By Madhurima Haque|
Celebrity chef George Calombaris has publicly responded to a negative review of his Victorian restaurant, The Hellenic House Project, calling it out for being "racist".
An unsatisfied diner left a review of the restaurant, located in Highett in south east of Melbourne, on Google yesterday. They declared their time at the restaurant, the "Worst 'non' dining experience ever!", claiming that they waited six weeks for a booking to arrive at the first sitting, ordering their food with the manager.
However, when they allegedly didn't receive their food for 45 minutes, they said they had to find a waiter themselves when it was revealed that the manager "forgot" to put in the order.
READ MORE: How to set the perfect grazing table, according to an expert
"Typically, we weren't offered any compensation except that our food would be out in 5 mins. Which it wasn't. I should've realised it was going to be a disaster when I had to ask for the menu after 10 [minutes]," wrote the customer.
"Like others, we've dined in many, many restaurants and were keen to try this 'authentic Greek' experience. It was far from it. Practically none of the staff were Greek ([including' the Manager who was of Indian descent) and the menu didn't reflect what has been posted online. Calombaris – this place is a joke and you've certainly got a few people fooled," the review concluded.
Food, service, and atmosphere were all rated one out of five stars each.
The celebrity chef himself posted a screenshot of the scathing review to his Instagram account, writing in the caption, "Won't lie. I am 99 percent a very positive human. But this is horrible.
READ MORE: Deb Knight defends cooking with gas amid Victoria's gas ban in new homes
"Yes. We made a mistake with your order. We are humans. And yes my manager is Indian. You know who you are guys.
"Your (sic) not welcome ever to @thehellenichouseproject," he said, banning the customers from his restaurant.
"You don't have to speak Greek or be a Greek to work at THHP. You just have to be a good human. I am so proud of my team. I hate racism. F—-n hate it."
Many came to Calombaris' defence, including fellow celebrity chef and friend Manu Feildel.
READ MORE: An expert's guide on helping your child develop quality friendships
"Well done George, people like this should just stay home. And that is a very polite way to say what I really feel like saying," he wrote, adding an angry emoji.
Calombaris' former MasterChef co-host and fellow celebrity chef Gary Mehigan also defended him, quoting from diplomat Mohamad Safa.
"Our world is not divided by race, colour, gender or religion. Our world is divided into wise people and fools. And fools divided themselves by race, coluor, gender, or religion," wrote Mehigan.
READ MORE: What happened to Jamie Foxx?
Former Australian rules footballer and Celebrity MasterChef contestant Nicholas Fredrick Riewoldt also commented, "5/5 across the board when I visited @thehellenichouseproject love you GC ❤️".
Indian-Australian actress Pallavi Sharda wrote, "Thanks for posting this George – and for welcoming everyone into your home always."
For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.
Property News: Sunny playground where the growth is only just beginning – domain.com.au
© 2023 Nine Entertainment Co.