0:00:03 > 0:00:07Manchester. Britain's fastest growing city.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Two world-class football teams and world-class industry.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15But one thing it hasn't got - a reputation for world-class food.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17When I come home for my supper,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19I sit down to a plate of cabbage and ribs.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Something I can handle.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Smell that lamb.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Every big-name chef that's arrived in the city has failed.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32Manchester doesn't have a Michelin star restaurant. That's outrageous.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Now two of Britain's greatest chefs have come to the city to open
0:00:36 > 0:00:40restaurants and chase Manchester's first Michelin star.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42The lobster's cooked too high.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44No mise en place ready, your dill wasn't chopped.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Nothing's ready, Nat.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48We've got two Michelin stars, five AA rosettes
0:00:48 > 0:00:51and ten out of ten in The Good Food Guide. I mean, what's he got?
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Two very different gastronomic experiences,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57costing over £4 million to create,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00hoping to bring fine dining to Manchester.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03What do I think of him? Not a lot at the moment.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05No. I don't want to be told what to eat.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09A big fat person like me liking a salad is fairly unusual.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Got rib eye steak. Something in a bone.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14What can you say?
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Can either of them
0:01:18 > 0:01:22win over a city that's always turned its back on celebrity chefs?
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Everything's a massive risk.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27But if we get it right, it'll be phenomenal.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30If we get it wrong, it's there for everyone to see.
0:01:39 > 0:01:40Cartmel in the Lake District.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45Two covers. One no gluten.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47Home to Michelin-starred chef Simon Rogan,
0:01:47 > 0:01:51one of the finest chefs of his generation.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55His restaurant, L'Enclume, was voted best in the country
0:01:55 > 0:01:57in this year's Good Food Guide.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Here we've got a custard which we've made out of langoustine stock.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03We've got some black pudding, one of our specialities.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07I think the black pudding we make here is better than anywhere else.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10On top of that we've got the langoustine itself.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Some sea purslane from the coast just down the road,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15an intense langoustine stock.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18It's just going to enhance the langoustines
0:02:18 > 0:02:20a little bit by a little coating.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Then we've got a pot parsnip mousse.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26On the top, raw langoustines on a grain wafer
0:02:26 > 0:02:30with some cured egg yolk and some salad burnet.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34You don't feel like you have to do too much to impress people.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36You've got to be very confident with the amount of flavours you've
0:02:36 > 0:02:40got on the plate that complement each other in the way it's served.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45I mean, it's not... It's very easy to just go too far.
0:02:45 > 0:02:46Service.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Simon moved up to Cartmel ten years ago
0:02:53 > 0:02:56and he's transformed the village into a foodie destination.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59When we first arrived it was, "Who's this southerner coming up,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02"taking, you know, taking over a northern restaurant
0:03:02 > 0:03:06"and using this really alien restaurant concept?"
0:03:06 > 0:03:12You know, "where's the pies and the sausages?" sort of thing.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16Simon started cooking in a chip shop in Southampton at 14.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20He's now one of the most influential chefs in the country.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23It's really quite difficult talking about food.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26What you see on a plate is a reflection of me
0:03:26 > 0:03:32and I don't like talking about myself, so that's probably why
0:03:32 > 0:03:34I find it difficult to actually say
0:03:34 > 0:03:37why this is an amazing plate of food.
0:03:37 > 0:03:43I just know it's right.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Simon's got three restaurants in Cartmel,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49but now he's trying to open his first restaurant in a big city.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Manchester has always resisted celebrity chefs
0:03:57 > 0:03:59and hasn't had a Michelin star
0:03:59 > 0:04:02since the Midland Hotel held one 40 years ago.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13Its French restaurant has been a Manchester institution since 1903.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Now Simon is daring to relaunch it.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Adolf Hitler. The story goes that he was told
0:04:21 > 0:04:22if Manchester was going to be bombed,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25do not bomb the Midland Hotel because he wants to be based
0:04:25 > 0:04:27and have his empire ruled out of the Midland Hotel.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29How true that is, we do not know,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32but that story goes around and has been chronicled many times.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34The Beatles famously came to the French restaurant
0:04:34 > 0:04:37and were turned away for being inappropriately dressed.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40You knew you had to put your best Sunday tucker on before you could come in there.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44The restaurant used to attract the city's rich and famous.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Mr Rolls and Mr Royce first met under its roof.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49The menu full of the French classics -
0:04:49 > 0:04:53smoked salmon and Chateaubriand beef to share between two.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Some of them, they have the Chateaubriand just for themselves.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02David Beckham, a Chateaubriand just for himself
0:05:02 > 0:05:04and Victoria was just watching him!
0:05:07 > 0:05:10But it's a long time since Posh and Becks.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15The restaurant is often empty and the hotel has looked to Simon
0:05:15 > 0:05:18and his ten-course tasting menu to save it.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23The challenge in Manchester, really, I suppose, is it's never seen it before.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27You know, will there be enough interested customers
0:05:27 > 0:05:29is always a worry.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32We might get some people that are a bit cynical
0:05:32 > 0:05:35and question my motives when genuinely
0:05:35 > 0:05:38all I want to do is come in and create a great restaurant.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43The restaurant has been kept going by regulars
0:05:43 > 0:05:47like Mr and Mrs Best, who spend nearly £25,000 a year.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50They're not impressed by celebrity chefs.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56If chef decides to make a slug souffle, I don't want that.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59I want the choice.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02I'm not going to go to a restaurant where chef tells you what to eat.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05- You...- Where chef's more important than the customer.- Nobody... - That's not me.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10When he opens in six weeks, Simon will find out
0:06:10 > 0:06:13if the city has a taste for modern fine dining.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20On the outskirts of Manchester,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22another chef is getting ready to open.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Aiden Byrne, a regular on TV programmes like
0:06:27 > 0:06:32The Great British Menu, has a very different approach to his rival.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36What I want to do here is use modern technology
0:06:36 > 0:06:40and use modern techniques to enhance what we would already do anyway.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46He's using scientific techniques in his development kitchen
0:06:46 > 0:06:50to create a spectacular, colour and complex menu.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52People aren't happy with just a plate of food any more.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55They need to be entertained from start to finish.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57I don't want to just be another restaurant in Manchester.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59I want to be THE restaurant in Manchester.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04Aiden can't afford his new restaurant - Manchester House - to fail.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06His career started with a bang
0:07:06 > 0:07:09but his recent businesses have struggled.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11I was a youngest chef ever to get a Michelin star when I was 22
0:07:11 > 0:07:14and that's where I belong. That's what I'm known for.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16That was 22. I'm 40 now, you know.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19I can't carry on living on the back of that any more.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22I need to deliver pretty much now
0:07:22 > 0:07:25and I need to put on the plate what I believe I've got.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29The restaurant will cost over £3 million
0:07:29 > 0:07:33and is being paid for by serial restaurateur Tim Bacon.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38It's just...a great space, great space.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43Opening up something as ambitious as this will be very difficult
0:07:43 > 0:07:46to do without a chef that was known.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49If I was trying to do this with a completely unknown chef
0:07:49 > 0:07:51I would have lost that whole marketability.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Tim knows one part of the Manchester market well.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Look, have you seen my pub before? Look.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00- You've got an empire, Tim. - Well, I wouldn't say it was an empire, but I would say...
0:08:00 > 0:08:04You have an empire. Look, we're looking down on other businesses of yours.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Um, yeah. Looks nice, it's not what I would call an empire, though.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11It's just... It's elementary. It's a business.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16He has 16 bars and mid-range restaurants in the city
0:08:16 > 0:08:19selling cocktails and casual food.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25- I need a peppercorn sauce and an olive dip.- Bring them...- Yeah!
0:08:27 > 0:08:30His company, Living Ventures, turns over 60 million.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37It's popular with the city's soap stars and footballers.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41Now, he's taking a gamble on something more ambitious.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46Michelin-star ambition is the hook. It's the cherry on the cake.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48It's the rationale behind the whole thing.
0:08:48 > 0:08:49It's being able to say we run pubs,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52we run a Michelin-starred restaurant.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54That's a wonderful statement to be able to make
0:08:54 > 0:08:57and no other caterer in this country can say that.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Tim's given Aiden nine months to develop a menu.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Nothing like this will ever come along again.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
0:09:05 > 0:09:08and I need to make the most of it.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11It's a hell of a lot of work but it's going to be... I think
0:09:11 > 0:09:13it's going to be worth... worth it in the long run.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Black pudding, the nori,
0:09:20 > 0:09:24Cumberland fluid gel, apple brunoise...
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Up in the Lake District, Simon and his team are preparing
0:09:27 > 0:09:31for their Manchester opening, which is just a month away.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34They're hoping they can transfer their success to the city,
0:09:34 > 0:09:38with a menu that nods to the old restaurant's luxurious past.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43And then the fourth and final snack, the gilded fish.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46He's planning a fish-shaped jelly, covered in real gold.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50The golf leaf, I mean, shall I order some right now so we can...
0:09:50 > 0:09:54We need to practise the brushing on cos it's not... It's not easy.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56It's quite easy when you get used to it.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00- It's what carat you want as well. - Just want it to be gold.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05We're not giving it to a woman or anything, are we? You know, it's like...
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Simon's success in the Lakes
0:10:10 > 0:10:13has attracted wealthy customers from all over the country.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17He'll need to create a fine-dining clientele in Manchester.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20A lot more people live in the centre of Manchester now
0:10:20 > 0:10:24so there's been a lot of development over the last, you know, ten years
0:10:24 > 0:10:29where Manchester was probably a ghost town after office hours,
0:10:29 > 0:10:33but now a lot of people live and work in the centre of Manchester
0:10:33 > 0:10:37so I think that will help the dining scene no end, really.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42He's going to be pushing the pricing in Manchester to a plate level it hasn't been before.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44But where better can you do that than The French
0:10:44 > 0:10:47and then Simon Rogan as well? That's a great partnership.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50So if two things can pull it together - and I believe they are the two possible -
0:10:50 > 0:10:54they're the two things that will hopefully and will make it for us.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Be fantastic there with The French, Simon Rogan, it's got to win.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01It's got to be a winner. But we'll know in four weeks.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Simon has signed a five-year deal to take over The French.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09He's bringing in new chefs and waiters,
0:11:09 > 0:11:13but some of the existing staff will remain.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15OK, gentlemen, er...
0:11:16 > 0:11:19..tonight is the night.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24It's the last night at The French before it closes for refurbishment.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27For Anibal Cabral, it's particularly emotional.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29He's retiring after 27 years.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34For our regular customers, we have some champagne for them...
0:11:35 > 0:11:38..and some port to finish.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40I'm sorry, gentlemen. That's enough.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Let's have a good night. Let's go for gold. OK, guys.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58It's the last night guests will be able to order a la carte.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Simon and his wife Penny have an early table.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07I truly belief in the building. I truly believe in its history.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11We're looking now very much to the future to get that restaurant full.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14We need to attract those new generations
0:12:14 > 0:12:17and with new food and new ways of doing things.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19This evening's selection.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21We have lemon and thyme.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Paprika smoked. Rosemary with garlic.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Chefs and waiting staff will need to completely change the way
0:12:28 > 0:12:31they work under Simon's leadership.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Oh, very nice.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35The guys in there have definitely got some potential.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44The service is general, I mean you know it is very, very traditional.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Lots of pleases, lots of thank yous.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Lots of, "Yes, sir, no, sir".
0:12:49 > 0:12:51It's quite an old style of service
0:12:51 > 0:12:55so obviously we'll be looking to freshen that up straightaway.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59We need to move on and bring this in into modern times.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Not having an a la carte menu, that is...
0:13:04 > 0:13:06That's a recipe for disaster.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Celebrity chefs, they think they can tell the customer what to eat.
0:13:10 > 0:13:17The French restaurant, as it is now, is the end of it.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22I think we feel very sad that this is coming to an end as it is.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26I think it's just so lovely. I think we're quite sad about that.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
0:13:29 > 0:13:30Nice smoked salmon.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32This is the way it's going to be
0:13:32 > 0:13:35and if they don't like it, then find somewhere else, I'm afraid.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50In the past, Manchester has never warmed to big-name chefs
0:13:50 > 0:13:53like Raymond Blanc and Marco Pierre White, who were forced
0:13:53 > 0:13:56to close, unable to find enough customers.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00But the city centre population has boomed in the last decade,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03from 5,000 to 25,000.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Finally there may be an appetite and the money
0:14:06 > 0:14:10for Michelin-level dining among the city's new young professionals.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20While Simon is trying to revive a dying institution,
0:14:20 > 0:14:25Aiden and restaurateur Tim Bacon are creating a restaurant from scratch.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28It will be the most expensive menu in the city
0:14:28 > 0:14:30and has to be spectacular.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35I want to impress Tim Bacon cos ultimately Tim Bacon's my partner
0:14:35 > 0:14:39and he thinks outside the box where I think as a chef.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41He thinks as a restaurateur.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45I was lying in bed last night thinking, "I've bitten off more than I can chew."
0:14:45 > 0:14:48I think I'm not going to be able to deliver this.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50That's just a natural thing for me to do,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54is to beat myself up to the point where, you know, I get nervous
0:14:54 > 0:14:58enough to make sure that these things, these mistakes don't happen.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01See, what I'm going do is the langoustine first,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03followed by the sea and soil, OK?
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Aiden has much longer to develop his menu than Simon,
0:15:06 > 0:15:10and every two weeks, Tim Bacon and his team visit to make sure
0:15:10 > 0:15:13the food lives up to their theatrical vision.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17It's true to say that we're not doing the classic white tablecloth
0:15:17 > 0:15:23typical Michelin-star offer that doesn't really tickle me, turn me on.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26I like something that's got a bit of differential to it
0:15:26 > 0:15:30and we are trying to do that. It's a lot more theatrical, a lot more about the environment,
0:15:30 > 0:15:32so I think it should work.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34He says hopefully!
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Tim's right-hand man is John Brannigan.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43I would like to consider that I have a very good standard of taste.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47This is a winter menu so flavours need to be big, bold and strong.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Today, they're looking at Aiden's starters.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Homage to Irish Manchester.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00The first dish is inspired by Manchester's Irish connection.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02An oyster served with a beef consomme.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06In here is the oxtail consomme,
0:16:06 > 0:16:10which has been seasoned with a beetroot distillation vapour.
0:16:10 > 0:16:17The oyster has been fed on a beetroot reduction, turning it crimson.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20What?
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Say it...
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Well, it doesn't look very pleasant, does it? Looks like a placenta.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30I think it looks fantastic. I love it.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35It's served on a bed of dry ice, scented with sea salt.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39That sounds a very theatrical dish, strong, strong flavours, yeah.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48I think that's fantastic. I really do. They're a bit cold.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53Yeah, OK. OK, Well, maybe cos it's been sat on this frozen block for so long.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56- I love that dish.- We will make this look like a marshy...
0:16:56 > 0:16:59A marshy bed kind of thing, do you know what I mean? That...
0:16:59 > 0:17:03It's surf and turf, isn't it, if you will?
0:17:03 > 0:17:09- I quite like that, surf and turf. - The hallowed turf. Every week we take half an acre of it.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13- Of United and City turf. - Can you tell the difference?
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Between a blue one and a red one. Jeez, there's a marketing story there.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20We just need to work on... on the grass a bit more.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23When you develop this food, you've just got to go through a process.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26I'm going through that process in my own mind, trying to understand
0:17:26 > 0:17:29exactly what the message is and what we're trying to create, I guess.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32No doubt I'll be there in ten weeks and it'll be fine.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37The next dish features carrot and langoustine.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44This dish will sell for £14, £15.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46The black carrot, that's been cooked.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49- That's a black carrot?- Yeah. That's how carrots were originally.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52So the original ones, you've got the Dutch ones ...
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Until the Dutch got hold of them and sabotaged them
0:17:54 > 0:17:56and turned them into orange ones.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Manchester is only a small market,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00so dishes have to have a broad appeal.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05- OK. Well, it's very pretty, I think. - Yeah, it's a very feminine dish.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07It's very summery, nice introduction to the...
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Yeah. I'd like to see it.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12I'd like to road-test that out on, particularly, the girls.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16The female aspect of this to me is very important.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Some dishes are feminine and some dishes are masculine
0:18:18 > 0:18:20and you've got to make sure you've got a balance.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23You see a lot of very fancy menus that are very offal-based
0:18:23 > 0:18:26and very sort of, you know meat-based and that sort of stuff,
0:18:26 > 0:18:29and that is typically masculine and it's very difficult to get
0:18:29 > 0:18:32someone like my wife, for example, to go into a restaurant like that.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34I might love it, but she will just say there's
0:18:34 > 0:18:36nothing on there for me, so you've got to make sure
0:18:36 > 0:18:40you balance it right out and soon as you put prawns onto a dish, bang.
0:18:40 > 0:18:46For Tim, the focus is the customer, but for Aiden it's the food critics.
0:18:46 > 0:18:47Tim wants this to succeed.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50There is people out there that will want this to fail.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Reach for the stars, then people will just say,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56"Who do you think you are?" and they'll want it to fail.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01And the people who I want to please are the people who want this to fail.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10All the talk of Michelin stars and tasting menus has grabbed the attention of the press.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Simon is due to open in two weeks and he's first into the spotlight.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21I don't want to set you up and I don't want to push your buttons
0:19:21 > 0:19:26but I mean, would you see a star here, do you want a star here?
0:19:26 > 0:19:28We're not talking Michelin stars.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30We let other people talk about that, but if we do what we do
0:19:30 > 0:19:33and cook to the best of our ability, who knows what might happen?
0:19:33 > 0:19:38We just want to make, you know, a really successful restaurant and then hopefully the rest will follow.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42- Thank you very much. Thank you for letting me in your kitchen, chef. - OK, no problem.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Did you like my...my public image, though?
0:19:45 > 0:19:49Well, you know, we're just keeping our head down and...
0:19:49 > 0:19:50of course we want it.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Of course we want it!
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Simon's hard-won reputation is under real scrutiny at The French.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02His food has to match that served at his main restaurant,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05L'Enclume, or it'll be judged a failure.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09Everyone's waiting for the kink in the L'Enclume armour
0:20:09 > 0:20:11because I'm... I'm here.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14A whole onion...
0:20:14 > 0:20:16He's recruited six new chefs
0:20:16 > 0:20:20and taken three from the old French to cook his food.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24Just has to be lovely little rings.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27They're used to cooking in modest hotels and high street brasseries.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32Simon's approach and the techniques he uses are a massive step up.
0:20:32 > 0:20:33That's all cut wrong.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37- A whole- BLEEP- lot of cabbage is cut wrong because you didn't ask.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39You just got in there, all guns blazing
0:20:39 > 0:20:43- and- BLEEP- cut it all incorrectly. Again, yeah!
0:20:43 > 0:20:46I want perfection,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49so I'm giving them a few hints on how to achieve that
0:20:49 > 0:20:53and I'm giving them instruction on how I can achieve perfection.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56So if they don't follow those hints
0:20:56 > 0:21:00and I get a product which I'm not happy with, then I go ballistic.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04You obviously don't see a cabbage as a very, very important,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08you know, item in the kitchen to treat it like this,
0:21:08 > 0:21:13but it's treated with just as much respect as a loin of veal.
0:21:13 > 0:21:14It's quite important.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17There's a way of doing it without ripping the guts out of it.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Know what I mean? So it splits like...
0:21:19 > 0:21:22That's just not acceptable.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Just what is that?
0:21:25 > 0:21:28I can't comprehend how somebody can't carry out
0:21:28 > 0:21:30a simple instruction
0:21:30 > 0:21:32and I'm not used to it.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35At L'Enclume or Roganic or all my other restaurants,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38when I ask for something or I tell them how to do it, they do it.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42So these guys better come round to my way of thinking
0:21:42 > 0:21:45pretty quickly or they're not going to work here for very long.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Let's go, guys. Need some confidence here, are we ready to go?
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Simon won't always be at The French.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53In his absence head chef Adam Reed will run the kitchen.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56- Just wilt it down, like spinach.- OK.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Don't smash it about.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00He's worked in Michelin-starred restaurants
0:22:00 > 0:22:04but this is his first time back in his native Manchester.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Less like that, yeah.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Get the angle right and let the blade do the slicing.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12It's proving hard to find chefs in Manchester who have
0:22:12 > 0:22:14experience of Michelin-level food.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16It will be hard to get the right people.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20It's hard enough to go to London and get the right people in a restaurant
0:22:20 > 0:22:23who are going to have the right attitude and do the right thing.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28In Manchester it's like there's nowhere else that is doing this,
0:22:28 > 0:22:30what we're doing.
0:22:30 > 0:22:31So it's even harder.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34It's like your man there, you know,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37he thought that he was coming in,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40it's like, "Oh, Simon Rogan. "Oh, I'll get a job there.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44"Ooh, be great, you know, oh, well easy
0:22:44 > 0:22:47"and then it'll be exactly the same as like working at Harvey Nicks."
0:22:47 > 0:22:50No offence, but do you know what I mean?
0:22:50 > 0:22:53We haven't got six months to kick around going
0:22:53 > 0:22:56"Yeah, come on, stroke your back," and all that.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58"Oh, let's get off now, it's a bit late, innit?"
0:22:58 > 0:23:02We ain't got time for that. We need to hit the ground running.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04The restaurant will open in a month
0:23:04 > 0:23:08and the re-launch needs a strong publicity push.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12- Website's gone live. Bookings have gone live.- Yeah, perfect.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14They reserve a table.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16OK, great, that's done, boxed.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Menu.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23Simon is selling the city's first ever £79 ten-course tasting menu.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27That's the one that people will want to understand a little bit more about.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Will it fill them, will it not?
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Oh, don't worry, it'll fill them. We made plans.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35We're very conscious of the fact that it's a different market
0:23:35 > 0:23:39and there's going to be a lot of people saying, "Oh, you know,
0:23:39 > 0:23:41"we had to go for a kebab afterwards," or stuff like that,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43so we don't want that to happen.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46So we're not going to launch this to anyone, are we, until...
0:23:46 > 0:23:49- I'd like to keep it a surprise, really.- Great.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Everything in the new French will be chosen by Simon,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56but paid for by Mike.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59It's a commercial venture and we have to make money,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02it has to be a success, otherwise in a year's time if we're not
0:24:02 > 0:24:05doing the covers, not making the money, well, why are we doing it?
0:24:05 > 0:24:08It's a risk for the management, but one they have to take
0:24:08 > 0:24:11if they're to save the restaurant and raise the hotel's profile.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16So, this is the range, really, from the 1960s that Robert Welsh is known best for.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20Really? Maybe a little bit too chunky.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23I prefer the rounded spoon, to be quite honest,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25rather than the flat top.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27That one. Yeah. Good.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30A little something for an appetiser.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34You can put in there napkins.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37At the moment we just fold.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Yeah, it's coming along actually, the menu, actually.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Is it? On the website?
0:24:42 > 0:24:46I think it'll be ready... I think, well, maybe not next week, maybe the week after.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49It's just these little periphery things now, isn't it?
0:24:49 > 0:24:51You just think about jugs, trays.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55You've always got to have a vision of where you're going to keep on getting the hotel there.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59If you just sit back and just wait, someone else will steal where you are,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02so you've got to keep on pushing and bring something new to the table
0:25:02 > 0:25:06because unless you keep on coming up with new ideas of where you want to take the hotel
0:25:06 > 0:25:08you'll stay static, and if you stay static,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11your rates will stay static, your costs will go up, you're in doom town.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Four weeks and one day.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Loads of time.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23Moving the hotel forward means a new coat of paint for The French.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27The ornate gilding is being replaced with Simon's muted colour scheme.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32Maitre d' Anibal has decided to retire but he can't resist
0:25:32 > 0:25:36a final peek at the room he spent 27 years working in.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Yeah, it looks interesting.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44This wood panel is being covered with this paint,
0:25:44 > 0:25:46it looks like undercoat.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50The colour is not very, very nice for the ceiling.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53The old French had a small but wealthy following.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Simon is hoping for a very different market.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Celebrity chefs,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01they think they are bigger than anybody else but they're not.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04They're not because what this guy's doing, what these celebrity chefs
0:26:04 > 0:26:07are doing, is destroying some things
0:26:07 > 0:26:09that were built in the past.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14Call it the French Restaurant and put it on the plate, whatever.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18Flowers, herbs and this and that.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21I grow these herbs so big.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24So what? I can grow herbs.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26I can grow out in my garden. No problem!
0:26:28 > 0:26:32I think it is a romance that is going to end up in tears.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37Two, three, four months, a honeymoon period, and then the bride
0:26:37 > 0:26:39puts the dress away
0:26:39 > 0:26:41and then the divorce proceeding starts.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Thank you.
0:26:48 > 0:26:5215 miles south of Manchester lies The Church Green pub.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00It's where Aiden Byrne cooks when he's not working for Tim Bacon.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Fish and chips in straightaway, please.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Spicy salmon on?
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Yes, Chef.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10At 16, Aiden left home in Liverpool
0:27:10 > 0:27:14to cut his teeth in some of London's most prestigious restaurants,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17eventually making his name at the Dorchester Hotel.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Bread and butter, please.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22When he left London six years ago, he took over The Church Green
0:27:22 > 0:27:26hoping to bring fine dining to the North West.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Chips, chips, chips. Welcome to my world, yeah, eh?
0:27:30 > 0:27:33But not enough people wanted his fine-dining menu and
0:27:33 > 0:27:35he received mixed reviews,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38so he had to start serving pub grub instead.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41As a chef, cooking in the arena I was cooking in,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43we always looked down at restaurants like this.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47We always looked down our noses at restaurants like this because it wasn't good enough.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50It was never... It was just that London mentality that we had
0:27:50 > 0:27:52drilled into us, that anything beyond or below
0:27:52 > 0:27:56one and two-star Michelin restaurants wasn't good enough.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Linguini, linguini, get your pan on, please.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02So to turn my restaurant, which I aspired to being a Michelin star,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05to turn it into a grill, it was tough, you know,
0:28:05 > 0:28:08and I wasn't a very nice person to be around.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09Service!
0:28:09 > 0:28:12But, you know, fortunately enough I stumbled across Tim Bacon
0:28:12 > 0:28:15and them aspirations can now be carried out.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19Table 57, mate. Come straight back for a well done, yeah?
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Is that the last table?
0:28:26 > 0:28:30Aiden hopes that his new partner's money and the city centre location
0:28:30 > 0:28:33will give him a second chance at fine dining.
0:28:34 > 0:28:39Chi-chi chic. You know the kind of New York advertising...
0:28:39 > 0:28:44Tim's spending £150,000 on a design to attract the city's new
0:28:44 > 0:28:45young professionals.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48So it's lot of leather, lots of shag pile,
0:28:48 > 0:28:50lots of dirty stuff going on up there, you know,
0:28:50 > 0:28:54but it's all got this kind of nice kind of slickness to it.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56Yeah, I want to go.
0:28:57 > 0:29:02And then someone's dropped in a quarter-of-a-million-pound kitchen
0:29:02 > 0:29:03right in the middle of it.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06Manchester hasn't had a Michelin star since 1974
0:29:06 > 0:29:07and there's a reason for that.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10Because Manchunians don't like to get told what to do,
0:29:10 > 0:29:13and when you go to these high-end restaurants
0:29:13 > 0:29:18with the waiters in their dickie bows and the huge, er, phone books
0:29:18 > 0:29:21for wine lists, it's offensive.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23We want to give that high-end service,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26high-end food in a really relaxed atmosphere.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28You turn up in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, you're just
0:29:28 > 0:29:32as welcome as the guy who's sitting next to you in a three-piece suit.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34That's the master logo, but very simple.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36It's nice, innit?
0:29:36 > 0:29:39Yeah, we're doing fine dining, but it doesn't need all that pomp
0:29:39 > 0:29:42and all that kind of...
0:29:42 > 0:29:45regalia that goes with the fine-dining world.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48There's absolutely no reason why you can't be chilled.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51In fact, you turn up the funk buttons.
0:29:51 > 0:29:52It's kind of... It makes it better.
0:29:52 > 0:29:57I'd like to start seeing real samples now. We're not that far off, we're on site in two weeks,
0:29:57 > 0:30:00so we're a couple of months away, three months away, that's it.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02- Yeah.- Yeah, we're all good.
0:30:13 > 0:30:18The kitchen and the celebrity chef will be the main feature dominating the restaurant.
0:30:18 > 0:30:19Amazing innit, eh?
0:30:20 > 0:30:23It's phenomenal. It's great, great to see it in the flesh.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Bigger than I... It's much bigger than I remember.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31The kitchen needs to accommodate 20 chefs.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33The units alone will cost around £200,000.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37This is where I will be spending the majority of my day,
0:30:37 > 0:30:41especially during service, standing here.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43And six customers will be sat there
0:30:43 > 0:30:45and the restaurant will be out in front of us.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48We've gone for this rusty look, but that's going to fit in with
0:30:48 > 0:30:51the theme of the industrious feel of Manchester House
0:30:51 > 0:30:54and it's all really coming together now,
0:30:54 > 0:30:56it's absolutely fantastic.
0:30:56 > 0:31:01To get the industrial look, the units have to be rusted, sanded,
0:31:01 > 0:31:02then sealed.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05It's much more expensive than normal shiny metal.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09It's the first time I've ever been asked to build a rusty one.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14cos usually people want to see it shine.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16But it ain't shining.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19Tens of tonnes of metal there. It's cool.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21It's cool.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25For a chef it's just like getting a Ferrari delivered, isn't it?
0:31:25 > 0:31:28It's just... There's four Ferraris sat there waiting to get
0:31:28 > 0:31:30parked in your garage that you've designed.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34What more can a chef want?
0:31:34 > 0:31:36Another one.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39THEY LAUGH
0:31:42 > 0:31:45With only weeks to go before opening,
0:31:45 > 0:31:48Manchester's bloggers and food journalists are already
0:31:48 > 0:31:52speculating about the chef's chances of success.
0:31:53 > 0:31:58Details of Aiden's plans have reached Simon and his PR team.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04Well, the big surprise was actually that I've been told yesterday
0:32:04 > 0:32:08that our rival opening in Manchester this year is
0:32:08 > 0:32:11plotting the same format as what we are.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13- Oh, really?- Aiden?- Yeah.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Aiden is also offering a tasting menu.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19We had a little meeting about how we actually counteract that.
0:32:19 > 0:32:24We've got two Michelin stars, five AA rosettes and ten out of ten in the Good Food Guide. What's he got?
0:32:24 > 0:32:27So the bottom line is, obviously, you know, we're glad he's here
0:32:27 > 0:32:30because it's another person in Manchester, it's going to raise
0:32:30 > 0:32:34the profile and there's going to be lots of other people coming
0:32:34 > 0:32:37and it's completely different, so, you know,
0:32:37 > 0:32:40obviously we wish him well, but our cooking styles are like chalk and cheese.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42You know, he's always had a certain style.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44I understand he's going a little off piste
0:32:44 > 0:32:47and doing something a bit different, which will be interesting to see
0:32:47 > 0:32:51but obviously there's a lot less pressure on me
0:32:51 > 0:32:54because we've already got a couple of successful restaurants
0:32:54 > 0:32:57which, you know, are pretty much at the top of their game.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01Whereas Aiden's, you know, trying to get there.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07But Simon doesn't think the rustic style of his Lake District
0:33:07 > 0:33:10restaurant will transfer to Manchester.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15He's spent £10,000 on two chandeliers imported
0:33:15 > 0:33:19specially from China to give the new French some urban glamour.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22A bit time-consuming.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25If you get a knot in it, you've had it.
0:33:28 > 0:33:29800 on this one.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35Oh, I think it might take three days, I think.
0:33:38 > 0:33:39Two salad away.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42Where's the onion oil?
0:33:44 > 0:33:47With just two days remaining, Simon's team is having to
0:33:47 > 0:33:50work 18-hour days preparing the menu.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Where's the parsley cress?
0:33:52 > 0:33:56Chefs are finding the long hours exhausting and are making mistakes.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59Where is all the sauce?
0:33:59 > 0:34:02- Have you used it all? That's it? Oh, for- BLEEP- sake!
0:34:04 > 0:34:07- You've all... You've all made me - BLEEP- swear a lot today.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09I hate swearing. I hate it.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11I can't stand swearing.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14I don't like losing my temper, I don't like swearing.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16People say, "laugh at that" but I do not like it.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19I want to just keep quiet,
0:34:19 > 0:34:21send out amazing plates of food,
0:34:21 > 0:34:26thank you very much, everyone, go home, sleep well at night. That's all I want.
0:34:26 > 0:34:31But when someone doesn't toe the line and they don't do what I tell them,
0:34:31 > 0:34:33I don't sleep at night and I'm very angry.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37New recruit Sam has only recently left college
0:34:37 > 0:34:39and he's finding it particularly hard.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42What's up with that? Why is there more on that plate than that plate?
0:34:42 > 0:34:45You split one pot into two, yeah, in half.
0:34:46 > 0:34:52Sam is also finding it tough being away from his young family for so long.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55Got a six-month-old little girl.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59It's difficult being away from her for 18, 20 hours a day,
0:34:59 > 0:35:01especially with the pressures that you've got from work
0:35:01 > 0:35:05with stupid mistakes that you're making where in some kitchens they'd fly.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07You could get away with things like that,
0:35:07 > 0:35:11but a kitchen that's pushing for a star with chefs of two-Michelin-star calibre
0:35:11 > 0:35:15breathing down your neck the whole time is just... That's what I mean by overwhelming.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18It's the littlest of minute details.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21He can't hack it...
0:35:21 > 0:35:24so... Personal life-wise.
0:35:24 > 0:35:29A meeting is called to discuss the staffing problems.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31And Sam, he is...
0:35:33 > 0:35:35..unbelievable.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37He's costing us a fortune at the moment.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40Everything he touches is just, like, wrong.
0:35:40 > 0:35:41Oh, Jesus.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43He's got a young child at home.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47I'd love to be compassionate and I am, I look after him, but...
0:35:47 > 0:35:50To be blunt about it, he is terrible.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53Yeah, yeah, he is, and I put that across to him.
0:35:53 > 0:35:54Yeah, I said that to him
0:35:54 > 0:35:56and he needs to go home and make the decision.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58We don't want to have complaints.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01That you're not just slogging to death seven days a week.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04That's not how we want to run this restaurant. I want you to have enough.
0:36:04 > 0:36:08That's it. I mean, there's a lot of people busting their balls to do it,
0:36:08 > 0:36:11so the ones that can't, I'm sorry you just have to cut loose.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14That's just the way it is.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18You could put your arm around him and say, "Look, let's forget about it, tomorrow's another day."
0:36:18 > 0:36:24Someone that blatantly disregards an instruction
0:36:24 > 0:36:26that's when it's just not acceptable.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Sam finished his shift but then handed in his resignation.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39With two months until opening,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43the kitchen is being delivered to Manchester House.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47It'll be in the middle of the restaurant, showcasing Aiden
0:36:47 > 0:36:48and his team of chefs.
0:36:48 > 0:36:52Unbelievable, ain't it, mate? It is an amazing bench though, innit, eh?
0:36:52 > 0:36:54Just fantastic.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58It's great to see it in its raw-rity now.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02The restaurant marketing is being designed around Aiden.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05The team has commissioned some short videos to send out
0:37:05 > 0:37:07to his 13,000 Twitter followers.
0:37:07 > 0:37:12The film-maker has travelled up from London to show the first cut.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17You haven't got these on file?
0:37:17 > 0:37:19I'm already late for my next week.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23Could be less people using it.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30Living Ventures have 30 restaurants
0:37:30 > 0:37:32and a mailing list running into thousands.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35Yeah, that background stuff has got to go.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39They'll send the videos out to all their followers.
0:37:41 > 0:37:42It's going well, Ted.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55The films need to reflect Tim's £3.5 million vision.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Don't really get the music.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03The idea of the music was they're all Manchester-based bands.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05Is it a Manchester-based band?
0:38:05 > 0:38:07Yeah. I don't know who it is but...
0:38:08 > 0:38:11See, do you do that for effect or not?
0:38:15 > 0:38:19There's no soft way of putting it. It's amateurish compared to what's out there at the moment
0:38:19 > 0:38:22and it's the last thing it can be.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25But, yeah, no, we can't release that.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28Even cutting it down, I don't think we can release it.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30The dishes themselves have moved on so much,
0:38:30 > 0:38:34so it's no relevance to what's going to be served in Manchester House.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41I don't like any of the blues.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45Look, you know, I need this place finished, mate, so...
0:38:45 > 0:38:48Construction is also causing Tim problems.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51He insists on being involved with every aspect of the design.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55What I don't like is seeing this sitting there like that.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58It's altogether a stupid design, whoever designed that.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01When you've spent so much money and you've got such a fine finish
0:39:01 > 0:39:05and then people take their foot off the gas, it's not good enough.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08So there will be some repercussions, I have no doubt.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11So none of these are wired in?
0:39:11 > 0:39:14So when are we looking to get these wired in?
0:39:14 > 0:39:18One of the main design features are the four corner balconies in the bar.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22They have spectacular views but the handrails are too low.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24I've got a drink falling off there, it's 12 floors up,
0:39:24 > 0:39:27it's going to hit someone on the head and it's going to kill them.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29You know I can't live with that.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32It's obviously at a very low height against your leg,
0:39:32 > 0:39:35which is obviously somewhat dangerous,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38especially if you've maybe had a drink or two.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42A long way down, isn't it, 12 floors?
0:39:43 > 0:39:47The bar is key to the restaurant's profitability.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50There's a greater mark-up on alcohol sales.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53Tim would also like to use the space to sell food during the day.
0:39:53 > 0:39:58So what the hell is happening here? This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen in my life.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00I love the idea that we're actually lighting power points,
0:40:00 > 0:40:04such is the attention to detail and the death trap that is this.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06They've all got to be filed off.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10OK, when are they going to be filed off? I mean, this is a health and safety issue.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12I don't know yet. I will find out.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15Tim's got an amazing eye to walk in somewhere
0:40:15 > 0:40:18and say, "We'll do this," and you kind of go, "Really?"
0:40:18 > 0:40:21Sometimes he'll come back and change stuff
0:40:21 > 0:40:23and sometimes he'll be, "No, it's fine."
0:40:23 > 0:40:26He'll say, "The floor's wrong," and he'll go away and he'll come back
0:40:26 > 0:40:31and he'll change the ceiling colour and then he'll realise the floor was right, and the ceiling was wrong.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35And, Tim, you need to make a list of all the outstanding items
0:40:35 > 0:40:37and just chase these suppliers.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39I don't know if it's their fault or your fault
0:40:39 > 0:40:41or a combination of both, I don't know,
0:40:41 > 0:40:44but either way, I need the stuff on site, we need this solved.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47I'll shout at them all I can so...
0:40:47 > 0:40:48Well, yeah.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54500 yards across town and now only a day until launch,
0:40:54 > 0:40:58Simon is discovering that working inside an existing hotel
0:40:58 > 0:40:59has its own problems.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02HE GROANS
0:41:02 > 0:41:05Deliveries are going missing and suppliers are confused
0:41:05 > 0:41:08about which part of the hotel they're dealing with.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11Just chasing people up all the time on orders
0:41:11 > 0:41:14and trying to get everything into the restaurant on time.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18It's just a nightmare, it really is a nightmare.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21One of the biggest problems is liquid nitrogen.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24It's used to instantly freeze ingredients,
0:41:24 > 0:41:28but it's a hazardous substance and needs secure storage.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30The hotel has never needed it before.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34It's just really, really getting on my nerves now.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42The tank was delivered with no nitrogen in.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45So we've been waiting for nitrogen to finally get here,
0:41:45 > 0:41:47which has been a right fiasco.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51But now we've got the nitrogen that's been delivered, apparently there's no hose to squirt it off.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54There's... There's no hose.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01Yeah, that's it.
0:42:04 > 0:42:05Is it supposed to be like that?
0:42:05 > 0:42:07It's all right. We're stocked, innit?
0:42:07 > 0:42:10I cannot believe they have not delivered a hose.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13How do they expect us to get it out? In our hands?
0:42:15 > 0:42:18Unbelievable.
0:42:18 > 0:42:19USELESS!
0:42:23 > 0:42:29So we're going to break every health and safety rule in the book now and try and yank it out,
0:42:29 > 0:42:30cos we can't go without it.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32CUTLERY FALLS ON FLOOR
0:42:45 > 0:42:48With opening night only two days away,
0:42:48 > 0:42:51Simon needs to put the new chefs to the test.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54Right, I haven't even got enough soup bowls in here.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56We've got to stock the ...ing hotplate up.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58That's the most basic thing.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00They need to practise sending out food,
0:43:00 > 0:43:03so a buffet has been laid on for the hotel staff.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07Here we go. They know the food will be coming out now. There we go.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11Where's the parsley cress?
0:43:13 > 0:43:15It's not really about the quality of the cooking,
0:43:15 > 0:43:19it's about the nerves of actually starting to deliver something
0:43:19 > 0:43:22on the plate rather than the actual whether you can cook or not, you know.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25Soon as we get the first couple of services out the way,
0:43:25 > 0:43:28they'll be, like, breathing a huge sigh of relief I think.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31"Oh, what was I worried about?" you know, and it'll be easy for them.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34Just the sense of the unknown at the moment.
0:43:34 > 0:43:36English truffle dumplings
0:43:36 > 0:43:40and they'll be served with a very much rich and tasty artichoke broth.
0:43:40 > 0:43:41Ah!
0:43:41 > 0:43:45It's the first time Simon's served his food in Manchester.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48Ooh, that is lovely. Oh, that is lovely.
0:43:48 > 0:43:49Oh, no, sorry.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53It is good, isn't it?
0:43:53 > 0:43:56Dinner for two will cost over £150.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59It's not everyone's idea of a hearty meal.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03Where's all my oils? The oils for the fish.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05HE GRUNTS
0:44:05 > 0:44:07Oh, it's gorgeous.
0:44:07 > 0:44:11- Very tasty.- Mmm.- Mmm.
0:44:11 > 0:44:12Parsley cress.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14Parsley cress!
0:44:14 > 0:44:16Parsley cress!
0:44:16 > 0:44:19Each chef is responsible for different ingredients in each dish,
0:44:19 > 0:44:22but they're not handing them to Simon at the right times.
0:44:22 > 0:44:26That talking. We're in a kitchen not a monastery.
0:44:26 > 0:44:31That's all it is, boys, yeah? This is all it is - communication.
0:44:31 > 0:44:32We'll give it a good try.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35Among the dishes are razor clams with scrambled eggs.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38Would they serve it to the customer like this?
0:44:38 > 0:44:41Wouldn't it be better in an egg cup, then?
0:44:43 > 0:44:45All the stuff's fell out.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48And raw ox in coal oil.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50You don't like it?
0:44:50 > 0:44:52That looks like raw meat.
0:44:52 > 0:44:53Is it raw?
0:44:53 > 0:44:56I like mine well done.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58- What do you call it?- Ox tartar.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00Ox tartar.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03It's really important to get the staff engaged
0:45:03 > 0:45:06and understand why we're going through this process.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09You know, the staff will look from the outside and see
0:45:09 > 0:45:13a lot of money being invested into one small area of the hotel
0:45:13 > 0:45:16and managers will think, "Why is that not my area?
0:45:16 > 0:45:20"Why isn't it happening down the leisure club?" Or why isn't it happening in different areas,
0:45:20 > 0:45:22and this is for them to see why we've done it.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24No.
0:45:26 > 0:45:30The kitchen has served four different sample dishes
0:45:30 > 0:45:31to 30 staff.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35Tomorrow they need to send out the full ten-course tasting menu
0:45:35 > 0:45:36to a full restaurant.
0:45:39 > 0:45:42Well, it wasn't great, but it wasn't bad.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45The food was nice, so after you got the second lot out,
0:45:45 > 0:45:47the third lot out, it went fine.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49It was just that initial, like,
0:45:49 > 0:45:53you know when you kick-start your car, it just won't have it.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57So, yeah, there's a lot of work to do.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59- You've just what happens if you're not- BLEEP- ready.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03If you're not moving your arse quick enough, make sure you do now because
0:46:03 > 0:46:06- if that happens in a real service you'd get your- BLEEP- arse kicked.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12Ox in coal oil. What's that?
0:46:15 > 0:46:18I mean, I go for a couple of pints Saturday night with my wife
0:46:18 > 0:46:21and when I come home for my supper I'd sooner sit down to
0:46:21 > 0:46:22a plate of cabbage and ribs.
0:46:22 > 0:46:24Something I can handle.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31The staff reaction may have been mixed.
0:46:31 > 0:46:36Tomorrow night it's the turn of the old restaurant regulars.
0:46:36 > 0:46:40Mrs Best ate at the French three times a week.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42So you're the new chef?
0:46:42 > 0:46:46Yeah. I mean, obviously Simon's head of the restaurant
0:46:46 > 0:46:49but I'll be the head chef, yes.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52The thing is, though, Steve and me like to pick the menu, that's the problem.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55Come on, you've got to trust us. We know what we're doing.
0:46:56 > 0:47:00In Manchester - people, are they going to pay that money?
0:47:00 > 0:47:03Yeah, but it won't be necessarily the people of Manchester.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06There'll be a new generation of customers.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10There's a lot of people in Manchester who aren't what people think that Manchunians are.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12I mean, I know for a fact I'm Manchunian
0:47:12 > 0:47:16but I don't sit in the Rovers Return every Saturday night and have Betty's hotpot.
0:47:16 > 0:47:17But the thing is that...
0:47:17 > 0:47:22I'm here to attract a whole new type of customer that will pay the prices.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25Do you think you can do that five or six nights a week, fill the place up?
0:47:25 > 0:47:27I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I could do that.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31I eat very plain food, so I'll have, like, grilled tuna.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33That's the kind of things I like, just plain food.
0:47:33 > 0:47:35Quite boring really.
0:47:36 > 0:47:38Yeah, we'll do our best.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40Right you are. I'm going.
0:47:40 > 0:47:44Mrs Best has spent 20 years ordering smoked salmon and omelette.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46Things have changed at The French.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49- I don't think she'll like it. - No, I don't think she'll like any of it.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53You want it blunt then I'm telling you.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55She won't like any of it.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59I think the guy don't know what he's talking about.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02I think the guy's got delusions, absolute delusions.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05Absolute delusions. It'll go down the pan. I give it...
0:48:05 > 0:48:08Even comments on the internet,
0:48:08 > 0:48:09absolute delusions.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11He's going to fall flat on his face.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14In 12 months' time that restaurant will either close
0:48:14 > 0:48:18and become a function room or they will revert back to it having a menu.
0:48:24 > 0:48:28The restaurant design at Manchester House is supposed to reflect
0:48:28 > 0:48:30the city's industrial heritage.
0:48:30 > 0:48:31A pill press.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37Aiden has started to look to the city's acid house era for inspiration.
0:48:41 > 0:48:43These things will be individually wrapped
0:48:43 > 0:48:45and presented to the customer.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49They unwrap them, OK, you're playing to that drug culture type thing
0:48:49 > 0:48:52which is fine, yeah, whack it in there, Happy Mondays, job done.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54Happy Mondays.
0:48:54 > 0:48:59The idea is to make a palate-cleanser using a pill and flavoured water.
0:48:59 > 0:49:03As I've got coffee in my mouth now, if I drank that, it would get rid of that coffee.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05It's great, innit?
0:49:05 > 0:49:07I think it's a brilliant idea.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09As soon as you said it, I thought, "You know what? It's genius."
0:49:12 > 0:49:14Too chemically?
0:49:14 > 0:49:17Yeah, I think so. I think it's too soapy for me, yeah.
0:49:17 > 0:49:21Look, at the end of the day, early days on that and I wouldn't get stressed out about it.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23Can't not do it.
0:49:23 > 0:49:25We can only do it if it's right.
0:49:25 > 0:49:30All right? I think you're stressed and I think you're trying to force it a bit too much, mate.
0:49:30 > 0:49:34Preparing 55 dishes that each have a story to tell is
0:49:34 > 0:49:38labour-intensive and proving a massive technical challenge.
0:49:40 > 0:49:44What we're trying to do is trying to create a wow factor.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47But at the same time try not to over-complicate flavours.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49Chefs, you know, they'll learn something new.
0:49:49 > 0:49:53It's all about the techniques and not about the actual product itself.
0:49:53 > 0:49:55It's easy for us to get carried away.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59We still need to wow people and I'd rather be wowing people with flavour rather than technique.
0:50:01 > 0:50:05The pasta is made out of burnt fennel which has been binded
0:50:05 > 0:50:08with a lobster butter, so it's got that shellfishy flavour in there.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15Today the team is trying Aiden's main courses for the first time.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18They're hoping the city centre market will be willing to part
0:50:18 > 0:50:20with up to £50 for some dishes.
0:50:20 > 0:50:24- Is that big enough for 40 to 45 quid?- Yes. Yes, it is.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28What people will say is, "Well where's the rest of the lobster?
0:50:28 > 0:50:30"Where's the rest of the course?"
0:50:32 > 0:50:33They won't be.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40The food will be expensive but so will the plates.
0:50:40 > 0:50:45They're spending up to £170 on each one and some dishes require two.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47That just seems a hell of a lot of plate.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49It's a lot of platage, there is a lot of platage.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52Can we not fit it all on one nicely?
0:50:53 > 0:50:54Yeah.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59And this is one of the appetisers, so the fish...
0:50:59 > 0:51:02- Is that the right bowl?- No, I'll show you the right bowl.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04Give it a nice white piece of crockery.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07Tim's concern is that Aiden's finely tuned food
0:51:07 > 0:51:10may be let down by its presentation.
0:51:11 > 0:51:12You go into some restaurants
0:51:12 > 0:51:17and you can tell it's all about the food and the lighting, the heating.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20The service can all be, and are, quite secondary to that.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23When you're a restaurateur you're looking at the overall.
0:51:23 > 0:51:27You're trying to create a space, an ambient environment that people are going to enjoy
0:51:27 > 0:51:31everything in it, as opposed to just one specific part of it.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34So basically it's pumpkin puree, turned into a spherical.
0:51:34 > 0:51:36It's been stuffed with truffle puree
0:51:36 > 0:51:39and then grated, freeze-dried truffle on top.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42Bosh, straight in.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45- I hate that.- Really?
0:51:45 > 0:51:48Spherical, skinny thing that's...
0:51:50 > 0:51:51No.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56I'm never going to like that. I like the flavour.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59- Fine, right.- It's not for me.- The point is that these are the menus.
0:51:59 > 0:52:03You don't have to like every single dish and that's the point of it.
0:52:05 > 0:52:09Everything is a massive risk but if I get it right, it'll be phenomenal.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13If I get it wrong, it's there for everyone to see.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26At the Midland Hotel, Simon and his young team are taking their
0:52:26 > 0:52:31full tasting menu to the Manchester public for the very first time.
0:52:31 > 0:52:33It's a different type of pressure now.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36We've got lots of people in there that have booked and not necessarily
0:52:36 > 0:52:41as friendly as all the people we've asked to come in to test our dishes.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44So a hostile atmosphere out there.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48People looking for weaknesses.
0:52:56 > 0:53:0040 years on from its last Michelin star,
0:53:00 > 0:53:03The French is about to be reinvented.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07It's a great day to be general manager. A great day to be general manager.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10It's a new chapter for the hotel, so, yeah, very exciting.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16They've invited local food bloggers and journalists to try
0:53:16 > 0:53:20Simon's food and hopefully spread the good word around the city.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22Two covers.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24Always get a few butterflies.
0:53:25 > 0:53:30Even though you are telling yourself you've got nothing to prove, you have really.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34Restaurants are three times more likely to fail
0:53:34 > 0:53:37in the first year than any other business.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39Simon may have two Michelin stars
0:53:39 > 0:53:42but he can't afford to damage his reputation.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46Well, it's got to work.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49At the end of the day I didn't come up with it just to create something nice in the Midland
0:53:49 > 0:53:52in which everyone will go "Ooh," but doesn't make any money.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55If we're going to do that we could have just kept The French.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57It's a commercial venture.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00£100 a meal is nothing new for people in London,
0:54:00 > 0:54:02where in the North it's a different thing.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05Especially in Manchester, £100 per person for food is a new area they haven't been to.
0:54:05 > 0:54:10How are you? Well, let's hope everything goes well for you.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14No tongues!
0:54:14 > 0:54:15With you?
0:54:15 > 0:54:21For The French to succeed it'll need to attract customers from all over the North West.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24It won't be able to rely on a small group of rich
0:54:24 > 0:54:28regulars like the Bests who visited the old French three times a week.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31We're not a restaurant any more where you come
0:54:31 > 0:54:36to just have a sit on a chair and in a posh restaurant and be pampered.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39- Success.- Success. - To you both as well.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43Hopefully they'll enjoy it. If they don't...sorry.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45Well let's go, quickly, come on.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52Tonight is the first time the kitchen has served
0:54:52 > 0:54:55the ten-course tasting menu that Simon is best known for.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00Onion bread, smoked eel, leek puree.
0:55:00 > 0:55:01Fantastic.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05The old bread trolley has been replaced with a box.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07Mm. Very tasty.
0:55:10 > 0:55:11Can't get the eel, though.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15We may lose certain customers who've been coming for many years
0:55:15 > 0:55:16who don't want to change.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20Hopefully, I'll be able to increase it three fold on customers who've never been before.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23I mean, the tweets in there tonight is going crazy.
0:55:23 > 0:55:28There's a battle between two of them at the moment who can send out the tweets quick enough.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32One potatoes, please, quickly, and another portion of cabbage.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35Quick as you can. Cabbage, come on, quickly, yeah.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37Quick, quick, quick, quick.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40The tasting experience takes around three hours
0:55:40 > 0:55:43and customers don't get to choose from the menu.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46- It's not what I like. - It's not your taste.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48There's too many courses, there's too many bits.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51It's like... I can't...
0:55:51 > 0:55:54The whole evening is a gastronomic experience of flavour...
0:55:54 > 0:55:55Yeah, but I don't need it.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58..of taste, of textures and I get that.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00When you go to the Pizza Express...
0:56:00 > 0:56:02I never go to Pizza Express!
0:56:02 > 0:56:06No, I won't, but at least you can pick a pizza you want to eat there.
0:56:06 > 0:56:08Right, I need four sole desperately, yeah.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11More lamb sauce, come on.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13Turnips, quickly.
0:56:14 > 0:56:18In the kitchen the food is coming together - just.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20You sealing all them veal off?
0:56:20 > 0:56:23At the moment I'm just making sure that we're all doing right,
0:56:23 > 0:56:27because we can't... Everyone's not doing what we want them to be doing.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31Come on, come on, come on. Final push.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33I need to go and lie in a dark, cold room.
0:56:33 > 0:56:37After the last of the three desserts, the verdict on the food.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39Where's the spoons gone?
0:56:39 > 0:56:43The salad here is probably the best salad I've had for 30 years.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46It's beautiful, you know.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49A big fat person like me liking a salad is fairly unusual.
0:56:49 > 0:56:53He's obviously confident enough not to have to try too hard,
0:56:53 > 0:56:56which is really nice because some people, they'll be
0:56:56 > 0:56:59putting, you know, 35 different flavours on a plate, which is
0:56:59 > 0:57:02actually what Aiden Byrne's famous for.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05Did they enjoy that?
0:57:05 > 0:57:07- They did.- Good.
0:57:09 > 0:57:11Table six you won over.
0:57:11 > 0:57:13Yeah, no, they came into the kitchen.
0:57:13 > 0:57:16Yeah, and they'd had avocado for 20 years.
0:57:16 > 0:57:17Yeah.
0:57:17 > 0:57:19I'm in absolute agony,
0:57:19 > 0:57:22so I'm just going to go and get some gin and tonics...
0:57:22 > 0:57:25put the Walkman on and lie in the bath for about an hour,
0:57:25 > 0:57:29just reflect on what has turned out in the end to be a brilliant day.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37The first reaction from the local media may be positive,
0:57:37 > 0:57:39but it will be the number of bookings and the national
0:57:39 > 0:57:43food critics who decide whether Simon has been a success.
0:57:44 > 0:57:45Well, it's not as good.
0:57:45 > 0:57:49HE LAUGHS
0:57:54 > 0:57:57I've loved every single course that I've had, so...
0:57:57 > 0:58:00Yeah, but you couldn't eat it regularly.
0:58:00 > 0:58:02I could, but not with you.
0:58:02 > 0:58:04Oh, stop it.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07Right let's go, let's go, let's go, come on.
0:58:07 > 0:58:11Next week, Aiden and his team finally start
0:58:11 > 0:58:15cooking in Manchester House after nine months of preparation.
0:58:15 > 0:58:19Tim says as you hit this point it's then you lift your head up
0:58:19 > 0:58:21and that's the money shot.
0:58:21 > 0:58:25And as Simon struggles to establish himself, the world
0:58:25 > 0:58:28and its food critics begin to pass judgment.
0:58:28 > 0:58:30Oh. Get Camilla.
0:58:30 > 0:58:33- Did you not recognise him? - I've never met him before.
0:58:33 > 0:58:38It's Giles Coren, he's only like one of the most famous critics going.