I have watched this episode and it was definitely my favourite so far…
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Let’s do the time warp
Can Colin save the Jurassic park of restaurants?
Unpalatable food was served with a side of denial when Colin Fassnidge found himself stuck in a time warp at Cafe Martini in tonight’s Kitchen Nightmares Australia on Channel 7 and 7plus.
Colin arrived in the historic town of Wangaratta in regional Victoria to visit husband-wife team Mark and Belinda, who two decades ago ran the hottest place in the town, but not anymore.
“This place is our life. We’ve invested everything in it. We’ve basically got no superannuation left at all. It’s very frightening at our age, we can’t just walk away, this is our last chance,” Belinda said as she welcomed Colin.
While waiting for his food, Colin had a good look at the place and thought it reminded him of Vinnies: “This is time capsule from hell and I’m trapped inside surrounded by ghosts of decades past.”
Worse, the café was a revolving door of chefs. With the kitchen being manned by a bunch of trainees, Belinda had taken all control in the kitchen.
Colin and Belinda fell out when he showed disappointment after being served frozen oysters, overcooked chicken risotto and an undercooked pizza. “Sometimes truth hurts. You gotta be cruel to be kind,” Colin said.
In denial, Belinda freaked out to husband Mark: “I don’t think it’s as bad as he’s saying it is. Tell him to go f*** off.”
As the dinner rush began, Colin was gobsmacked to see the staff carving top-quality steaks like they were a two-for-one deal. Moreover, Belinda and Mark’s lack of trust in their inexperienced trainee cooks had them spend more time in the kitchen than on the floor.
Colin truly got a pulse for the dire situation when he saw Café Martini’s online reviews, something Belinda didn’t care to read, finding them “too upsetting”. He knew if the restaurant were to have any hope, he needed to fix the owners’ delusion that their food was good.
He asked the dine-in customers to fill out their “honest feedback” as it was time for Mark and Belinda to listen to their customers for the first time in 22 years. Unable to face the brutal truth, Belinda stormed out in tears.
The next morning, after a heartfelt chat with Belinda, Colin got to work. He taught the staff to cook spatchcock chicken in their wood fire oven.
With much reluctance, Belinda agreed to see if the dish flied or died by putting it on their specials list. Not only was the chicken a raging success, the kitchen team also proved themselves by cooking it better than Colin.
Ahead of the relaunch, Colin surprised the owners with a brand-new menu featuring country-style favourites, a facelift and a new name: The Bull’s Head Hotel.
During the evening, Belinda and Mark’s unclear dockets lead to mass confusion in the kitchen. Soon Belinda was under the pump and started messing up the orders in confusion. Colin jumped in to save the day.
After the successful relaunch, an elated Mark said: “What a transformation and it’s been so positive and wonderful. We are back in the game again.”
Belinda said: “I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
See episode 3 highlights here:
Belinda reveals the cafe is their superannuation
Colin tests out the restaurant’s draw card - a terracotta urinal
Colin tries frozen-fresh oysters, but Belinda refuses to believe they are revolting
Next week on Kitchen Nightmares Australia: Colin arrives in Batemans Bay to save a failing restaurant with an angry chef, uncovering the owner’s true motives in the process.
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Moving to Tuesday in 2 weeks
Episode 4 - Cooks at Corrigans
Wednesday 2 November 7:30 PM
Colin is called to Batemans Bay to help a resort owner with an angry chef and failing restaurant. But when Colin arrives, other major problems are uncovered, as well as owner Andrew’s true motives.
Nobody’s watching FTA at 9.30
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Related article to the Batemans Bay episode
True in terms of large audiences, but 9:30pm isn’t all bad, it still regularly makes the Top 20. Even if it’s not like the coarser Ramsay version(s), I tend to agree that it, IMO, just feels more like an 8:30pm-ish show. Possibly because it’s not a stripped reality for example, which we’ve become used to at 7:30pm. I also reckon it could feed-off well from a higher (or if not equal) rating show leading-in.
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What do you expect when the programming quality has diminished with so many repeats to save money. They need new content to try to get more to stay.
Episode 5 Cafe de Vie
Tuesday 8 November 7:30 PM
It’s the filth and the fury as Colin goes to Café De Vie in Homebush and finds terrible food, a disgusting kitchen and an owner at war with her chef. Can Colin turn things around in 5 days?
Episode 6 Araucaria Season Final
Tuesday 15 November 7:30 PM
It’s fine dining at Araucaria, a hard to find place in the back of the Winmalee Tavern. Chef Anthony can cook, but he’s dishing up the wrong food. Can Colin save the restaurant in only 5 days?
Working with the devil
Will Colin walk out on this deceitful restaurant owner?
To save or not to save: that is the question on Colin’s mind when he discovers the true intentions behind the owner of Cooks @ Corrigan in tonight’s Kitchen Nightmares Australia on Channel 7 and 7plus.
Colin arrived at Corrigan’s Cove Resort – a four-and-a-half-star seaside resort in NSW’s Bateman’s Bay – hoping to learn more about the angry chef and disgruntled staff he saw in the restaurant’s application video. But he was surprised to hear owner Andrew sing a different tune.
“I get here, everyone’s harmonious. It’s all roses in the garden if you talk to him. That’s the bulls**t alarm, it’s ringing loud and fast. There’s more to this than meets the eye,” Colin said.
While talking to waitress Sasha, Colin discovered the seaside restaurant served imported, frozen seafood masked as fresh. Shocked, Colin asked Sasha: “Do you tell customers?” She said no.
But that’s not the only thing Colin picked up: “I can tell from talking to Sasha that she’s been worded up. Every time I start asking her a question, she’s looking over her shoulder to see Andrew.”
Unhappy with Cooks @ Corrigan’s exorbitantly priced signature seafood platter, Colin provided harsh feedback to test if chef James had a temper: “What do you get for $160? Three plates of disappointment!” Failing to get a reaction from him, Colin said: “I’m not hearing a peep outta James. This is not what Sasha told me in the video.”
Andrew consistently found excuses to rebuff Colin’s criticism, even claiming Colin planted customers to give harsh feedback.
After an explosive first night at the restaurant, Colin decided to put an end to this PR stunt as he showed the application video to the staff, leaving Andrew fuming.
“Andrew is still wiggling his way out of it in denial, which is ludicrous. He just won’t admit what he’s done. I’d be happy to walk away from Andrew but I’m not gonna walk away from a fellow chef that needs my help”, Colin said before taking James for a fresh seafood tasting.
James told Colin that he wasn’t making enough money to survive as he was not employed full-time, especially with a baby on the way. Shocked at this knowledge, Colin arranged a chat between Andrew and James to break the ice between the two.
Later, Colin and James created a special to trial, comparing fresh seafood to the frozen meals they already served, hoping Andrew would realise the fresh food not only tasted better but was also cost efficient.
Even though the night was a success, Colin still needed to be convinced that Andrew would fully commit to this fresh attitude. If he didn’t, Colin wouldn’t relaunch the restaurant.
After three frustrating and confusing days, Colin started to get Andrew onboard with the “fresh is best” message and relaunched the restaurant as the best fresh seafood restaurant in Bateman’s Bay.
Episode 4 highlights :
Colin calls Andrew a 'piece of work’
Colin eats a frozen ‘Seafood Tower’
Next week on Kitchen Nightmares Australia: Colin tries to save a restaurant with an identity crisis and an owner at war with her head chef, plunging the kitchen into filth and chaos.
Kitchen Nightmares Australia Continues 7.30pm Tuesdays on Channel 7 and 7plus
With no Block, yesterday episode had 469k (highest ep so far)
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And won its timeslot. All is not lost.
Looked to me like ABC won across the hour from 7.30 with Hard Quiz on 520 at 8pm and 7.30 on 461k. Though still good to have a season high with the final 2 episodes moving to Tuesday.
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Sorry. I misinterpreted your daily report, where it said it was number one at 7.30.
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Jack of all trades, master of none
Colin attempts to save a café with an identity crisis
An unappealing kaleidoscope of food was dished up when Colin Fassnidge found himself dining at Café de Vie in tonight’s Kitchen Nightmares Australia on Channel 7 and 7plus.
Located in the hustle and bustle of Sydney’s Homebush, Café de Vie should be a recipe for success, but owner Virginia is at her wit’s ends after taking the business following a family emergency: “Financially, it’s really bad. I don’t know what to do. I really need Colin’s help.”
When ordering, Colin compared Café de Vie to a restaurant with “multiple personality disorder” thanks to its six menus filled with 92 dishes from around the world.
Despite the laundry list of food, he noted there wasn’t a single appetising dish, instead stating the burger was like “eating styrofoam” and the spaghetti “tastes like regret”.
The menu wasn’t the only issue, with the dysfunctional relationship between Virginia, silent partner Leba, and head chef Tony frequently at each other’s throats.
Virginia confided in Colin saying she “doesn’t trust the chef”, while Tony felt micromanaged. Not one to take constructive feedback, he tells Virginia: “You piss me off all the time.”
On top of everything, the state of the fridge left Colin disgusted, describing the offerings as: “Bad food coming out of a Petrie dish."
With little time before the restaurant relaunch, Colin closed the kitchen to get it up to health and safety standards, otherwise he threatened to walk.
Rebranding from the French Café de Vie to a more fitting Café Tabouli, Colin said au revoir to the mixed menu by playing to the team’s heritage and strengths with a Middle Eastern cuisine.
The opening night of Café Tabouli saw a full house and phenomenal food, however it wasn’t all smooth sailing, with one customer wearing a plate of cocktails and several tears being shed in the kitchen.
All in all, the feedback was positive with customers describing the food as “genuinely incredible”, finally putting Virginia’s café on par with the bustling hospitality strip it’s located.
“This is my dream, our dream,” Virginia said.
See episode five highlights here:
Head chef Tony reveals he wants to put owner Virginia in the oven
Colin finds off and date food being served in the kitchen
Colin tells Tony his Risotto Pollo has Nonnas rolling in their grave
A waitress spills drinks on customer during the relaunch
Next week on Kitchen Nightmares Australia: Can Colin save a restaurant that backs onto a pokies room serving the wrong food to its customers?
Kitchen Nightmares Australia Continues 7.30pm Tuesdays on Channel 7 and 7plus
When I did a web search of Cafe de Vie last week, I saw the name Cafe Tabouli. Then I looked up at its FB page and found it was the same outlet. At that time, I wondered if the owners Virginia and Leba sold the cafe. Turns out the renaming was Colin’s idea, and Virginia and Leba are still running the cafe which is now thriving.
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Virginia told The Daily Telegraph that she had lost business since appearing on the show, because customers think her restaurant is “a joke”. Virginia said the show’s decision to turn her cafe’s assorted menu into a Lebanese restaurant (Cafe Tabouli) has caused a downturn in business, especially because she is of Chinese heritage and doesn’t have experience in a Lebanese kitchen. She claims that since her cafe was rebranded two months ago, she’s lost $4000 a week in business.
EDIT: new article link (including Colin’s response on Fitzy and Wippa this morning)
Wasn’t it because the chef was of Lebanese background?
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Well the chef left after the show and also her husband is Lebanese. At the beginning the only dish Colin liked was a Lebanese dish so it made sense.
The name could be better but it is just a whinge fest article. You got your restaurant renovated and got national exposure. Stop whinging and be thankful. She probably got 50,000 dollars worth of exposure at least.
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