anything you've heard how the way you jumped on the parsley vanilla grass [Music] this is the first time the kitchen is cooking Angela's new menu for a full restaurant and adding to the pressure one of the Connells regular guest John Major has ordered dinner for 20 in one of the hotels private dining rooms [Music] [Music] kamil the head pastry chef is struggling to keep up and the service is chaotic Angela heads up to the restaurant to find out why take all that stuff down further yeah trace all that cleared that down yeah yeah in a bit it takes you a second okay [Music] some guests are taking advantage of the free lunch and ordering double puddings invited we don't do that for that despite the chaos downstairs the invited guests seem to be enjoying their free meals and it's hard because I just wanted the pastor constantly I see this food that is and they are fighting below me Stewart and Neil we're forming a more united state and there's too many pro pointer you know Camille is having lot of rakia [Music] right yeah tonight John Major 6070 covers in there you got the terrace and the bar the same time yeah it just needs to be possible heads up heads up very strong baby tomorrow the restaurant will be open to paying customers and critics for the first time tonight it's the launch party and a chance for Gordon and Angela to sell the new style Connell to Michael Winner and one of the most important restaurant critics the evening standards fame Ashla is the grill dinner happens for me and then we think we haven't seen yet yeah relax progressive pheasant Partridge chicken in the only bad thing ever had it go stop asleep our triangle the only bad thing ever right the party is also a rare chance for Angela to see her mom tomorrow is the most important someone has the most important because that's when the place kicks off that's where it's gonna be done you gonna see this lady listen frames thinking we see max Incredible Hulk mister meaning so this is it the opening night so this will be a first experience of a quite busy night and this is just the beginning huh so we have to put this feed in and only good energy that you can have to make this work well and will milk work well it just keep focus on your station work in a good team and communicate with your head way to shift around and make sure that the right person is running for information from the kitchen or to the kitchen angela has asked Marcus to help her out in the kitchen [Music] two covers one some Jack one veloute to follow one lamb one venison both both rare honor yes wait you're Grillin Ollie didn't take all the basic training Angela's put our kitchen staff through has paid off but will the waiting staff let her down sits right on Fang that's why they're here so they stain three and yet you're putting me stuff on there that's filthy dusty shut the door so I've got some heat three base [Music] we will chuckling on your furniture maybe more generally a few more white on there yeah [Music] Angela's expecting newspaper reviewers to be eating in the restaurant tonight and she's relying on her waiting staff to let her know when they arrive Tom Susan Kessler writes for the all-important Zagat restaurant guide Marcus wants Angela to go and serve her main course go do the shuffle [Music] Susan Kessler wants to look round the kitchen after her meal Marcus gives Angela some advice on making her feel special putting orders are coming through and Camille head pastry chef is falling behind okay that's the problem is when I get rich and shaken coming through a computer problem means she's getting some orders twice [Music] training wheels right yeah this one one federal one SATs are in a few trial runners so he packed the place with friends and family thank the Lord our Friday night the last orders are coming through him Angelo's VIP guests are taking a tour of the kitchen and everything seems to be running smoothly despite the problem with the spinach angela is really proud of her brigade now all she has to do is wait and see well the critics have made of it the restaurants been up and running for the past month and nearly every food critic from every publication is eaten here Gordon and Angela catch up on the reviews most are good but Gordon's not at all happy with one of them I mean the Metro means it's a toilet publication anyone that writes for the Metro in all honesty you know no disrespect I'd rather write for the big issue free of charge yeah then write for this toilet because when you read her supposedly constructive criticism it's not it's vindictive and it spin yeah sure see she had a problem with the manager I think she had a poem with a boyfriend when she got home something went bad something happened no no but I mean two stars out of five yeah on the same day famously give you an absolute amazing connect to the same magazine yes same newspaper thank you and she didn't mean I mean she did she doesn't know what she's talking about definitely trying to make her nothing that's for sure but she mentioned this is here you haven't got on the menu with ingredients that uh yeah she mentioned trumpet we don't even have to you there's no trumpet on the menu that's the shocking thing about it secondly first bloody night yeah who and I it's gonna get it right on the first night for God's sake yeah but that's what they expect though don't they well she's a woman you're a woman and she's a failed chef no my dear what's the name anyway I was very happy with Jay Jarek oh yeah my yeah Fay was a big one for me because I know how influential she is yeah and I know how important is for you yeah she was she was actually really nice but I think my problem is I read them say quickly you just jump out and you just see all the bad pizza you know I face it she didn't either desserts it and then when I reread it and she actually says some fantastic things about me personally and what a great decision it was that you made to come here that I think I actually actually just been a bit too you know sensitive to it all yeah but then again it's the first time this this you're so used to all this um yes or no really well we have been reviewed for a lot yeah but I think for me is when you see the impact on the telephone the day yeah when he's out huh but you look really tired in that picture there hmm there's a surprise 0:07 visit see ya it was pretty stressful before we open now I mean those tastings are pretty horrific yeah they were horrible and just to get this guy Brigade together yeah and even so it's still building it because you know even now people a lot of old staff that have been here if suddenly so well actually yeah I do like it but suddenly they're working a lot more hours yeah you know there's a lot more pressure on the service you know they're still you know on a Sunday we're finished service at half four and we restart an hour and a half later I mean that's a killer I mean the Connells never seen so many companies come in and out in one day but that's what success is you don't wanna open you don't not have covers if you don't you've done something wrong you know that's what it's trying to get through to the cooks and everyone else that thank God we all fall because there's a few and far between in London at the moment that can honestly say they're for seven days a week lunch and dinner I mean literally seven days away yeah the cold walls big bosses from America are delighted with the Ramsay Revolution these venues have allowed us to take people who who maybe would have never come to these great hotels and maybe these hotels would have been abandoned ten or fifteen years from now but now we've we've because of the energy in these hotels we've given these hotels back to the next generation of not just British but the next generation of Americans and and Europeans who come and use these hotels however not everyone thinks the changes will stand the test of time I think there is a danger for the for Blackstone taking elements of a Savoy group and trying to make them fashionable and of the minute because I think it may work brilliantly in the short term but then the trouble with fashionable things is that then they're unfashionable after a bit and you've got to put something else in which is fashionable and whether it's whether it's going whether from a business point of view it is more successful just to try to reform the system you've got or to keep on having to have revolution every few years I think's very difficult to call meanwhile in the Connell kitchen pastry chef Camille has left to pursue other projects and Angela's made Gordon very proud mark has waited two years I must have waited two and a half weeks but I think Angela beat both of us hands down before she actually kicked somebody out Young told you mom well I think you ought to ya upset with your own weight she threw a customer out which was fantastic no but he was being rude to the staff he was obnoxious to the service and I wasn't rude to him and at the end of the day like we made the point to him he was using the hotel to get to me I did ask him and his guests to leave I was very polite [Music] you you kicked anybody know if you pulled their hair no have you spotted them nope I leave that for you and where have you snogging them [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Manufacturing Intellect

Views: 389,316

Rating: 4.8358111 out of 5

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Id: 2v_RiVGpY_M

Length: 38min 38sec (2318 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 10 2019