Series 4 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares: La Parra de Burriana

Date Published:

23/10/2007

La Parra de Burriana

In the first show of the new series, Gordon takes on a nightmare restaurant abroad. La Parra de Burriana is an ex-pat restaurant in Nerja on the Spanish Costa del Sol. Nestling among the cafes lining the seafront offering all-day English breakfast and chips, La Parra is the brainchild of 26-year-old, ex-nightclub manager Laurence. He set himself up in business 18 months ago with a loan from his dad and, although he's not an experienced chef, mans the kitchen on his own, determined to offer something better than chips to his largely British clientele.

Laurence's menu boasts 72 options including his unforgettable signature dish, prawns in garlic with chocolate sauce. Running front-of-house is Laurence's mate, Alex and sous-chef, Norman, is on the barbecue serving up a haphazard combination of kebabs and steaks cooked by torchlight. The Mediterranean menu has a twist - no-one wants to eat it. The kebabs are raw. Alex has over-booked the place - and failed to clear up the dog mess that litters the dining room - and the punters that are still turning up face an interminable wait for their food.

Unsurprisingly Laurence lost £22k last year but still resists Gordon's attempts to introduce a simple menu that will bring customers back. Will Laurence survive the summer and Gordon's efforts to get him to learn bullfighting? Can La Parra be saved, or will the sun set forever on Laurence's Spanish dream.