Naked Chef Laid Bare by Diners

FM Staff

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's London restaurant Fifteen has been rated one of the worst high-priced restaurants in the British capital by Harden's London Restaurants, a Zagat type guide that rates the British capital's eateries based on diner comments.

Oliver is famous as the star of the Food Network's “Naked Chef” cooking show, but whatever culinary magic he possesses in front of the camera doesn't seem to have translated to Fifteen. Comments from some of the 7,000 amateur foodies and frequent restaurant patrons whose collective wisdom determines Harden's rankings betray an especially virulent hostility to Oliver's operation. “Amateurish” and “ ripoff” were some of the kinder assessments included in the review. Specifically, Fifteen scored the lowest possible rating in the categories of food, service and atmosphere and ranked in the basement of the 32 highest priced restaurants rated (those charging more than $165 per person).

After the Harden's review was published, celebrities who could easily-afford to drop $165 for a lousy meal closed ranks around Oliver. Defenders included supermodel Claudia Schiffer, who reportedly rated a meal she had at Fifteen as “one of my top three meals of all time.” Given that the impossibly thin Schiffer may not have eaten more than three meals in her lifetime, that may be faint praise indeed.