The Restaurant (Irish TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Restaurant is a successful Irish
reality television
programme broadcast on RTÉ One
. The seventh series began on 16 November 2008, running on Sundays at 20:30. In each episode a celebrity head chef takes on the culinary challenge of producing a top class, three-course meal with two value-for-money wines. This is then served to the restaurant's customers and the resident critics, Tom Doorley and Paolo Tullio, who are joined each week by a guest critic. The chef's identity remains a secret to those being served their food until the end of the show when all has been eaten. The critics give the meal a star rating of between one and five, which is then pulled from an envelope after the head chef joins the critics' table. The Restaurant is voiced over by Seán Moncrieff
and the restaurant is manned by John Healy, Maitre'D; the kitchen staff, chefs David Workowich, Stephen McAllister and Louise Lennox and food reasearcher, Stephen Quin, and waiting staff, waitress, Elaine Normile and waiters, Lee Bradshaw and Vivian Reynolds. Following on from the success of the television show, RTÉ published The Restaurant - The Magazine, which includes images and recipes from the series.
The format is sold internationally by Vision Independent Productions under the title The Secret Chef. It has had 3 seasons in Italy.
, where filming took place at Wineport Lodge overlooking Lough Ree
, in Glassan
village. The celebrity arrives on location at 10:00 on the day of filming and immediately commences working with the team. Their first task is to describe their own menu to the kitchen staff. The chef works with Workovich on starters, McAllister on the main courses and Lennox on desserts. They prepare their meal until 18:30 and diners enter the restaurant at 19:00. The chef leaves the kitchen at 22:00 to reveal their identity to the dining room.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
programme broadcast on RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
. The seventh series began on 16 November 2008, running on Sundays at 20:30. In each episode a celebrity head chef takes on the culinary challenge of producing a top class, three-course meal with two value-for-money wines. This is then served to the restaurant's customers and the resident critics, Tom Doorley and Paolo Tullio, who are joined each week by a guest critic. The chef's identity remains a secret to those being served their food until the end of the show when all has been eaten. The critics give the meal a star rating of between one and five, which is then pulled from an envelope after the head chef joins the critics' table. The Restaurant is voiced over by Seán Moncrieff
Seán Moncrieff
Seán Moncrieff is an Irish broadcaster, journalist and writer. He currently presents the weekday afternoon radio show Moncrieff on Newstalk. His television credits include his own Raidió Teilifís Éireann chat show Good Grief Moncrieff!, comedy panel show Don't Feed the Gondolas, and The...
and the restaurant is manned by John Healy, Maitre'D; the kitchen staff, chefs David Workowich, Stephen McAllister and Louise Lennox and food reasearcher, Stephen Quin, and waiting staff, waitress, Elaine Normile and waiters, Lee Bradshaw and Vivian Reynolds. Following on from the success of the television show, RTÉ published The Restaurant - The Magazine, which includes images and recipes from the series.
The format is sold internationally by Vision Independent Productions under the title The Secret Chef. It has had 3 seasons in Italy.
Background
The Restaurant moved location three seasons ago to County WestmeathCounty Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
, where filming took place at Wineport Lodge overlooking Lough Ree
Lough Ree
Lough Ree is a lake in the midlands of Ireland, the second of the three major lakes on the River Shannon. Lough Ree is the second largest lake on the Shannon after Lough Derg. The other two major lakes are Lough Allen to the north, and Lough Derg to the south, there are also several minor lakes...
, in Glassan
Glassan
Glassan is a small village of 216 inhabitants in rural County Westmeath, Ireland. It is north of Athlone, on the N55 national secondary road, not far from the shores of Lough Ree...
village. The celebrity arrives on location at 10:00 on the day of filming and immediately commences working with the team. Their first task is to describe their own menu to the kitchen staff. The chef works with Workovich on starters, McAllister on the main courses and Lennox on desserts. They prepare their meal until 18:30 and diners enter the restaurant at 19:00. The chef leaves the kitchen at 22:00 to reveal their identity to the dining room.
Head chefs
| Guest critic | Rating | Broadcast date | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Tracy Piggott | ||||
| Celia Larkin Celia Larkin Celia Larkin is a former Irish civil servant and was the partner of then Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Their relationship ended in April 2003. Ahern is separated, though not divorced, from his wife. There was some controversy in the media at Ahern's public presentation of his partner... |
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| Anna Nolan Anna Nolan Anna Nolan is an Irish television presenter, producer and former business manager, waitress and Irish international basketball player. She has presented numerous television programmes in Ireland and the UK... |
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| George Hook George Hook George Hook is an Irish broadcaster, journalist and rugby union pundit. He had a career as a rugby union coach and businessman, before becoming a rugby pundit with Raidió Teilifís Éireann... /Brent Pope Brent Pope (rugby analyst) Brent Pope is a New Zealand born rugby analyst on RTÉ television, rugby journalist,childrens book author, After dinner speaker and founder of Outside In Art Gallery in Dublin Ireland.-Playing career:... |
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| Gillian Bowler | ||||
| Gavin Lambe Murphy | ||||
| Leo Enright Leo J. Enright Leo J. Enright is an Irish radio broadcaster and news reporter. He is currently Chairman of the Irish Government's science awareness programme, Discover Science & Engineering. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the School of Cosmic Physicsat the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. Leo... |
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| Caroline Morahan Caroline Morahan Caroline Morahan is an Irish actress and television host. She presents TV fashion show Off the Rails on RTÉ One. She has hosted numerous television shows including The Fame Game, Chance to Dance, The Podge and Rodge Show and The IFTA's Red Carpet Show, and has been a celebrity judge on talent shows... |
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| Diarmuid Gavin Diarmuid Gavin Diarmuid Gavin is an Irish garden designer and television personality. He is married to Justine Keane, daughter of The Hon. Ronan Keane, the former Chief Justice of Ireland, and Terry Keane, and they have a daughter named Eppie born December 2004.-Early life:When he was six, his younger brother... |
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| Cathy Kelly Cathy Kelly Cathy Kelly is a Northern Irish internationally best-selling author of female fiction. She is a former journalist.Kelly is one of the largest women's authors to come out of Northern Ireland along with Marian Keyes and Cecelia Ahern, having once outsold both Dan Brown and J. K. Rowling in the UK.... |
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| Simon Delaney Simon Delaney Simon Delaney is an Irish television and theatre director, whose works include the RTE series Bachelors Walk as one of three bachelors living together in a flat on the quays in Dublin.... |
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| Dermot O'Neill Dermot O'Neill (gardener) Dermot O'Neill is a well known Irish gardener and editor of Garden Heaven magazine, who has appeared on many radio and television programmes for both RTÉ and the BBC Northern Ireland and has contributed regular columns for the RTÉ Guide and numerous Irish newspapers and magazines including The... |
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| Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh is an Irish TV presenter, Gaeilgeoir and all-round personality. She has presented Echo Island, The Afternoon Show and Charity ICA Bootcamp. She was a judge in The All Ireland Talent Show and participated in Celebrity Bainisteoir.-Career:Ní Chofaigh is an accomplished... |
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| Jon Kenny Jon Kenny Jon Kenny lives in Lough Gur and is one half of the famous Irish comic duo d'Unbelievables with Pat Shortt... |
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| Peter Kelly Peter Kelly Peter Kelly may refer to:*Peter Kelly , Irish Fianna Fáil politician and TD for Longford-Roscommon*Peter J. Kelly, current mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada... |
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| Dana Dana Rosemary Scallon Dana Rosemary Scallon , known in her singing career simply as Dana, is an Irish singer and former Member of the European Parliament .... |
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| Helen Dillon | ||||
| Mary Kingston Mary Kingston Mary Kingston , is an Irish children's television presenter and philanthropist. She is the current presenter of The Disney Club on RTÉ Two. She has also presented Scratch Saturday and The Works.... |
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| Eanna Ní Lamhna | ||||
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| Amanda Brunker Amanda Brunker Amanda Brunker is a novelist, journalist/columnist with the Irish Sunday World newspaper, and former Miss Ireland.... |
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| Lisa Burke Lisa Burke Lisa Burke is an Irish weather forecaster.-Background:Burke was born and lived in Killeshin, near the town of Carlow in County Carlow, Ireland and attended school there before moving to London with her family in 1987. Her father is Tony Burke, a former goalkeeper for Laois... |
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| Tony Fenton Tony fenton Anthony James Fagan , known professionally as Tony Fenton, is an Irish radio presenter and DJ, currently working with Today FM. He has been with Today FM since 2004, having previously presented a show on RTÉ 2fm, which he left in 2003. Fenton is "one of Ireland's favourite pop DJs". Louis Walsh has... |
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| John McGuire John McGuire John McGuire was a film actor of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. In many of his early films he was a leading man, however later in his career he was forced to play bit parts... |
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| Ruth Scott |
Previous series
| Rating | Guest critic | Broadcast date | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerald Kean Gerald Kean Gerald Kean is an Irish celebrity solicitor from County Cork. He is regularly the subject of social columns, particularly in the Sunday newspapers which have reported his lavish spending sprees and sun holidays involving his wife and other people, with The Irish Times once describing him as having... |
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| Ray D'Arcy Ray D'Arcy Raymond 'Ray' D'Arcy is an Irish television and radio presenter. He currently presents a weekday morning radio programme, The Ray D'Arcy Show, on Today FM... |
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| Pamela Flood Pamela Flood Pamela Ann Mary Flood is an Irish television presenter and former model from Tallaght, South Dublin. She received the Miss Ireland crown in 1993.... |
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| Keith Barry Keith Barry Keith Patrick Barry is an Irish illusionist, mentalist, and close-up magician.-Early and personal life:Born in County Waterford, Ireland on 2 October 1976, Barry's interest in magic began at the age of fourteen when he purchased a book entitled Magic for the Complete Klutz.Barry's grandfather, 82,... |
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| Kevin Myers Kevin Myers Kevin Myers is an Irish journalist and writer. He writes for the Irish Independent and is a former contributor to The Irish Times, where he wrote the "An Irishman's Diary" opinion column several times weekly... |
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| Mary Wilson Mary Wilson (broadcaster) Mary Wilson is an Irish broadcaster and journalist. She currently presents the RTÉ radio programme Drivetime on RTÉ Radio 1 during weekday evenings. In 2006, she was described as "one of Ireland’s leading journalists".- Career :... |
Series 7
| Rating | Guest critic | Broadcast date | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Healy-Rae Michael Healy-Rae Michael Healy-Rae is an independent politician in Ireland. He was elected at the general election in February 2011 to the 31st Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála for Kerry South.... |
Sammy Leslie Sammy Leslie Sammy Leslie is a female Irish hotelier, media personality and reality television show judge. She is the trustee of the Castle Leslie estate in County Monaghan, being responsible for a hotel, a spa, an equestrian centre and an organic cookery school... |
16 November 2008 | ||
| Jessica Kürten Jessica Kürten Jessica Kürten is an Irish equestrian who competes in the sport of show jumping.Born Jessica Chesney, Kürten won several national pony championships as a youth.... |
Gino D'Acampo Gino D'Acampo Gennaro "Gino" D'Acampo is an Italian chef, television personality and winner of ITV's 2009 series of I'm a Celebrity… Get Me out of Here. D'Acampo lives in the United Kingdom.-Early life:... |
23 November 2008 | ||
| Des Cahill Des Cahill Desmond 'Des' Cahill is an Irish sports presenter and commentator with national broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. He presents a daily radio programme called Drivetime Sport on RTÉ Radio 1, while on television he has presented The Sunday Game, The Road to Croker, Play It Again, Des, and Up for... |
Cathal Armstrong | 30 November 2008 | ||
| Dominic Mafham Dominic Mafham Dominic Mafham is an English actor. He was born on 11 March 1968.He trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.Dominic began his career at The Royal Shakespeare Company in 1990. He was with the RSC for four years.... |
Nick Munier Nick Munier Nick Munier is best known as the maitre d' of ITV's prime-time reality show Hell's Kitchen. He is also co-owner of Pichet restaurant in Dublin's Trinity Lane... |
7 December 2008 | ||
| n/a | n/a | n/a | 14 December 2008 | |
| Dermot Bannon | n/a | n/a | 21 December 2008 | |
| Tracy Piggott/Kevin Myers Kevin Myers Kevin Myers is an Irish journalist and writer. He writes for the Irish Independent and is a former contributor to The Irish Times, where he wrote the "An Irishman's Diary" opinion column several times weekly... 5 Star Cook-off |
n/a | n/a | 28 December 2008 |