Raymond Blanc's The Restaurant

I am hooked on this show.  That Chris chap from Yorkshire was a 'right dipstick', wasn't he?  We're not all like him in Yorkshire, you know!

Anyway, after watching the show, which is bit like a 60 min ad for Raymond Blanc and his fancy restaurant, I decided to try one of Raymond's braseries here in Leeds.  There is a great lunch offer on at the moment - £14 for three courses incl. wine.  Mrs Y/V and I ate there today, and man, it was good, oh so good.  I know £14 may seem like a lot for lunch in these troublesome times, but if you fancy a treat, give it a whirl.  It's very informal, has impeccable service and the food is just great.  Bon appetit!

Who will get kicked out on tonight's show??  I do hope it's those silly boys, who are just a bundle of tension. Just watching them stresses me out.

I am hooked on this show.  That Chris chap from Yorkshire was a 'right dipstick', wasn't he?  We're not all like him in Yorkshire, you know!

Speak for yourself!  I'm a big dipstick! 

...which is bit like a 60 min ad for Raymond Blanc and his fancy restaurant...

You're right on that point!  Where is his Leeds restaurant?  Is it in that new posh hotel?

I have to stay away from this thread until we get all caught up on our viewing, because we haven't watched last night's episode yet & probably won't see tonight's either...until later on.

'Brasserie Blanc Leeds' is on Sovereign Street, next to the river (near Granary Wharf and the Dalek Tower, but on the city side) in a nice old warehouse.  About 5 mins walk from the train station, and not too far from Mr Robinson's place of work??!!

The blurb on the menu said that if Raymond's main restaurant in rural Oxfordshire (le manoir aux quatre saisons) is like a symphony orchestra, his city brasseries are like a 'can can dance'!!  Well, I think I know what he means, but what an obtuse way of putting it!!!

About 5 mins walk from the train station, and not too far from Mr Robinson's place of work??!!

Another place that cheapskate has never taken me!  Hmmmf!  He never takes me anywhere. 

You would have thought he could afford more than one shirt - he's worn the same one for EVERY episode so far...

For whatever reason I've only been watching this half-heartedly - had it on but doing other things and not paying all that much attention. So it's only in the last two weeks that I've realised that 3 of the last 5 restaurants were in our area. Like really, really close by. But I never saw a thing about any of them in the local press. So how do they manage to draw any sort of crowd while they're filming - is it just locals word of mouth?? I totally would have gone to eat at one of them had I known!!

You must go!  Now.  And report back. 

You must go!  Now.  And report back. 

But wasn't this filmed ages ago? The Henley Regatta is in late June/early July. Surely they're all closed now? Besides, our local ones are dropping like flies now. All three were in the bottom this week! Too bad - the Welsh Wok was in one of my favourite villages!

But wasn't this filmed ages ago? The Henley Regatta is in late June/early July. Surely they're all closed now?

Oh yeah - I didn't think about that.  It's real time in my mind! 

I wish those two boys had been sent home. They were appalling! Being late (by hours), making their clients actually help them schlep all the stuff in from the van, then running out of wine! The only reason that dinner party was a success was because the hostess was so vivacious and lovely. I wish they'd had to cook for Mr. and Mrs. Spencer - they never would have cut it. I think Raymond is only keeping them in because what's-his-name is a pretty good cook, but that has next to nothing to do with them running a restaurant. I think they're completely ill-equipped to do that. He could certainly get a job cooking in someone else's restaurant, but that's about it. And as for the partner, he looks a bit "special" to me. Anyone else?

As long as Helen's cooking keeps improving, she and Steven look to me like the only ones with the least chance of winning this thing. The others are all pretty horrendous.

I wish those two boys had been sent home. They were appalling! Being late (by hours), making their clients actually help them schlep all the stuff in from the van, then running out of wine! The only reason that dinner party was a success was because the hostess was so vivacious and lovely. I wish they'd had to cook for Mr. and Mrs. Spencer - they never would have cut it. I think Raymond is only keeping them in because what's-his-name is a pretty good cook, but that has next to nothing to do with them running a restaurant. I think they're completely ill-equipped to do that. He could certainly get a job cooking in someone else's restaurant, but that's about it. And as for the partner, he looks a bit "special" to me. Anyone else?

As long as Helen's cooking keeps improving, she and Steven look to me like the only ones with the least chance of winning this thing. The others are all pretty horrendous.

Agreed.  The boys should have been sent home.  I was so stressed out watching them.  Why didn't they hire a van from the get-go to take the chairs to the party instead of making *three* trips?!    When they were already very late?!

Those two knuckleheads certainly most deserved to go home this week by their (lack of) performance in both episodes.  However, I think Ray (or rather maybe the BBC?) has kept them on because they're really the only 'entertainment value' left for the show.  The remaining four pairs are/were all fairly...

I reckoned the Welsh Wok people were due to go soon, and it seems Ray thought it would be a good thing for his business partner to have a pulse - which I'm not sure that Peter did.  And I sure won't miss Laura's grimacing face on there.

As long as Helen's cooking keeps improving, she and Steven look to me like the only ones with the least chance of winning this thing. The others are all pretty horrendous.

I still think it's going to be the Cheerful Soul people who somehow find a way to pull it off in the end, but I may be wrong.  Seemed the show tried to create a little drama this week with Helen's defensive attitude toward Ray's criticism, but then she was purring out of his hand by the end of the challenge show - which seemed such an about face, I wondered if it was a little staged on purpose from start to finish.  KWIM?

Also another challenge that I found ridiculous!  Well mostly I found those Mr and Mrs Spencer people ridiculous - lol!  "I can't bear to drink champagne out of those glasses..."  Oh pulllleeeeease!     I wonder if she has to use fine linen toilet paper as well, and she has a special team of servants just for laundering it?!!! 

The other thing I wondered about being staged was the guy who kept cursing out Lindsey (the True Provenance lady) - because they kept showing him so much on camera.  But maybe he was for real & he didn't care that he showed himself to be a major a-hole on national television?  And some of the people in his party seemed embarrassed - avoiding the camera & saying 'I just want to leave...'  Hmmm.

I found those Mr and Mrs Spencer people ridiculous - lol!  "I can't bear to drink champagne out of those glasses..."  Oh pulllleeeeease!     I wonder if she has to use fine linen toilet paper as well, and she has a special team of servants just for laundering it?!!! 

  Mike said she looked like "an apparition"!  Maybe somewhere between Cruella deVille and the evil Snow Queen?

I'd be disappointed if any of it had been staged.  I think the cursing man was real--just a mean jerk taking advantage of the fact that the whole thing was being filmed--as if it made Lindsay somehow less real.  I bet he wouldn't have shouted at a man that way--what a coward.

I agree Pete did himself in by not exhibiting any signs of life (or a pulse!) when Raymond asked why he should keep The Welsh Wok open.  He had his chance then and blew it....so that meant the entertaining two boys stay on....for now.

  Mike said she looked like "an apparition"!  Maybe somewhere between Cruella deVille and the evil Snow Queen?

Ha ha - good one!    Nix the idea of having servants launder the linen toilet paper...they are probably so rich they can afford to flush it away & have had special gauge 24K gold plumbing installed to accommodate it... 

And I sure won't miss Laura's grimacing face on there.

She actually smiled quite a lot this week! I was paying extra attention! It was definitely hubby who put the nail in the coffin for Team Wok.

Seemed the show tried to create a little drama this week with Helen's defensive attitude toward Ray's criticism, but then she was purring out of his hand by the end of the challenge show - which seemed such an about face, I wondered if it was a little staged on purpose from start to finish.  KWIM?

I'm not sure about "staged" but I definitely think that was edited in such a way as to create drama. I mean, there was nothing else about Helen & DH (forget his name) that warranted criticism during the challenge. They were polite, showed deference, accommodated every whim of their clients, and produced really good food. I don't think Raymond can let the bottom three teams in the challenge get away without some sort of criticism, so they focused on Helen's defensiveness - even though she'd shown none whatsoever during this challenge.

Oh, and then his criticism of the Wok man was that he didn't defend himself, which may have been the result of more over-zealous editing. Helen can't be wrong for standing up for herself if Wok man is wrong for not standing up for himself.   

Well mostly I found those Mr and Mrs Spencer people ridiculous - lol!

I loved them!! They were beyond fabulous!!   

I think the cursing man was real--just a mean jerk taking advantage of the fact that the whole thing was being filmed

I agree. And I've seen people behave like that even when not being filmed. And the woman who wanted to go home? I believe I've been that woman when my father has acted up and complained about things in a restaurant!