Jersey chef faces his final TV test
Saturday 23rd May 2009, 2:59PM BST.
Shaun Rankin
BOHEMIA chef Shaun Rankin will go head to head with some of Britain’s best chefs in the week-long final of a TV cookery show.
The good news is that Islanders will be able to phone up and vote for the Michelin-starred chef in the BBC2 series, Great British Menu, to give him the honour of cooking a homecoming feast for members of the British Forces returning from Afghanistan.
Earlier this month Mr Rankin won the south-west region heat in which he used Jersey produce to create his four-course Taste of Home menu, which led him to victory on the culinary show.
In the final round, next week, each of his four courses will be judged individually against the seven other regional finalists. Details on how to vote will be announced at the end of each programme.
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Good luck to him, I hope he does well.
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I hope he does better than he did when I took my wife for an anniversary dinner to his restaurant. £140 lighter and I hit the chip shop on the way home.
Then again maybe I’m odd going out for dinner and expecting to leave not hungry.
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Re: Keith (2) – Michelin starred food is about quality, not quantity – if it’s the latter you crave, make a reservation at any one of the local portugeuse bistros (sometimes called ‘Italian’ over here, ho ho) – they’ll cram your plate full of cheap meat and chips.
I too ate there, just this weekend, and found once again I was served up something absolutely amazing – the only restaurant with a genuine ‘Wow’ factor on the Island.
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@skeptical. Totally agree I have had maybe 6 or 7 meals at Bohemia over the last few years and the food is amazing and no more expensive than Bistro Central, Capanina, Scirroco etc.
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Perhaps it’s beause I’m a vegetarian, my expectation is that any professional chef can cook better than me. I ordered my main course and 10 mins later was told they had sold out, I was then offered a mushroom pastry creation which turned out to be a piece of shortcrust pastry rolled out and oven baked with fried mushrooms on top.
I know that a lot of top chefs scorn vegetarians but if you are taking my money I expect better food than I can cook at home.
I accept that small portions are part of his style ( and profit margins ) but the food was both small in portion and poor in quality – other vegi’s please comment it could have been his day off, that said he’s not doing too well in the competition!
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It wasn’t Keith’s description of the menu and the portions that flabbergasted me – it was the price!
No wonder that in Cloud Cuckoo Island (now to be known as Dandarea) salaries need to be astronomical.
For goodness sake, think what else you could spend it on that won’t just be going down the pan next morning.
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I am pretty sure I saw an advertisement last week for a two course lunch under £20. That is unbelievably cheap for a Michelin star restaurant. The set dinner menu last time I went was three courses for £45 – yes that is a fair amount but as I said v comparable to various non-Michelin star restaurants in Jersey.
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I think it is pretty reasonable all things considered, I recently ate with my partner and friends at Gordon Ramsay’s resturant at Claridges, the basic evening menu was £80 per head and the wine £45 per bottle… suffice to say I left the building nearly £500 lighter for 4 of us and we ALL agreed that when we ate at Bohemia last summer it was more fun, less stressfull and the food was great.
Fair play to Shaun for doing so well and you can rely on my support all the way. And for anyone that does not like the menu, guess what.. go elsewhere, I don’t remember ever seeing a compulsory attendance memo!
PS. My partner is a vegetarian and we know of many, many worse establishments round the island for a veg choices.
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7. Al
Maybe they are dropping the price considerably because no-one is going there…
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Keith,
If you’re a vegetarian why would you go to Bohemia? It’s hard enough to navigate the menu if you want to steer clear of foie gras and shellfish.
Rankin is a very good chef and his treacle tart is top notch.
£140 for two isn’t expensive if you accept it is an experience rather than a nosh up – its comparable to what you’d pay for a night at the Opera or at a Premiership game and that’s what Bohemia is – a world class experience.
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Bohemia is consistently good and serves exciting and interesting food that tastes excellent.
Yes it is expensive but you get what you pay for and we have never been let down. I would rather save up to go there once than go to two really bad mid-priced restaurants.
Plus you can have the choice of the bar menu at lunchtime which is excellent value for money.
We are fortunate that L Huggler has invested in Jersey and produced such high standards throughout the hotel, bar and restaurant. Others in the hospitality industry should take note. The TV show is great publicity for jersey and the other areas the hotel tries to show case jersey. For once we have a success story for Jersey and the hospitality industry – lets get behind it don’t knock it
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The Sat lunch is only £17.50 for 3 course that is truely amazing value, tell me of another restautnat were the Chef is on TV as one of the 8 best chefs in Britain were you can have 3 course for that money? and the food was fantastic not to mention how beuitfull the restaurant is.
It was the first time we had been to Bohemia we had to try it after seeing it on TV but untill we looked at the menu boxes out side we always thougth it would be to expensive so glad we looked. Hope to go again soon with friends. We are voting for Shaun Good Luck!
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Comment 10 mad feotus “Keith,
If you’re a vegetarian why would you go to Bohemia? It’s hard enough to navigate the menu if you want to steer clear of foie gras and shellfish”.
I wanted to give my wife a special evening, she eats fish and was looking forward to it.Also I figured that a world class chef could cook good vegetarian food – I can and I’m not a chef.
Hey maybe I picked a duff night but lots of places cook good vegetarian food ( Italian, Indian, Chinese and tradational restaurants ) Does anyone remember the Lobster Pot restaurant. Absolutely fabulous traditional restaurant with a seperate vegi menu with 5 items on it all brilliant so it can be done.
My main gripe about the price was that I thought the food was lousy and should not have been for the money.
Longueville Manor anyone – cheaper and great food, limited vegi choice but what they do is excellent and outstanding service.
Just my opinion based on my experience of eating there. The chips on the way home were great though – now there’s an eating establishment!
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The thing with Bohemia is consitency. I’ve always had faultless service and great food. Going for the set lunch you know your meal will be as expensive as your taste in drink. You could sit sipping a glass of water and get the same service and atmosphere. Check out pub prices – £12-14 for an espetada, £7-8 for a burger, £4 for a pudding. To me £21.50 is a no brainer.
The difference is in the little touches like the ‘amuse bouche’ and not being asked ‘who’s having fish?’ because the staff are well trained and the Chef cares about what he does. I say best of luck and look forward to other establishments trying to reach and maintain Bohemia’s standards.
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Some of you on your little Island are just stupid. You have no idea how much damage your little rants and raves have. Imagine if somebody was a holiday maker or a travel agent thinking of bringing thousands of people to prop up your economy and they read some of your drivvle. They’d forget coming. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Particuarly those of you who claim to be from Jersey – if it wasn’t for those moving there to improve the place you wouldn’t have the internet. Why? Cos you still wouldn’t have electricity to work it!
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What’s a holidaymaker – I’m sure we did those at school in history.
Mate if you honestly think anyone would change their mind about coming to Jersey due to an internet chat page…..
Yeh we’d all be in caves if not for people like you enlightening us – thanks Chummy.
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People are allowed to have an opinion on food ‘Horation Bojangles’, particularly when they pay good money to eat somewhere. Jersey Tourism is responsible for promoting the island to visitors not people on a newspaper website who are perfectly entitled to their opinion.
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well done shaun.
His treacle tart won and he will now be cooking for the final menu as part of the final show.
He also did Jersey proud with his promotion of the Jersey cow and its milk products.
celebrate shaun and celebrate Jersey.
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