Paul Rankin in the Shitter

Paul Rankin, Belfast's Michelin star celebrity chef, the man responsible for putting Northern Ireland on the culinary map, is facing hard times. He owes £1m on back taxes. I've only eaten at one of his cafe chains, Cafe Paul Rankin. He was forced to sell it off along with his other chain of brasseries.

What bad timing for him, to have all of your businesses fall to shit in a middle of an economic recession! I guess he's not alone, but owing £1M in back taxes? The fault lays with him and not knowing how to manage his business. That's a bummer. I kind of like the guy. I was first introduced to him when I saw him featured in Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. Ever since then, I've wanted to dine at his signature restaurant, Cayenne. Now there are threats of Cayenne folding too! I hope he can save it, Belfast needs him! He was the culinary pioneer who introduced fine dining to Northern Ireland and his restaurant Roscoff was the first ever Michelin star for Belfast! He always had an optimistic outlook for Belfast and Northern Ireland and proved that Belfast was rising from the rubble and becoming the hip, cultured, and cosmopolitan city it should be. My fingers are crossed for him.

Wouldn't it be hilarious if Cayenne ended up on Kitchen Nightmares? Imagine Gordon Ramsay up in Paul Rankin's face telling him that his food is dogshit. Knives would be flying. That would make for good television!

Celebrity chef Paul Rankin and his business partner wife Jeanne owe more than £1m to the taxman, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal today.

The couple — who owned 13 eateries and employed 500 staff at the height of their success — are now fighting to save their final and signature restaurant Cayenne after running up massive debts.

The well-known pair — who have ploughed much of their fortune into reinventing Northern Ireland’s culinary scene over the past 20 years — saw their debts rise as they “prioritised” staff salaries and other costs to keep a number of former businesses running until buyers were found.

But the sales of those businesses were not as lucrative as expected and they now find themselves unable to meet the accumulated debts owed to both the Inland Revenue and other creditors.

As previously reported by the Belfast Telegraph, the Rankins are currently working with professional advisers to reach an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) with their creditors in relation to debts.

A spokeswoman for the couple said: “The debts in the business which have entered an IVA would expect to be in excess of £1m with the vast majority of this due to the taxman by way of VAT, PAYE and other taxes.”

“The situation was that staff salaries and other key money costs were prioritised to keep the businesses running smoothly until buyers were found.

“The sale of the businesses in the depressed market meant the knock down prices achieved were not adequate to meet the debt. The IVA is being funded by Paul Rankin personally and it is expected that creditors will receive 52p in the pound.”

The couple have been struggling against mounting debts since 2006. Last year the well-known TV chef — who received Northern Ireland’s first Michelin Star — was forced to sell off his Roscoff Brasserie and Rankin cafe chain in a bid to ease financial difficulties.

And in 2006 he sold three Rankin Cafes and his Rain City restaurant on Belfast's Malone Road.

At that time Mr Rankin — who frequently appears on the BBC TV programme Ready Steady Cook and has penned cook books — said he wanted to concentrate on Cayenne, his signature restaurant in Belfast. - from Belfast Telegraph

"Which Toothpaste Are You Buying?"

One thing I miss from home is watching new episodes of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. I am a self professed foodie and a culural enthusiast. When you mix food within the context of its culture, I'm hooked! If you've never watched this show, I highly recommend it. I guarantee you will be a Bourdain fanatic too if you like food as much as I do!

Some time ago, Bourdain went to Ireland. In the first 20 minutes of this episode, he explores Belfast and samples the various culinary delights of the landscape such as Guinness! He also takes a black taxi tour to both Protestant and Catholic areas of West Belfast, enjoys a pint at the Crown Saloon, and hob nobs with Belfast celebrity chef Paul Rankin.

Check it!

No Reservations - Ireland:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Cafe Paul Rankin

Paul Rankin, celebrity chef of Belfast, has a few eating establishments scattered throughout Belfast. Craig and I accidentally stumbled across his cafe, which serves affordable food for the masses.

Craig is so excited, he can't contain himself.

It was a hot and humid today. The last thing we wanted to do was sit inside a stuffy cafe. Unfortunately, seating outside was all full. We decided to sacrafice our discomfort to sample celebrity food Belfast stylie. The place was completely packed but we managed to find a seat. I ordered at the counter and the food was brought to our table. I was surprised the food came as quickly as it did, despite it being very busy.



Craig ordered the Chicken Ceasar Salad and I had the Chef Sandwich, a grilled chicken sandwich w/ roasted red peppers, and pesto served in a bap with chips and salad with a mustard vinagrette. I wasn't really impressed with my meal. The Grilled chicken was very dry, and the pesto wasn't substantial to the sandwich. It was mediocre at best. Craig's dish on the other hand was amazing! It was THE best chicken ceasar salad I have ever had! It was so good that Craig ate in silence. And here I was sitting across him watching him in envy while I ate my dry grilled chicken sandwich. :(

While Craig was devouring his salad, I had the opportunity to witness delinquency close up. Outside, a riot was about to ensue between two patrons fighting over table. A shifty women next to our table was acting very shifty and stole a deli sandwich. She noticed that I noticed and she got up to pretend to order at the queue but turned around and left. The food at Cafe Rankin is good but I wouldn't say it was that good you would commit a crime.

Would I come back to Cafe Paul Rankin again? The answer is definitely yes. Very casual atmosphere. Staff are friendly, attentive and nice. Fast service. Chicken Ceasar, hell yes! Chef Sandwich, hell no!

Food: 5 (for chicken ceasar salad only)
Customer Service: 4
Atmosphere: 3