Restaurants in our living room.
THERE'S a suspicious looking man with a headset on whispering behind a large pot plant near the front door of "Stefan's and Bonny's Place", writes Sarah O'Meara."Whatever you do - don't look at the cameras," hisses my boyfriend as he rings the bell of this suburban home, turned one-off restaurant.
Whether you trust reports that so-called home restaurants, pay-as-you-go dinner parties or underground dining are the credit crunch's answer to eating out, this latest craze has spawned a TV series. And we're here to be the guinea pig customers.
Tonight, married couple Stefan (chef) and Bonny Chmelik (waitress and hostess) will demonstrate whether or not they can beat another semi-pro couple at the cooking game, as part of new reality food series Restaurant In Our Living Room. I'm told in advance that our head chef is a qualified Chinese medicine doctor and that the meal will feed our minds and bodies, as well as our tummies.
My boyfriend is still reeling from the news that I chose this healthy, holistic, organic option over a slap-up curry and some Bollywood dancers offered elsewhere by the opposing team, but he's promised he won't fight with me in front of the cameras.
After a few rings, our hostess Bonny opens the door and the light from four camera crews pours out. We're in the entrance hall - everywhere else is full - and we're left to become acquainted with the rest of our table.
A little wait and some great pink champagne cocktails later, Bonny reappears. Perspiring under the heat of the camera lights, she explains that the food is based on Chinese theory.
To Stefan and Bonny, food and medicine are pretty much the same thing and that's why our menu consists of dishes containing fantastically fresh and healthy-sounding produce like chilli-marinated beetroot, barrel-aged feta and organic fennel hummus.
Stefan is clearly a talented chef and two meat-loving foodies at my table are converted to his salad bowl and five-spice tofu.
Dinner guests at the home of Stefan and Bonny Chmelik, below After we've enjoyed our three-course meal, it's time to decide the winner and we traipse outside to leave money in the box out front - the winner being the home who collects the most.
A few days after the event, I catch up with Stefan and ask about his cooking ambitions. He tells me that he doubts he'll be looking to open his own proper restaurant.
"But if I did," he says, "I think I'd want it to be like some of the restaurants in China, where they look at your tongue, diagnose you and then bring you food according to what you need."
Interestingly, Stefan also admits to me that this evening was a one-off, and that he doesn't operate a home restaurant. But by the end of my evening, our table of guests agreed that if he did, we'd probably be back.
Restaurant In Our Living Room begins on Virgin1 on Thursday at 8pm. Here's a selection of recipes based on what Stefan cooked.
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| Publication: | Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales) |
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| Date: | Sep 19, 2009 |
| Words: | 503 |
| Previous Article: | WINE & DINE 2. |
| Next Article: | CHATSWORTH CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL. |
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