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Returning: The Chopping Block

Nine's restaurant makeover series is back, but without Catriona Rowntree.

Nine is bringing back its restaurant makeover series, The Chopping Block.

Now set to air on a Tuesday night, the show airs from 7:30pm October 14th.

This series, devised by Julian Cress and David Barbour, will return without its host Catriona Rowntree. Chef Matt Moran is expected to take up her duties for the series which showcases both Sydney and Melbourne restaurants.

The first episode features “Angelina’s v Tandoori Junction.”

The series has also been picked up in the US in a modified version.

Press Release:

The Chopping Block returns to Channel Nine with a second series, again set in the ultra-competitive restaurant world of Sydney and Melbourne, which pits restaurants against each other to impress a food critic and win a dishy prize of $20,000.

The new series commences on Tuesday, October 14 at 7.30pm.

Each week on The Chopping Block two different restaurants receive a review by a top-secret critic. Then, with a budget of $5000, they close their doors for 48 hours to overhaul everything from menus and service to décor in an effort to win over the food critic and pocket the cash.

Renowned chef and restaurateur, Matt Moran, returns to assist the restaurants with their makeovers. He observes the kitchen and the staff in action the night before the doors are closed to get a first-hand look at the food being served. Moran assesses which aspects of service need to change before advising each chef on improving the menu.

As their business is scrutinised and cameras capture all the drama unfolding behind the scenes, how will management and staff handle the pressure of opening night? Not to mention the brutally honest comments of the new mystery food critic who’ll be there in the crowd, dining like the other guests while secretly penning the final make-or-break restaurant review.

First to compete on The Chopping Block are two restaurants at seaside Shellharbour on Sydney’s south coast, in a tale of a sea change dream going horribly wrong. Shellharbour is a busy beach holiday destination where running a successful restaurant should be easy, but for our two competing restaurant teams, Angelina’s and Tandoori Junction, it’s anything but.

Angelina’s is a traditional Italian restaurant that has been struggling to sustain itself for some time. The owner, Brendan, has lost his way with the direction of the business and is losing the respect of staff due to his lack of leadership. Ambitious head chef, William, is frustrated that Brendan won’t trust him to make the positive changes he feels he can to the menu or standard of service, but William’s aggressive approach with the waiters and kitchen staff gets everyone offside.

Tandoori Junction opened two-and-a-half years ago when mother of three, Melita, saw an opportunity to start her own Indian restaurant by sponsoring a respected Indian chef. Time-poor and barely breaking even, Melita now feels she may be forced to sell the restaurant. Her call to The Chopping Block is her last hope of keeping the dream alive.

Her Indian head chef, Dhanpal, has 25 years’ experience in the kitchen and believes his gifts are “God-given”. But he is at the centre of serious tension among the staff while apprentice chef, Steven, has a background of petty crime and looks to Melita as the only thing keeping him on the straight and narrow.

It’s a coastal village food fight to the death when The Chopping Block, produced by Granada Productions, returns on Tuesday, October 14 at 7.30pm to Channel Nine.

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8 Responses

  1. I loved this show too so will definately be watching. Catriona did seem to be pointless and Matt being more involved seemed logical to make it more his own. It will be interesting to see if the reviewer is the same as now he will be more well known. They should get someone new to do this each series. I hope Ch9 don’t yank it off the air after 2 eps if only 600,000 of us loyal fans tune in.

  2. NO way!
    RSPCA and FMF are way too strong
    when RSPCA finishes i think all of their audience will transfer to The Zoo (regardless of whether its as good or not) and when people miss the first few eps of the chopping block they may never decide to watch it.

  3. With RSPCA Animal Rescue’s series final being on the night of The Chopping Block premiere, I would imagine (or atleast hope) it will do great in that timeslot….

    – Spunkymonkeycaesar

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