0:00:05 > 0:00:07Manchester. Britain's fastest growing city.
0:00:07 > 0:00:12Two world-class football teams and world-class industry.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16But one thing it hasn't got, a reputation for world-class food.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20When I come home for my supper I sit down to a plate of cabbage and ribs.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Something I can handle.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24Smell that lamb.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Every big named chef that's arrived in the city has failed.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33Manchester doesn't have a Michelin star restaurant. That's outrageous.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Now, two of Britain's greatest chefs have come to the city to open
0:00:37 > 0:00:40restaurants and chase Manchester's first Michelin star.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43You've got beetroot on your fingers.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Simon Rogan, one of the finest chefs of his generation,
0:00:46 > 0:00:50is first to open in the city and is about to face the critics.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Michael. Did the one have black curly hair?
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Thin guy, yeah. Get Camilla.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57If there's one broad bean out of place, I'm going to notice it.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Aiden Byrne, youngest chef ever to win a Michelin star,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04is struggling to get up to speed for opening night
0:01:04 > 0:01:07in his £3.5 million restaurant.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Yeah, the lobster's cooked too high.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11No mis en place ready, your dill wasn't chopped.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Nothing is ready, Nat.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17Over a year in preparation, and at a cost of millions, what does
0:01:17 > 0:01:21it take to open two of the country's most ambitious new restaurants?
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Come on, come on, come on. Final push.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26I'm just going to go home and get some gin and tonics,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29put the Walkman on and lie in the bath for about an hour.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31Can either of them
0:01:31 > 0:01:35win over a city that's always turned its back on celebrity chefs?
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Everything's a massive risk, but if I get it right it'll be phenomenal.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43I get it wrong, it's there for everyone to see.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57Cooking at the highest level involves dehydrating machines,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00water baths and rotary evaporators.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07For the past eight months Aiden Byrne has been developing
0:02:07 > 0:02:10a menu for Manchester House, a multi-million pound
0:02:10 > 0:02:14restaurant that is aiming for the city's first Michelin star.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17I'm 40 years of age now and I've done this close on 20-odd,
0:02:17 > 0:02:2020-odd years and this is the perfect platform for me
0:02:20 > 0:02:24to showcase where I want to be.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Aiden wants food that's theatrical and complex,
0:02:27 > 0:02:31but everything he comes up with must satisfy restaurant owner Tim Bacon,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33who's footing the bill.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35The name is Manchester House
0:02:35 > 0:02:38so it needs to have some sort of connection to this.
0:02:38 > 0:02:39You know, loose links.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41We're not going to make it so sort of... it's not going to
0:02:41 > 0:02:45be about Eccles cakes and Boddingtons Smooth.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48One of his main dishes is a twist on a northern favourite.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51And there's your steak. That's basically your steak and ale pie
0:02:51 > 0:02:54and out of the pump would come the cream of Manchester which is
0:02:54 > 0:02:56the potato soup which is the top of the pie.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59OK. So what's the volume going to be like at the back end of it?
0:02:59 > 0:03:02What does that mean? As in the amount of food?
0:03:02 > 0:03:04Amount of food to eat? It's quite rich that, Tim.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06- Is it?- Yeah.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Multi-millionaire Tim has an empire spanning 32 restaurants.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13His right-hand man is Chef Director John Branagan.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18That looks fantastic the way the spume's come out now.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20The spumer, can we not use -
0:03:20 > 0:03:24- Foam.- Just call it potato soup. - It's a potato soup.
0:03:24 > 0:03:25Fantastic.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Yeah, but I think there's enough food there as a main course.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33- I think it's too small, to be honest.- OK.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35How much are we going to charge for it?
0:03:35 > 0:03:38At the moment it's sitting at 26 quid.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42I know this sounds stupid,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44but I think the meat needs to be more succulent.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49I just think it's cooked... it's just dry.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00After eight months working full-time in the development kitchen,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Aiden has created over 50 dishes.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05His most spectacular is his beef board,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09served with King mushrooms, clay baked potatoes and salsify.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Whoo! Look at that! I mean, how cool is that?
0:04:16 > 0:04:19- So this is for two, isn't it? - Yeah. Yeah.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23You know it's just completely OTT, isn't it, it's wonderful.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25- I love it. - There's a lot of food there.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27- That's great.- A lot of food.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30There is, yeah. You're looking about 40 quid.
0:04:30 > 0:04:3240 quid? For two.
0:04:32 > 0:04:33No, no, no, no. Each.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35- Oh, OK, 80, really.- Yeah.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Taste one of those, fantastic.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47The last of the main courses is Aiden's signature lobster tail
0:04:47 > 0:04:49with a fennel top.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Can I just take that off a sec?
0:04:52 > 0:04:55- Why?- Because I just wanted to see what it looks...
0:04:55 > 0:04:56whether it needs to be there, that was all.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59- That's the foliage of the tree.- Yeah.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02- You see?- OK. I think it looks better without.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04No, that's totally different to...
0:05:04 > 0:05:07With the extravagant menu almost signed off, the next stage will be
0:05:07 > 0:05:10finding a team of 20 chefs who can actually cook his food.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13I think that's an excellent menu, mate.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15I do, I do, I do.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17There's no reason why that can't stand up to any other
0:05:17 > 0:05:21one or two starred restaurant in the country.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23I'm totally comfortable with that.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30After nine months, the development kitchen can be packed up
0:05:30 > 0:05:32and moved to the new site.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Aiden left home in Liverpool at 16 to make his name in some of the
0:05:37 > 0:05:40country's most respected kitchens.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43But when he opened his own top end restaurant in Cheshire he
0:05:43 > 0:05:46struggled to find enough customers and had to turn it into a pub.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49'I was the youngest chef ever to get a Michelin star
0:05:49 > 0:05:52'when I was 22, that's where I belong, that's what I'm known for.'
0:05:52 > 0:05:53That was 22, I'm 40 now.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57You know I can't carry on living on the back of that any more,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59I need to deliver pretty much now.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01I need to put on the plate what
0:06:01 > 0:06:04I believe I've got - what I believe I've got.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06This is my last throw of the dice.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09I'm not a has been, I haven't been and gone.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12In my opinion, I'm better now than I ever was.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Manchester's city centre population has boomed from 5,000
0:06:21 > 0:06:24to 25,000 in the last decade.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Aiden and Tim are targeting new, young professionals.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34In the Midland Hotel, Simon Rogan is hoping to attract wealthy
0:06:34 > 0:06:38foodies from across the north west.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42His restaurant, The French, has been open for two weeks.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45OK, one ten course, but no desserts.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Take the day off!
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Simon already has two Michelin stars at his restaurant
0:06:52 > 0:06:54in the Lake District.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56He's hoping for a third in Manchester.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Having a go at some edible
0:07:01 > 0:07:03razor clam shells.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07I made a sort of, like a potatoey sort of, flavoured tuile
0:07:07 > 0:07:09with some colouring in it
0:07:09 > 0:07:13and I'm going to dry it over the razor shell
0:07:13 > 0:07:16and dehydrate it, then deep fry it.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20We can just fill it with egg puree, egg yolk puree.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24Don't know. This is probably not a great idea for 40...
0:07:24 > 0:07:2540 covers every day.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Need to be out by 2.30 so let's crack on.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Let's go, let's go.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40The city's rich and famous are starting to arrive.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Noddy Holder's in the house. Get in.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Bring him into the kitchen. He's a legend.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Simon's on the crest of a wave at the moment,
0:07:49 > 0:07:50he's only getting bigger.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53He's one of, you know one of the chefs in the UK.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Well, we're with him now and he's with us,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57so that's got to benefit both.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02Automatically he gives a stamp of quality right away.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05We're hoping for the awards to come in. That's great recognition.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08But fundamentally we have to make money.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Fundamentally it's got to be a lot of money as well.
0:08:10 > 0:08:16But coping with the early success has exposed a major staffing issue.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Look, why isn't this hogget garnish ready? Why isn't it ready?
0:08:20 > 0:08:24The long hours and complexities are too much for the inexperienced
0:08:24 > 0:08:25chefs he's forced to rely upon.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28That sauce is not right at all.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32When the chicken stock completely disappears into the horseradish,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35it's way too thin, so get it thickened quickly.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39Every service, every puree, every sauce, checked.
0:08:43 > 0:08:44Oi, oi.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49All a bit tired and getting a bit flustered but it's really,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52really important to make sure everything is seasoned. Check.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57Get someone else to test it for seasoning, for consistency,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00and then a perfectly amazing service
0:09:00 > 0:09:04doesn't go completely pear shaped in the space of 30 seconds.
0:09:04 > 0:09:05- Yeah, all right?- Yeah.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09So just think about... Ask, ask, just ask someone, yeah?
0:09:09 > 0:09:13- Don't think it upon yourself, ask. Not sure about, ask.- OK, yeah.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20I knew it was going to be hard
0:09:20 > 0:09:23and me and the missus knew it was going to be hard...
0:09:23 > 0:09:24but...
0:09:25 > 0:09:28..it's another level of hardness.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32I don't see my mates any more, don't have time for 'em.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35The only people I have time for is the kitchen and me girlfriend.
0:09:35 > 0:09:36Got to have time for her.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39Spend me days off with her moaning at me
0:09:39 > 0:09:41just cos I'm falling asleep.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44She asks me why, it's cos I'm working so many hours.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53They're working 18 hour days. It's taking its toll.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56I've got a varicose vein, basically,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59just from standing on your feet all day and your veins give way.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02You know, yesterday I was going dizzy and everything and
0:10:02 > 0:10:05dizzy and like it was really painful you know, and because we're not
0:10:05 > 0:10:08eating and you're sort of drained as it is, you know and taking
0:10:08 > 0:10:11antibiotics and that it was like,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13I was just exhausted, you know what I mean?
0:10:13 > 0:10:15I couldn't really concentrate.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18I don't plan on working like this for ever.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22If I did I'd have gone to be London and be single.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Do you know what I mean? Not! I live in Manchester and married.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29But there's no chance of any rest.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32An inspector from Michelin or a national restaurant critic
0:10:32 > 0:10:34could arrive unannounced at any moment
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and their opinion could make or break the new restaurant.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Inspections go on all the time.
0:10:40 > 0:10:41It's very important
0:10:41 > 0:10:45that we do achieve a star here.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49So, it's every chef's dream to have stars in the Michelin Guide, so...
0:10:50 > 0:10:51..you know...
0:10:53 > 0:10:55..lot of pressure.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56PLATE CLATTERS
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Oh, for f...
0:10:58 > 0:11:03We're not going to have any plates left at this rate. Ohhhh!
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Manchester hasn't had a Michelin starred restaurant
0:11:10 > 0:11:13since the Midland itself in 1974.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Big named celebrity chefs, like Raymond Blanc
0:11:15 > 0:11:20and Marco Pierre White, have opened in the city but closed after
0:11:20 > 0:11:24struggling to find the customers to support fine dining.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Simon's rivals are opening 500 yards away
0:11:27 > 0:11:32in the business district, right next to thousands of potential customers.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34They're four weeks from first night
0:11:34 > 0:11:38and restaurateur Tim Bacon is overseeing every detail.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40So you've got these, you've got that,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43you've got the wingy panels at the back, they need to change.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45- Probably these lights. - Can we just trim the cable?
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Are we happy with that?
0:11:47 > 0:11:49One assumes we've got something for that.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51We have a panel, yeah.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54I can safely say this will be the most expensive restaurant
0:11:54 > 0:11:58I've ever done and I've done quite a few of them over the years.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01It will be well in excess of two million pounds spend
0:12:01 > 0:12:04which is a lot of money.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Particularly in the middle of a recession.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09But sometimes you've got to do these things.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12They want a restaurant that's luxurious but informal,
0:12:12 > 0:12:16a design that will appeal to the city's wealthy, young professionals.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20This is handmade in Cornwall, this paper.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24And that can be laser etched for the invites.
0:12:25 > 0:12:26Crazy.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Designer Aiden Keane has come up with an interior
0:12:30 > 0:12:33inspired by Manchester's industrial past.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38Crafted, optimistic. Nice balance between the two.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40It's so much more theatrical than normal.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43The whole building's theatrical, the whole space is theatrical.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47You're right in it. You walk through the kitchen into the restaurant.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48Never been done before.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52For me, the whole attitude is Manchester.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54It's not... We haven't got pictures of Georgie Best
0:12:54 > 0:12:56and Shaun Ryder on the walls
0:12:56 > 0:12:59and you know a kind of you know Stone Roses playing in the toilet.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03It's not about that. It's attitudinal.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Yeah, we're doing fine dining, but it doesn't need all that pomp.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11We look upon this detail in the same way that Aiden looks upon
0:13:11 > 0:13:13the detail of the food.
0:13:13 > 0:13:14That's the...
0:13:14 > 0:13:18A 360 journey, isn't it, all the way through. It is.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Beautiful, isn't it?
0:13:24 > 0:13:25To serve the food,
0:13:25 > 0:13:3050 waiting staff have been recruited by Tim's company Living Ventures.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33They've deliberately hired people without any previous
0:13:33 > 0:13:36experience of Michelin level service.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38I used to be a synchronised swimmer.
0:13:38 > 0:13:39I am Ukrainian.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42- I really enjoy rugby. - And I'm a snowboarder.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45And I've got a first class honours degree in dance.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47So, welcome and congratulations.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49You have to start an intensive training course which at times
0:13:49 > 0:13:51you'll find very demanding,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54but at the end you have the skills of a Living Ventures team member.
0:13:54 > 0:13:55You'll need to work hard...
0:13:55 > 0:13:58The company runs 20 restaurants in the north west,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01specialising in casual dining aimed at the under 30s.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05It's a destination dining experience and people are going to come
0:14:05 > 0:14:09for the theatre, to see you guys, to see the chefs,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12you know, to be able to watch the chefs like that.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15It's all about showmanship. Make yourself feel good.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Presentation and confidence go hand-in-hand with each other.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21If you feel like you look good, you feel more confident.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25Everything's going to look beautiful all the time.
0:14:25 > 0:14:26OK?
0:14:27 > 0:14:28Don't look so scared.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30We're going to teach you everything.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34It's easier to take a blank canvas
0:14:34 > 0:14:36and teach somebody from scratch how to do things.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38They've got no preconceived ideas as to how
0:14:38 > 0:14:41they should approach a table what they should do,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43so they'll do it the way we want them to and it's easier
0:14:43 > 0:14:46to take guys who've not necessarily done that before and teach them
0:14:46 > 0:14:49than it is to take somebody who's got an idea of what fine dining
0:14:49 > 0:14:54is, who are then going to do it their own way, if that makes sense.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56Was everyone on time?
0:14:56 > 0:14:57Yes. One bartender wasn't.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01- Did we fire him?- No.- Why?
0:15:03 > 0:15:07The waiting staff will be taught the Living Ventures company
0:15:07 > 0:15:09manual over four weeks.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14- 350.- They'll need to learn the numbered codes that waiters use to
0:15:14 > 0:15:16communicate during service.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20- 200.- A new customer needs attention.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22- 800.- Get security.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24500.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Come on, ten star jumps over here!
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Somebody nice looking walks in, so rather than have them
0:15:31 > 0:15:34shouting, "Look at her", they'll just go, "700".
0:15:34 > 0:15:35Afternoon, everybody.
0:15:35 > 0:15:41With an open kitchen, Aiden needs to communicate with the waiting staff.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44He's worked in some of London's most expensive restaurants, but he's
0:15:44 > 0:15:48developing a new, less formal style to appeal to a Manchester market.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52As the customer comes out the lift, Tim says as you hit this point
0:15:52 > 0:15:56it's then you lift your head up and that's the money shot.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Oh, shit. What's that?
0:15:58 > 0:16:00All right?
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Us Brits learned how to run fine dining restaurants
0:16:02 > 0:16:05off the French and if there's any French in here, please forgive me
0:16:05 > 0:16:09- but they're a bunch of arrogant - BLEEP- when it comes to a restaurant.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Our job is to be hospitable
0:16:11 > 0:16:16and welcoming to the people who are giving us a livelihood.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19So Manchester House is where
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Manchester is going to accept fine dining.
0:16:24 > 0:16:25I don't want it to be too starched,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28I don't want it to be too straight laced, I want it to be
0:16:28 > 0:16:31something that actually is part of the experience in a nice way.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34I'm not particularly interested in standoff waiters that might have
0:16:34 > 0:16:37an arrogance or two, don't have knowledge or three,
0:16:37 > 0:16:38aren't particularly friendly.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42They've got to engage and add to the experience of my...
0:16:42 > 0:16:44in my business.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Both chefs are bringing a level of cooking that's never been
0:16:52 > 0:16:55seen in the city before.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58There's no shortage of good restaurants in the north west,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02but ones with Michelin stars are often away from the cities,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05in Cheshire and the Lake District.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10At the Midland, Simon is trying to teach his chefs how to cook
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Michelin standard food.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17- Maybe that to go on first.- Yeah.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22I try to let things fall on the plate and you know,
0:17:22 > 0:17:27although it's placed on a plate I want it to look like it's fallen
0:17:27 > 0:17:31out of the sky or just grown up from the ground and it's very, very
0:17:31 > 0:17:37difficult to do that and you know, I feel sorry for the chef that has to
0:17:37 > 0:17:41try and plate my food because they're on a hiding to nothing.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44So, nothing really is good enough.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Try not to muck around with the cooking
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and we also try not to muck around with it
0:17:49 > 0:17:51when you're putting it on a plate. It's a very easy concept.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55Very...very simple way of looking at stuff.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58I wish it was that simple.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05It's a completely new approach to food for chefs
0:18:05 > 0:18:08like 18-year-old Jamal who's just left catering college.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Maybe what I'll get into more...
0:18:10 > 0:18:13find out more about how you grow things, you know.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Like before Simon come 'ere
0:18:15 > 0:18:18I didn't really think about anything like that.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22But seeing all the produce come down and how we grow all the cresses.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24It's like when you're sending food out, it looks...
0:18:24 > 0:18:28You get a nice, warm feeling when you send it down, it looks nice.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Like Christmas baubles, that's what they're like.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34- Table three please, thank you. - Table three.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40With a reputation as one of the country's most innovative cooks,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43food critics and Michelin inspectors are watching to see
0:18:43 > 0:18:47if Simon can successfully make the move into the city.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51Everyone's looking for something to moan about.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Everyone's looking for that kink in the armour,
0:18:53 > 0:18:57so if there is one they will find it, believe me,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00so it is, yeah, a lot of pressure trying to make sure every
0:19:00 > 0:19:05detail is followed to the letter and there's no mistakes, but mistakes
0:19:05 > 0:19:08happen unfortunately and you know,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10you have to take it on the chin.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15As well as the critics and inspectors,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17there are the food bloggers.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21One has posted a review of their visit on opening night.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Adam. Yes, Chef.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Shell, shell in the crab.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31It's quite good apart from the crab shell.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37It's a schoolboy error.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Shouldn't have happened, so something we have to
0:19:39 > 0:19:43look at very carefully and make sure it doesn't happen again.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46A bad review can break a new restaurant.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Service staff, ingredients and preparation all have to be perfect.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Simon has had a fortnight to prepare his team.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Aiden's had nearly six weeks.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04The idea is to try and do as less damage to the shell as possible.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07So the shell isn't shattering into the meat.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Because if you shatter the shell into the meat, you end up
0:20:10 > 0:20:13spending more time picking the shell out of the meat later on.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16There's five crabs there at 40 quid each.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19There's a lot of money in there, a hell of a lot of money.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22While the chefs learn Aiden's menu,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25construction work is falling behind.
0:20:25 > 0:20:31The restaurant needs to be ready for practice services in three days.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34I'm opening a restaurant without heat lamps which is a fairly major
0:20:34 > 0:20:37issue, quite frankly. Why is it taking so long?
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Um, cos, um...
0:20:39 > 0:20:42And more importantly than heat lamps, I need lights.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Now the lights are in, why aren't they working?
0:20:45 > 0:20:47That needs to be solved for tonight.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49So these and then light under there. You happy with that, Aiden?
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Anything else?
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Tim gets frustrated mainly with inadequacy.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59The "that'll do" attitude frustrates us all.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02He's the visionary and when you've got a vision
0:21:02 > 0:21:05and you've got it 100% in your head,
0:21:05 > 0:21:09then the slightest detail that is out of place ruins you.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11When are the ties happening?
0:21:13 > 0:21:14They've got the keys.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16I need it done. They should be done by tonight.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18They look ridiculous as they are
0:21:18 > 0:21:21and they've been sitting there for over a week now, so.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24I'm not reviewing it, just get it done, you know,
0:21:24 > 0:21:29you're three weeks late as it is. It needs to be sorted. All right.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36You cross their claws and put them face down.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39They go into like a little trance, right?
0:21:39 > 0:21:42You get them all relaxed, then you kill them.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44The meat will be better, yeah?
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Aiden has a team of 20 chefs to train.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Many of them have worked in London
0:21:52 > 0:21:56for chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00But there's always something new to learn.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Aiden is complicated in his food but it's his style,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05that's always been his style.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07He does like a lot of things on the plate,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09he does like a lot of things done different ways.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12He will go that extra mile to put another two things, even if
0:22:12 > 0:22:16it doesn't need to be there, but just to give it that edge.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Hate drips, hate tide marks.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24If there's one broad bean out of place or one pea shoot
0:22:24 > 0:22:29out of place or, you know, anything, I'm going to notice it.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35Unlike at The French where Simon has an experienced front of house,
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Aiden has to introduce the Living Ventures team of former pizza
0:22:39 > 0:22:44waiters and models to the intricacies of fine dining.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46This is chilled broad bean soup.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Don't use one hand as if you're putting it down.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Front of house. I'm reserving judgment at the moment.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Once I've got the food right and kitchen right I'll start
0:22:53 > 0:22:55worrying about the front of house.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58There's not one staff member out there who's worked in a restaurant
0:22:58 > 0:22:59we're aspiring to be.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02It's going to be a bit of a shock to them.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04I think there's a good few in there which will
0:23:04 > 0:23:06crumble at the first hurdle.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09This is the start of a £95 tasting menu,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12so it's quite an expensive journey.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15I want the customers to go away feeling that it's come from you
0:23:15 > 0:23:18and not a text book, all right?
0:23:18 > 0:23:20You put your personality into it.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23I really want that to come through, guys, otherwise you're all
0:23:23 > 0:23:26going to be a bunch of robots and we can replace you tomorrow with
0:23:26 > 0:23:29another bunch of robots and that's not what we want.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33The waiting staff need to memorise every dish...
0:23:33 > 0:23:37Razor clams. We've got some baby squid in here.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40..and some dishes have more than ten ingredients.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43The thing on top is a duck's tongue and duck's tongue
0:23:43 > 0:23:47is about the duckiest flavour you'll get from any part of the duck.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49There are complicated cooking techniques
0:23:49 > 0:23:51which the chefs are struggling to master.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55This isn't right. There's a few things missing which I'm not very
0:23:55 > 0:23:57happy about but we've got the lobster which has been
0:23:57 > 0:23:59poached in lobster butter.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Grilled fennel which hasn't been grilled very well.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Apple puree, fennel puree, lobster emulsion.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06You treat the freeze dried lobster
0:24:06 > 0:24:09as if you were serving Parmesan with pasta.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14And you grate the lobster over the top of the pasta.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Incredible, isn't it?
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Yeah, lobster's cooked too high.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22No mis en place ready, your dill wasn't chopped.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Like we had a conversation about it. Nothing was ready, Nat.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26First main course we've done, it was a disaster.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34With 99%, top of the pile, Alice Higgins.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Getting staff to the required standard
0:24:40 > 0:24:42means passing the daily tests.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Anyone who fails or turns up late is sent home.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Once you're in hospitality, it's tough every day.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52And if they're not cut out for it to sort of get to knuckle down
0:24:52 > 0:24:55and work hard now they're not going to make it for very long.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02'We're really fortunate to have this lead time in before we open.'
0:25:03 > 0:25:05If we were to open straightaway
0:25:05 > 0:25:08then obviously we would have been sinking like a battleship
0:25:08 > 0:25:10and my life would have been a lot more miserable,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13but every lunch and every evening that goes by, you know,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16we're one step closer to the restaurant being open to the public.
0:25:16 > 0:25:17So we need to get it right.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27It's the end of the third week at The French
0:25:27 > 0:25:30and there's still no sign of a newspaper critic
0:25:30 > 0:25:32or a Michelin inspector.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Staffing numbers are continuing to cause problems
0:25:34 > 0:25:36for head chef Adam Reid.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39When I come in at, like, eight o'clock, this place is dead.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Where is everybody?
0:25:42 > 0:25:44'And you're thinking...'
0:25:46 > 0:25:48This is going to be another bad week!
0:25:51 > 0:25:53- Morning.- Morning.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55- How you doing, mate, you all right? - Yeah, good.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00All go.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04Simon's reputation means critics are inevitable.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Spotting them is the problem.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09He wants them to get a perfect meal,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12so he's got his PR advisers to send up some biographies.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Most of these people book under different names
0:26:16 > 0:26:21with phone numbers that don't really go anywhere.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24So you just have to recognise their faces.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27So you have to have a good memory for faces
0:26:27 > 0:26:30which is one of the things that most of us have.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31I'm good at reading people.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35From my point of view, they don't really get any special treatment.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37Everyone should be treated the same.
0:26:37 > 0:26:38Oh! Hope he comes in.
0:26:40 > 0:26:41They're personable.
0:26:41 > 0:26:47There's not one bona fide arsehole in this list, that, you know...
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Well, there might be, I've not met them all,
0:26:49 > 0:26:51but the ones I've met, they're fine. They're great.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54It's the normal people who think they know what they're talking about
0:26:54 > 0:26:56you need to be worried about.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Although it's a day off, everyone's in.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Because there are no customers,
0:27:05 > 0:27:10the chefs get a rare chance to leave the kitchen and venture into town.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11Not used to the sunlight!
0:27:11 > 0:27:15Starting work at half six, seven o'clock in the morning
0:27:15 > 0:27:18and finishing at one, it's always dark, especially in the winter,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21so it's nice to see a bit of daylight on a weekday.
0:27:23 > 0:27:250ne of the advantages of working so hard
0:27:25 > 0:27:29is the chefs never spend their £300 weekly wages.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32When they do, they like to treat themselves.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Got to have good tools. It's like a workman, innit, you know?
0:27:35 > 0:27:40The new 300-layer Uday knife. The only one in Manchester.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43Probably the only one in the UK.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46And if you feel that there, you can actually feel the layers.
0:27:46 > 0:27:47Same as Simon's, this, innit?
0:27:47 > 0:27:50It's 300 layer, that is. That's 1,700 quid, that.
0:27:50 > 0:27:511,700? Yeah.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53That's handmade, that is.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56To be honest with you, for a peeling knife, that's fantastic, that is.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59It's really sharp, it's so sharp, that is.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01That's cute, that. It's great.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03- INTERVIEWER: - Do you lot ever share knives?
0:28:03 > 0:28:05- No.- We wouldn't share knives.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07I've never seen a chef share his knives.
0:28:07 > 0:28:08You shared your knife.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12We share bath water and girlfriends but definitely not knives, yeah!
0:28:12 > 0:28:13I'm only joking.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16It's your personal thing, innit? It's what...
0:28:16 > 0:28:18If someone else blunts your knife, you're going to go mental.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20- Are you having that?- Yeah.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33On top of his 18-hour days in Manchester,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Simon has his three restaurants in Cartmel in the Lake District
0:28:36 > 0:28:38to worry about.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42His wife Penny runs them on her own when he's away.
0:28:42 > 0:28:43He works seven days a week.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47We've had three holidays in 18 years now.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50I mean, he's a fair bit older than most of his staff as well
0:28:50 > 0:28:52and they find it tough.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54You know, once you hit 40 onward, it's different.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57You can't stand up all day and, you know,
0:28:57 > 0:29:02you're not made of the same stuff as these young 'uns, are you, really?
0:29:02 > 0:29:05Unfortunately, you get that arthritic click when you bend and...
0:29:05 > 0:29:07you know?
0:29:07 > 0:29:10So how would you like to appear in the Indie magazine?
0:29:10 > 0:29:12Like Brad Pitt?
0:29:12 > 0:29:14Hmm.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16Today he's being photographed
0:29:16 > 0:29:20for a newspaper article on his flagship restaurant L'Enclume.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22If I was a woman,
0:29:22 > 0:29:25I think Brad Pitt's got to be, like, top of my list. Don't you reckon?
0:29:25 > 0:29:27If you were a woman, I'd be very surprised.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33'I feel that I'm getting old. My time is running out.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37'I'm on a stopwatch. There's still a lot still to do'
0:29:37 > 0:29:41and I'm never content. I'm never happy. Always want more.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47But the pressure of spending so much time in Manchester
0:29:47 > 0:29:49has made Simon reconsider Roganic,
0:29:49 > 0:29:51a two-year pop-up restaurant in London,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53his only previous venture in a city.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55There's a bit of bad news, to be quite honest
0:29:55 > 0:29:58- but I wanted to tell you first. - He's calling the head chef.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02Um, we're not going to be doing anything else in London.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07No, I mean, I can't. I can't do it.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09Manchester's almost killed me.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12How much, you know, how much do you need?
0:30:12 > 0:30:14I mean, how...
0:30:14 > 0:30:16You know, what is enough?
0:30:18 > 0:30:20If Simon wants to finally make it in the city,
0:30:20 > 0:30:23he can't afford any other distractions.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25Why do we need to be in London?
0:30:25 > 0:30:28We've got incredibly successful businesses in the north west
0:30:28 > 0:30:31and this is where we are, so why do I need to be in London?
0:30:42 > 0:30:44The cutlery is going down here.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46With just two days until opening,
0:30:46 > 0:30:50Tim Bacon has arrived to inspect Manchester House.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53We just know him as the big man, the big boss, the CEO,
0:30:53 > 0:30:55who we all have to be terrified of!
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Tim has opened over 50 restaurants
0:30:59 > 0:31:02and turns over 60 million a year.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06He's hoping he can now make fine dining work in Manchester.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08Everything he touches turns to gold.
0:31:08 > 0:31:14That was my... That was my view of Tim Bacon before I even met him.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16The guy owns about 40 restaurants altogether
0:31:16 > 0:31:19so he knows... he knows what people want.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21That's not, that's not good enough.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24Obviously cos of linen being what it is, quite a ragged sort of finish
0:31:24 > 0:31:27- but perhaps not to that degree. - What are you talking about?
0:31:27 > 0:31:31I have linen shirts that are pristine. You just need someone who knows what to do with it.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34- Yeah, OK.- You've got tables at the moment so you need to get sorted out,
0:31:34 > 0:31:35- simple as that.- OK.
0:31:37 > 0:31:38- Hi.- Hi.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40- So this is the high street uniform, is it?- Yeah.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43- So this is the short-term one?- Yeah.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46- OK. Cool.- Thanks, Alice.- Alice.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50So with the shirt sort of being out like that, I mean...
0:31:50 > 0:31:54- I'd be inclined to try and get that tucked in.- I think so, yeah.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59'He knows in his head how he wants it to feel more than how it looks
0:31:59 > 0:32:02'and when you come in and talk about stuff and I say, "Look,
0:32:02 > 0:32:05'"I think it's cold, it's a bit this, it's not soft enough for me,"'
0:32:05 > 0:32:06he'll go and analyse that
0:32:06 > 0:32:10and he'll have a look at it and then he'll come back with some ideas.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12Can you do me a favour, take all the tablecloths off for me?
0:32:12 > 0:32:15'If you get to the end stage and he realises you have to spend,
0:32:15 > 0:32:18'you have to make massive changes, he's not afraid to kind of go,
0:32:18 > 0:32:21'"No, that didn't work for me, let's just totally change it."'
0:32:21 > 0:32:23And that's, you know, that's a brave...
0:32:25 > 0:32:27..brave decision to make after you've spent a lot of money
0:32:27 > 0:32:30to go in and go, "It doesn't work, let's just change it."
0:32:30 > 0:32:32I'm not happy with the white tablecloths.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34I'm going to look at different structures.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36I've seen a couple of different finishes.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42After he's seen the decor, Tim moves on to the service.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46He wants to see how his new waiters are serving Aiden's food.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50The new waiters have been practising their service style for two weeks.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52Why is it called beer can chicken?
0:32:52 > 0:32:55The actual can itself is put inside the chicken.
0:32:55 > 0:33:01Baby pink fir potatoes with artichoke and...
0:33:02 > 0:33:04Fed on beetroot juice for two days.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08Tim wants a service style that feels casual and welcoming...
0:33:08 > 0:33:10And I'll leave you with the smell of the soup.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13..but is actually tightly scripted and rehearsed.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20See, where was the conversation? I want the conversation.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22I want the theatre as it's happening.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26- So sorry.- Go back. The conversation starts from the table.
0:33:26 > 0:33:27I want that casualness.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31Right, so the conversation starts now.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33As you pick it up, "Right, what we've got here is..."
0:33:33 > 0:33:35..here guys is, um,
0:33:35 > 0:33:38a very famous dish with Aiden, as seen on The Great British Menu.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40- You've got your prawn cocktail... - Leave the things on there
0:33:40 > 0:33:42until you've finished.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45You've got your prawn cocktail with the passion fruit dome as well.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48Whoosh. And then, job done.
0:33:48 > 0:33:49Down with the card.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52Right, set that tray, let them take it. Off you go.
0:33:55 > 0:33:56- Foie gras.- Yeah.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58Palm sugar, cherries and pistachio.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02And we've just put some freeze dried cherry over the top, guys.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04Fantastic.
0:34:04 > 0:34:05You see the way that Aiden did that then,
0:34:05 > 0:34:08he's almost passing comment and I quite like that.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11And you've got to make sure that all the descriptors on these,
0:34:11 > 0:34:14what we don't do is just literally read out the card.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16So if you want that, I can get that.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18Soil of the sea and oxtails.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23Serving two oxtail consommes with beetroot flavoured oysters
0:34:23 > 0:34:28on a bed of dry ice flavoured with sea water is a complicated business.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30LAUGHTER
0:34:30 > 0:34:32And then we have our...
0:34:34 > 0:34:36- Hey, hey.- There we are.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40What you should be getting is that lovely sort of sea water smell, OK?
0:34:40 > 0:34:44So what we've got there is a sea and saltwater reduction we've added.
0:34:44 > 0:34:45OK, fantastic.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48There's a weakness in articulation. There's a nervousness there.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50All that needs to be drummed out
0:34:50 > 0:34:52and the only way you drum that out is through repetition
0:34:52 > 0:34:55and ensuring that people have a very tight mandate to work to.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57You've got to script it, send them home,
0:34:57 > 0:34:59they've got to come back and be tested on it by rote
0:34:59 > 0:35:02as if they're learning a play and this is a Shakespearean play.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04That's how complex it is.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Once they understand the script right, now ad-lib.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09That's when your personality comes into it
0:35:09 > 0:35:11and that's when the fun starts to happen.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15It's about the critics and the inspectors when they come.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17That's who you train them for.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20You know, that's the level they all need to be at.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24So that, you know, we don't fall foul. Yeah.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35At The French, Simon has returned from the Lakes
0:35:35 > 0:35:37with ingredients from his farm.
0:35:38 > 0:35:40Look at the size of them, they're massive.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43Simon gave me the bag and said, "Be careful, they're nettles."
0:35:43 > 0:35:45I put them on top of the trolley then lent on the bag.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47They are mighty big stings as well.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55They've had a full two days off, hopefully that's going to reflect
0:35:55 > 0:36:00in everyone full of beans this week and ready to rock, really.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04Two come in for the ten course.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09Salad gone on one.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12Three weeks after opening,
0:36:12 > 0:36:15there's no sign of inspectors or journalists.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18But there is one very important diner.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22Aiden's days from opening, but he needs to check out the competition.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26Just like any other customer.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32We're both at the same level, or we both want to be at the same level.
0:36:33 > 0:36:34But it's just a different product.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37No, I'm not surprised by any of it at all.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42The food itself is, is pretty much textbook Simon Rogan.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45It's pretty, it's exactly what I expected.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48I thought Simon was going to do something different for Manchester
0:36:48 > 0:36:50but it's not, he's doing exactly what he does
0:36:50 > 0:36:54and he's delivering a great product and I'm not worried about it at all
0:36:54 > 0:36:57because it's a totally different product.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00And at the end of day, it's a plate of vegetables,
0:37:00 > 0:37:02but by Christ, they taste good.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06Our cooking styles are like chalk and cheese, so obviously over the years
0:37:06 > 0:37:08Aiden has had a very precise,
0:37:08 > 0:37:12'classical style. He's worked for some very, very good chefs
0:37:12 > 0:37:15'and he's garnered a great reputation for himself,
0:37:15 > 0:37:19'so you know, he's always had a certain style. I understand'
0:37:19 > 0:37:21he's going a little bit off piste
0:37:21 > 0:37:24and doing something a bit different, which will be interesting to see.
0:37:24 > 0:37:25Two ox away on eight!
0:37:25 > 0:37:28'It's going to be a lot different to what we're doing'
0:37:28 > 0:37:31so you know, brilliant, if people come and stay at the Manchester
0:37:31 > 0:37:34for two nights, one night with me and one night with him, brilliant.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36Adam.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41- Those first two you gave me were cooked to- BLEEP,- yeah?
0:37:41 > 0:37:43I don't want to see shit like that, yeah.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45Nice radish like that, not like that, yeah?
0:37:45 > 0:37:47Aiden's budget means
0:37:47 > 0:37:50his staff have been able to rehearse his dishes long before opening.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52Come on!
0:37:52 > 0:37:54Simon's chefs are learning on the job
0:37:54 > 0:37:56and Adam Harper is finding it hardest.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58Butter, butter.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00You can't walk away from this on the burner.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03The burner is very hot, the butter will burn.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05You got beetroot on your fingers?
0:38:05 > 0:38:08- What, chef? - You got beetroot on your fingers.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13All that shit is coming through this cloth, yeah.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16'One day I've got to walk away from this restaurant a bit more'
0:38:16 > 0:38:18and I've got to be 100% confident
0:38:18 > 0:38:24that the team I've got in here are absolutely bang on the money.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28So at the moment, the people that are not doing what they're told
0:38:28 > 0:38:32and making all these mistakes are prolonging my involvement here
0:38:32 > 0:38:35when I've got lots of other things to be getting on with.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38So they'd better shape up quick or else they'll be out.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41Just getting it right. I want to get it right.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43And that's the only bit that's annoying me
0:38:43 > 0:38:47cos I've not been 100% and I know I'm not and they know I've not.
0:38:49 > 0:38:5111.
0:38:51 > 0:38:52Before service,
0:38:52 > 0:38:57Simon set aside a larger piece of veal for Aiden's table.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01Adam has mistakenly sent it out to another customer.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04It's the one I told you to specifically keep, so...
0:39:06 > 0:39:10Could I have some sorrel and a sauce, please?
0:39:10 > 0:39:11HE SIGHS
0:39:11 > 0:39:13I tell you, I don't know why I bother.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18Simon wanted to make sure Aiden got the best.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22When... When I ask you to do something, yeah,
0:39:22 > 0:39:26when I specifically ask you to do something, I expect you to do it.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28I don't want any excuses.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32I will give you all the benefit in the world, yeah, I will help you,
0:39:32 > 0:39:36but when you do not do what you are told
0:39:36 > 0:39:38when I specifically tell you to do something,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41you won't be working here for very long, yeah?
0:39:44 > 0:39:47- I did that for a reason and now you've- BLEEP- me up, yeah?
0:40:04 > 0:40:08Soon as you gave me that veal earlier, I knew what you'd done.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12At the end of the day, I gave you two packets of veal,
0:40:12 > 0:40:17I said, "Cook these for that table." I haven't got it. Yeah?
0:40:19 > 0:40:20- And that really- BLEEP- me off.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27There's only so much I can take, yeah?
0:40:30 > 0:40:34Failed at the last. Disaster.
0:40:41 > 0:40:46And it's just like people not doing what you...what you tell them to,
0:40:46 > 0:40:48that's the thing, that is the thing.
0:40:50 > 0:40:51I cannot stand it,
0:40:51 > 0:40:57cannot stand such a clear instruction and they do not do it. It's just...
0:40:57 > 0:41:00It's one of the biggest bugbears of my life.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05- Hello, mate. - Leave these people alone, will you?
0:41:05 > 0:41:08- Hello, mate, how's it going? You all right?- All right?
0:41:08 > 0:41:11- How's it going?- Good, yeah. - Pleased to meet you, John Branagan.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13- All right. - Thank you.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15You've come to a mad house!
0:41:17 > 0:41:21You've got this to come, mate, you have. Yeah.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24- You've met Dan, haven't you, you met Dan?- No, I haven't no.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26- Dan.- Pleased to you meet you. You all right?- Not bad.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29- Yeah, this is Adam. - I've met you before, haven't I?
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Yeah, yeah. Was it all OK? Did you enjoy it?
0:41:32 > 0:41:34It was great, yeah, fantastic.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36Is this it? You all day, is it, in here?
0:41:36 > 0:41:38Pretty much.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41Although they're both after the same thing,
0:41:41 > 0:41:44the two chefs have very different budgets behind them.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47Simon has inherited an old kitchen.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49Aiden has one costing nearly a million.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52But the realities of life in them are the same.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54- Tough few days.- Has it?- Yeah.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57As I say, you know, we've taken a few duds.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00We've had a couple of walkers, just not up to it.
0:42:02 > 0:42:07- But the others, this vision of this... yeah.- Yeah.
0:42:07 > 0:42:12- And then reality smacks them in the face.- Yeah.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14"This is not what it's meant to be like!"
0:42:14 > 0:42:16LAUGHTER
0:42:17 > 0:42:19Getting nervous, are you?
0:42:19 > 0:42:21I am yeah, yeah.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23Yeah. Be honest, like, I am, yeah, of course I am, yeah.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27I must admit, I was... The first day we opened here I was pretty nervous.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29I didn't know why but I really was.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33I really, really was, yeah. I was really cacking it, like.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38- See you, mate. - Good to see you.- Cheers, mate.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40'I probably know how Aiden feels.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44'It's a massive, massive project he's taken on.'
0:42:44 > 0:42:49They're spending loads of money, he must be under loads of pressure,
0:42:49 > 0:42:52you know, but they've... they've made their bed now,
0:42:52 > 0:42:55you know, they've come out and said exactly what they want to do
0:42:55 > 0:42:57and they're going to have to deliver it.
0:43:06 > 0:43:07Gary.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12Listen, I'll call you back in a minute. I'm stuck in a lift.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16John Branagan is the Living Ventures Chef Director
0:43:16 > 0:43:19overseeing Manchester House.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22Manchester House is up, isn't it?
0:43:22 > 0:43:24He's been brought in to make sure
0:43:24 > 0:43:26the dishes Aiden created in the development kitchen
0:43:26 > 0:43:29can be delivered in the restaurant when it opens tomorrow.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32One and a half minutes for one frog's legs, please.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38Today, Aiden's team are serving 70 imaginary diners.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40Service, please!
0:43:40 > 0:43:45Nearly £4,000 worth of food is being served and binned.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49One chicken, one squab, one pork, one Galloway rib-eye medium.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52We've never opened this restaurant before,
0:43:52 > 0:43:56we've never done this concept before apart from on paper, really.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58So that's what it's for.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01And it's something we always do, costs us a lot of money
0:44:01 > 0:44:04but it pays dividends when people walk through the door
0:44:04 > 0:44:05and we know what we're doing
0:44:05 > 0:44:07and we're not tripping over our feet all the time.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09And that's the purpose of it.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12This is your beetroot and oxtail consomme
0:44:12 > 0:44:14which we serve at precisely 50 degrees
0:44:14 > 0:44:17as that's the best temperature for you to enjoy it at.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19The pressure's on Aiden, not on me,
0:44:19 > 0:44:22I'm just the eye candy in this scenario.
0:44:24 > 0:44:28While John works his way through the entire menu...
0:44:28 > 0:44:29Is it any wonder I'm a fat bastard?
0:44:29 > 0:44:32..the waiting staff perfect their service
0:44:32 > 0:44:35to 70 empty place settings.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37This cheese has been made in our kitchen
0:44:37 > 0:44:38and potato gnocchi as well.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42Each dish now comes with a specific set of instructions,
0:44:42 > 0:44:45covering its place on the table and its description.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47So, burnt fennel linguini...
0:44:47 > 0:44:50No, stop moving. Stay there.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53Do it again. You've just put that tray in my face
0:44:53 > 0:44:56- and now you've stood with your arse in my face, OK?- Yeah, sorry.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58- So, away from the table. - Yeah, OK.- Put yourself here
0:44:58 > 0:45:01and the server will come to you and take it back out.
0:45:01 > 0:45:03Hello, standing there. Salad ready for the turbot.
0:45:03 > 0:45:05Come on. Sorrel.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07It's the first time the kitchen has had to cook Aiden's food
0:45:07 > 0:45:09in large quantities.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11Try and time your salads so when I call for them
0:45:11 > 0:45:14you're pulling your tongue out of the fire.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16I want the customer to get a hot tongue.
0:45:16 > 0:45:17Service!
0:45:17 > 0:45:20This is your turbot fillet and you've got cockles,
0:45:20 > 0:45:22turbot skirt and sea herbs in there as well.
0:45:27 > 0:45:31Check on one langoustine, one frog leg, one lamb rack, one lobster.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34Try and get your legs to stand up next time, guys,
0:45:34 > 0:45:36your pigeon legs, yeah?
0:45:36 > 0:45:39My ambition here is to cook food I've never cooked before.
0:45:39 > 0:45:40Take it to a new level,
0:45:40 > 0:45:43and that in itself is a massive challenge.
0:45:44 > 0:45:49Aiden's food looks spectacular, uses obscure ingredients, but
0:45:49 > 0:45:53it will all be for nothing if people in Manchester don't like the taste.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57'I've spent my life eating food, so I must have some credibility
0:45:57 > 0:46:01'and some understanding of what is being served on a plate.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04'We spent a year just developing the menu.'
0:46:04 > 0:46:06Before we even built the bloody place.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08This was planned meticulously,
0:46:08 > 0:46:11'100... we plan everything meticulously.'
0:46:11 > 0:46:14I don't think it's hot enough, no.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17It just took a long time, that, didn't it? To come out.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20It was being plated before we...
0:46:20 > 0:46:23- you know, the lobster?- Before we went onto the lobster?- Yeah.
0:46:23 > 0:46:25- This one's medium rare, yeah? - Yes, Chef.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28Tim wants the restaurant to appeal to everyone,
0:46:28 > 0:46:33so he's insisted there's a steak on the menu at £50.
0:46:33 > 0:46:37It's very tasty but I can't say it's the best rib-eye I've ever eaten.
0:46:37 > 0:46:38I'll be honest.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41There's a bit too much chew on that.
0:46:41 > 0:46:46Crisp on the outside, full of flavour and fluffy on the inside.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48A little bit like me.
0:46:52 > 0:46:57John has assembled a plate with all the ingredients he's not happy with.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59I am finding it tough.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01- I know it's kale but it's rather tough.- OK.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05- But I felt that on the back edge it's just...- Not rendered enough.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08Yeah, not colourful and rendered enough.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10I felt the langoustine are undercooked.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13These taste awesome.
0:47:13 > 0:47:14The only issue I've got is,
0:47:14 > 0:47:1930 seconds later, I thought they were quite uncrispy.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21On the prawn cocktail, I know it's your signature dish
0:47:21 > 0:47:24and what have you, but I find it really tart.
0:47:24 > 0:47:28In fact, quite overpowering with everything else that's in there.
0:47:29 > 0:47:33Aiden's last restaurant in the north west turned into a gastro pub
0:47:33 > 0:47:37because he failed to find a market for his fine dining menu.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40'One of my wife's concerns is...
0:47:40 > 0:47:43'have I got the ability to, to be diplomatic to people?'
0:47:44 > 0:47:47This restaurant and me in this restaurant
0:47:47 > 0:47:50wouldn't have survived five years ago.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54'I wouldn't have been able to put up with John Branagan.'
0:47:54 > 0:47:58I probably wouldn't have been able to put up with Tim Bacon. Um...
0:47:58 > 0:48:00He would have, I think he would have overwhelmed me.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04'But now, you know, I'm a much calmer person now.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07'I'm in a position now where I appreciate what they do.'
0:48:09 > 0:48:14After nearly 12 months' preparation and £3.5 million spent,
0:48:14 > 0:48:18Manchester House will see its first guests arrive in 24 hours.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36At The French,
0:48:36 > 0:48:39the kitchen has lost its seventh member of staff in six weeks.
0:48:39 > 0:48:43Junior chef Jamal has failed to turn up for work.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45He may just be ill.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49But I need people, especially now, I need people I can rely on.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52I know it's long, tough hours and it's not nice
0:48:52 > 0:48:56and all this kind of stuff, but for each person that goes,
0:48:56 > 0:49:02you know, it only gets tougher for the ones that are left, doesn't it?
0:49:02 > 0:49:06- That's Mason. Oh, no, it's Miles. Mason.- Mason.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10Just look out for anyone Scottish tonight.
0:49:10 > 0:49:11Yeah. Oh...
0:49:13 > 0:49:15Got a feeling. That feeling.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19With the kitchen understaffed,
0:49:19 > 0:49:23Simon is still expecting a national food critic at any time.
0:49:23 > 0:49:24We need to sort that out as well.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28Welcome to The French, everyone. Have you been before?
0:49:28 > 0:49:32Waiting staff have been told to look out for anyone suspicious
0:49:32 > 0:49:34dining alone.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42Unknown to Simon and the staff,
0:49:42 > 0:49:45the critic has been and gone.
0:49:47 > 0:49:51It's only when a tweet comes through that Simon realises.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53- That was him.- Eh?
0:49:55 > 0:49:58Yeah, that was the one on his own, then, weren't it?
0:49:58 > 0:49:59Oh.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03Get Camilla.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05They should be able to recognise Giles Coren.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07HE SIGHS
0:50:07 > 0:50:08Do you know who the one was?
0:50:08 > 0:50:12Did he have black... Michael, did the one have black curly hair?
0:50:12 > 0:50:15Thin guy, yeah, that was Giles Coren.
0:50:17 > 0:50:18Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23How could they not spot Giles Coren?
0:50:23 > 0:50:25The one was Giles Coren.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28- Never met him before. - It's Giles Coren.
0:50:28 > 0:50:33He's only, like, the most... one of the most famous critics going.
0:50:33 > 0:50:37Bit embarrassed we didn't actually notice who he was, though.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41Giles Coren is the restaurant critic for the Sunday Times.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44A good review could put Manchester on the map.
0:50:44 > 0:50:45We had Giles Coren.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48'Food is happening in London, you can't deny that.'
0:50:48 > 0:50:50This is hopefully going to try and change things.
0:50:50 > 0:50:54It will never be as strong as London and never will be.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57From a business point of view, this will generate bookings.
0:51:00 > 0:51:01Shortly after,
0:51:01 > 0:51:05Giles Coren's verdict on The French appears in the Sunday Times.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07Ooh.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09Where is it?!
0:51:10 > 0:51:13"I'd walk to Manchester barefoot in the rain for one more mouthful
0:51:13 > 0:51:16"of the chopped raw rib-eye of ox in coal oil."
0:51:16 > 0:51:19And he lives in London. That's a long way.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22"Likewise, an extraordinary salad of early spring offerings
0:51:22 > 0:51:24"from Rogan's Cumbrian poly-tunnels."
0:51:24 > 0:51:28"White and olive paintwork inside is like something out of Oscar Wilde.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31"The lobby is vast and sprawling like something out of Dubai."
0:51:31 > 0:51:35"It's a wonderful restaurant, one of the best around."
0:51:36 > 0:51:40Yeah, I did good. Score - eight.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42Yeah, good.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44It's a winner, really, innit?
0:51:44 > 0:51:46If we'd stayed as The French as was,
0:51:46 > 0:51:48would we have actually ended up in the Saturday Times,
0:51:48 > 0:51:52Giles Coren coming in and doing an interview? No, we wouldn't.
0:51:52 > 0:51:53Eight is a good start.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55It's an amazing start.
0:51:55 > 0:51:56Yeah, very pleased.
0:51:56 > 0:52:00I'm always cautious. You know? Yeah, I'm pleased.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02That's when all the hard work starts,
0:52:02 > 0:52:06cos obviously The French has arrived now, eight out of ten.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09It's not the new boy any more,
0:52:09 > 0:52:13so that's when all the hard work starts,
0:52:13 > 0:52:16when you have to keep up your standards and be on top of your game
0:52:16 > 0:52:19cos there's always, always someone there to try and shoot you down.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22Always someone there to try and say, "No, you're not."
0:52:22 > 0:52:24So it's a different type of pressure now.
0:52:24 > 0:52:28Pressure getting there, now it's the pressure to keep the standards up.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34But the success has come at a price for junior chef Jamal.
0:52:34 > 0:52:39He's made an unexpected return after a two-week absence.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41- So what happened?- God knows, I don't know what happened.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44If I knew what happened, then I'd be able to explain it.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48Just had, like, God knows, breakdown, and then that was it.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51I went to the hospital. They said it was due to I weren't eating right
0:52:51 > 0:52:54or sleeping or anything, but God knows what it was.
0:52:54 > 0:52:58Jamal has been told to work in the hotel's banqueting kitchen,
0:52:58 > 0:53:01rather than return to The French.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03We couldn't have him back in the kitchen.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07He'd let us down, no matter how much undue pressure he was under.
0:53:09 > 0:53:11He was good, but at the end of the day,
0:53:11 > 0:53:13you're only as good as what you can hack.
0:53:13 > 0:53:15When you walk out, you've gone.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18You've gone, that's it, sorry, but you've gone.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23Season or anything?
0:53:23 > 0:53:26Jamal lasted just one shift in the banqueting kitchen.
0:53:29 > 0:53:31He's not been seen in the hotel since.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39Restaurants are three times more likely to fail in the first year
0:53:39 > 0:53:40than any other business.
0:53:42 > 0:53:47With 3.5 million invested, Manchester House is a big gamble.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52After 12 months' preparation,
0:53:52 > 0:53:56the restaurant is about to welcome its first guests, invited friends
0:53:56 > 0:53:59and business associates who can put the staff through their paces.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02In a lot of ways, these will be our hardest critics.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04It's your wife, general managers from around the business,
0:54:04 > 0:54:07they'll be a bit sneery about things and looking to pick
0:54:07 > 0:54:10and we don't want to give them anything to pick on. They need to go away and be wooed.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12If we can woo these guys, we'll be well on our way.
0:54:12 > 0:54:17In my eyes, this has been two years in the making, you know,
0:54:17 > 0:54:20I'm as nervous as I've been since I was a young boy
0:54:20 > 0:54:22and I'm very excited about it.
0:54:22 > 0:54:26I feel very confident about the team that we've got around us,
0:54:26 > 0:54:29you should all be very proud of yourselves, so let's do it.
0:54:29 > 0:54:32All right? Thank you very much, cheers.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37Go Team Manchester House!
0:54:39 > 0:54:42We are hosts.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45Our job is to start off the journey for customers.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50- How you doing? Have you changed your hair?- Yeah.
0:54:50 > 0:54:52You all right?
0:54:52 > 0:54:56Guests start their Manchester House experience in the tenth-floor bar
0:54:56 > 0:55:00with views of the city, cocktails and appetisers.
0:55:00 > 0:55:04- Table.- Then it's downstairs for the start of their tasting menus.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07We've got two...
0:55:07 > 0:55:08We've got four guests in.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15Very relaxed(!) Everyone's pacing like caged animals.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19Come on, there, guys, yeah.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23When the restaurant opens for real next week,
0:55:23 > 0:55:27they will need to serve 90 covers a day to make money.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30Tonight's diners are friends and supporters.
0:55:30 > 0:55:34Next week it will be critics and maybe Michelin inspectors.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36We're not really learning anything right now
0:55:36 > 0:55:38because it's just fallen in slowly
0:55:38 > 0:55:41and it's one dish every ten minutes and stuff like that
0:55:41 > 0:55:45and you know, so the guys are not under any pressure in the kitchen.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47The guys on the floor are under no pressure
0:55:47 > 0:55:50so we'll try and force that a little bit.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52Try and make it a bit more difficult for them.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58To test the kitchen and the waiting staff,
0:55:58 > 0:56:01all the diners are sent down from the bar in one go.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03Check on, one frog leg,
0:56:03 > 0:56:07one vegetarian potato and artichoke salad and oxtail and one chicken.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09One lamb, one onion macaroni.
0:56:09 > 0:56:10A beer can chicken and bass.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15Get ready on eight pigeon, yeah. Scallops coming.
0:56:17 > 0:56:19Come on, guys, hurry up, please.
0:56:19 > 0:56:20Tray, tray, tray.
0:56:22 > 0:56:23Hurry up!
0:56:23 > 0:56:25Seriously, Nat, hurry up, mate, please.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29We made it a lot more difficult than we needed to
0:56:29 > 0:56:31and it's gone really, really well.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33So I am actually really, really quite pleased.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35I had the lobster, actually, the bistro.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37Absolutely stunning, yeah, excellent.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39A pleasant surprise, yes, been lovely.
0:56:41 > 0:56:42Gorgeous!
0:56:42 > 0:56:46Got rib-eye steak. We've got cavolo nero,
0:56:46 > 0:56:50we've got onion mash, we've got char-grilled oyster mushrooms.
0:56:50 > 0:56:52Something in a bone.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55What can you say?
0:56:55 > 0:57:00Beer can chicken, a lamb and a steak pie for Tim Bacon.
0:57:00 > 0:57:02Hurry up, let's go, please.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08Tim has spent over 3 million on Manchester House.
0:57:08 > 0:57:12This is his chance to see what he's got for his money.
0:57:12 > 0:57:14He's sitting on his phone and he makes notes as he does
0:57:14 > 0:57:17right throughout the evening and then we'll all go home and wake up early
0:57:17 > 0:57:21in the morning and see what's on the e-mail and find out the comments.
0:57:23 > 0:57:25We're miles away from where we want to be,
0:57:25 > 0:57:29but I also wouldn't expect to be there right now.
0:57:31 > 0:57:33With the restaurant about to open,
0:57:33 > 0:57:36it's time for Aiden to take centre stage.
0:57:36 > 0:57:39'There's nowhere for me to hide. This is an open kitchen.
0:57:39 > 0:57:40'I was lying in bed last night
0:57:40 > 0:57:43'thinking, "I've bitten off too much, more than I can chew."
0:57:43 > 0:57:46'Thinking, "I'm not going to be able to deliver this."
0:57:46 > 0:57:49'Because we've driven that expectation by saying we want a Michelin star,
0:57:49 > 0:57:53'so that level of expectation is just getting bigger and bigger.'
0:57:53 > 0:57:56Deep down inside, that's what's keeping me awake at night.
0:57:57 > 0:58:01One day all onions will be served like that.
0:58:01 > 0:58:04What's the point in having a restaurant if it don't make money?
0:58:04 > 0:58:07Next week, success or failure for the two restaurants
0:58:07 > 0:58:09as they count the cost of opening.
0:58:09 > 0:58:11Easily 200 quid.
0:58:11 > 0:58:12Seven no-shows.
0:58:12 > 0:58:17People who are just far too rude to actually cancel the table.
0:58:18 > 0:58:22And Michelin announce their new stars for 2014.
0:58:22 > 0:58:26We're pulling our tripe out and spending a bloody fortune in order
0:58:26 > 0:58:29to bring something to Manchester that, you know, it should have.
0:58:30 > 0:58:32Because there's talk about it
0:58:32 > 0:58:35doesn't necessarily mean that they'll give it.
0:58:35 > 0:58:36There you go. Full list.