Celebrity chef Manu Feildel has fired back at a critic of his new bistro – branding them a ‘Karen’ for calling out the noisy environment.
The My Kitchen Rules judge, 50, took to Instagram on Sunday to share an image of a negative review of his Bistro Red Lion By Manu in Rozelle, in Sydney’s inner west.
‘Noise in the bistro was so loud it was hard to hear people at our table,’ the unnamed customer complained.
‘Food [was] a little bland and lacking a sense of great combined flavours,’ they continued, before adding ‘presentation of the scallop boudin [was] off putting.’
‘Please keep working on the cuisine. Wine selection was good. Best wishes,’ the reviewer concluded.
Manu shared the review, then added his own comment, ‘thanks Karen!!!’ – a slang term for a person who is perceived as entitled or excessively demanding.
However fans swiftly turned on the chef in the comments section of his post – noting the irony of a TV cooking judge taking issue with mild criticism.
Manu Feildel has fired back at a critic of his new bistro. Pictured
The celebrity chef, 50, took to Instagram on Sunday to share an image of a negative review of his Bistro Red Lion By Manu
‘Oh Manu, jeez mate you co host a cooking show ffs, whereby you critique the contestants yet it appears you have a problem with what reads as a fair comment mate.. sheesh… can’t take the heat? Get out of the kitchen,’ wrote one incensed fan.
‘The only “karen” is you Manu. The feedback seemed quite polite … and constructive,’ added another.
‘I’d be concerned why she wrote the food was a little bland. Wouldn’t you want to check that it wasn’t an across the board opinion ? Possibly that dish was a let down for the night,’ a third pointed out.
‘Yeah, the Karen reference allows women’s fair reviews to be dismissed and silences them. The post is in poor taste,’ wrote yet another critic.
However fans swiftly turned on the chef in the comments section of his post
Another remarked, ‘Feedback whether positive or negative should be taken on board. Shaming someone is not on! Disappointed in this post’
Another remarked, ‘Feedback whether positive or negative should be taken on board. Shaming someone is not on! Disappointed in this post.’
One woman named Karen even blasted Manu for using her name as a pejorative term.
‘My name is Karen. Does this mean I’m stripped of my voice forever just because you can’t take some constructive criticism?’ wrote the woman.
Manu has run four eateries across Melbourne and Sydney in the past, but they have all since closed down.
Manu opened ‘Bistro Red Lion’ in the iconic 196-year-old pub Red Lion in Rozelle, Sydney last month – occuping the upper level of the pub.
It is a new addition to the almost two centuries old establishment which recently underwent a $1.5million renovation.
Manu will helm the restaurant with his decade-long friend Jamie Gannon, who is the group executive chief of the pub’s owner Laundy Hotels.
The menu features beloved recipes from his own family archives which he described as ‘delicious, approachable food’.
The My Kitchen Rules star launched ‘Bistro Red Lion’ in the iconic 196-year-old pub Red Lion in Rozelle, Sydney last month. Pictured
Manu pictured here with wife Clarissa Weerasena in 2019
‘I want guests at Bistro Red Lion by Manu to forget the outside world and feel as though they’re dining at my home, enjoying a good bottle of wine,’ he said.
Manu opened his first restaurant, Aperitif in Kings Cross, with Miguel Maestre in 2011, but it sadly shut its doors after 12 months.
He went on to launch his own French bistro L’Etoile in Paddington, which stayed open for six years before his work on MKR forced him to close it down.
He then went into business with George Calombaris’ MAdE Establishment and launched Le Grand Cirque in South Yarra, Melbourne, which only lasted four months.
In 2018, he pulled the plug on his World Square restaurant Duck In Duck Out, which boasted an all-duck menu, after one year in operation.
