Gary Neville's The Man Behind the Curtain received scathing reviews before going bust
Gary Neville's Leeds Michelin star restaurant The Man Behind the Curtain received a series of scathing reviews before it went bust, with a diner calling it 'serious, chilly and empty'.
Neville has had to shut down his high-end Leeds restaurant due to a financial crisis. The ex-Manchester United player ventured into the culinary world post-retirement, opening The Man Behind the Curtain in 2014. It had earned a Michelin star under the helm of celebrity chef Michael O'Hare, known from Masterchef fame.
Neville's stake in the eatery was 50 per cent via his company Relentless Leisure, but now it's been hit with crippling debts. Official documents lodged at Companies House paint a grim picture – the business is £366,848 in the red.
With just £9,500 in assets available for creditors and a director's loan of £500,000, the future repayments are looking shaky. To top it off, about £152,973 worth of fixtures and fittings have also got an 'uncertain' tag attached.
Banks are chasing £14,000, while HMRC is is looking for two sizable sums of £119,090 and £400,194. Even though Neville's 2023 restaurant accounts are tardy, 2022 showed brighter days with a £187,000 profit and reserves listed at £105,938.
In the months leading up to going bust, The Man Behind the Curtain, in Vicar Lane, received a string of scathing reviews. The city centre restaurant currently has a 4.5/5 rating with 1,643 reviews.
User MCBLA wrote: "Disappointed but laughed about it afterwards. Cold and uninviting, extremely small portions and wine package was not to each course. Not worth the cost at all! Pretentious BS! Eaten at restaurants all over the world with and without a Michelin star! This was the worst by far! An experience never to live again! If you don’t laugh about it though ….. which we did all the way home! Never again."
Cammy 1911 wrote: "First time here. Been on the wish list for a while. Got to say I was undecided on my experience. I was wanting to be blown away, but didn’t feel that. Was I expecting too much ? Atmosphere was serious, chilly and empty."
READ MORE: I spent £190 in a Leeds Michelin star restaurant - and ate food with less flavour than a Pot Noodle
GaryL wrote: "Man behind the curtain, more like hiding behind the curtain! Michael you do really need to sort your restaurant out, otherwise you will lose your Michelin star very quickly! Went here for my wife’s birthday, I knew it was closing for a refit, however the service was very basic and was only offered a reduced wine list, of which the first 3 wines we picked on the list were not available!
"The food was ok, but no where near the first time we went over a year ago. I would strongly suggest that you get a closer grip of your restaurant before you reopen in the new year!"
Jennythomson3803 wrote: "It’s was our 4th visit and unfortunately very disappointing. On arriving to the restaurant in the past they would sit you in the reception area and serve drinks prior to the meal very relaxing, however on our visit last week we were quickly shown to our table even though we arrived early and while opening my present from my husband had menus thrust at us and a speech, clearly wanted us to crack on! The food amazing as always but the wine is just a joke if not an absolute rip off! My husband did the prestige paring at £180 per person it was not worth it at all in fact I argue he was given anything better than the usual paring menu I mean a taste of champagne not even half a glass, a dribble of wine which one barely filled glass covered two courses!"
Oliver P wrote: "This is the third time we have come here. Let me start by saying the food is excellent as it always has been. However, below are a few reasons why this was the worst experience we have had at MBTC (any probably any Michelin star restaurant): - The waiters were disorganised and clearly the kitchen wasn't delivering on time. We waited for wine pairings to be provided for courses, and waited a long time for courses to be provided alongside the one pairings.
"All of the waiters barring one were new from a year ago (never a good sign). The one that was a seasoned veteran was almost running at one point to make sure we had the wine pairing on time. Kudos to him but he shouldn't have been put in that position. - The wine pairings themselves. They advertise 600ml, it was probably more like 450ml. There was massive variance between my serving size and my wife's. Not the end of the risk but when you pay just under £200 for an insignificant amount of wine, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. - Speaking of a bad taste in the mouth.
"For the above reasons the experience wasn't perfect, however this was compounded when we spotted that they were offering tables for the same menu size at almost a third of the price we paid. There is no ability to cancel and rebook at a lower price because of the deposit. A bit outrageous to be honest. - And finally, Michael O'Hare was not there on the night. This is not the end of the world despite the fact that all three times we had been he hasn't been cooking. However, when we heard someone on an adjacent table say that they had been three times and had never had him in the kitchen it irked me. I get that he has a life and a family but seriously, what are the chances that this is pure unfortunate coincidence?"
Travelfoodiecouple wrote: "Having heard that the concept is finishing at the end of this year, and this restaurant being on our food bucket list for many years, we moved schedules and booked travel from 200 miles away to experience this before it disappeared. It’s disappointing to say the least that the experience nowhere near made it worth the effort we put into getting here before it ends. The blonde man on the front desk/serving some courses was apathetic throughout the whole evening, bordering on hostile at times, we certainly didn’t feel welcome. There was a guy that served us with lots of tattoos and jewellery who was fantastic and really friendly and engaging however so compliments to him. We have dined at several Michelin starred restaurants and have to say this was the only one where we have left hungry. While the flavours of the dishes were fantastic, the amount of money people are paying, to leave hungry from a restaurant is unbelievable."
LancashireRealist wrote: "We’ve tried a few tasting menus but this stood out on its own as being far and away the worst! It was a horrible wet day and we hoped we’d be able to get warm in the restaurant when we arrived. No chance … the place was freezing, it’s a cellar basically, which was a precursor to a dreadful afternoon. Started ok with a nice aperitif and a snack which was delicious. Plummeted from there unfortunately.
"Our first taste was a sea urchin emulsion ( which was barely emulsified) and I can honestly say that it was the most vile thing I have ever been served. The signature prawn arrived next … tasty enough but barely even warm. A tasty little cold soup was next - three spoonfuls - then some cod which I quite enjoyed but was it Michelin star quality… no far from it. Duck was next and mine was ok if very over seasoned. However my wife’s was inedible. It was sent back but no offer of another dish was made … the chef acknowledged it was poor was what we were told!! Arrogance! We were offered a glass of dessert wine … but having already told them we were driving that wasn’t the cleverest thing to offer. A couple of pretty desserts were next - pretty but nothing special."
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