Smells Kitchen

From today%26#39;s Mail

Gordon Ramsay is causing a stink in New York, where neighbours claim unbearable smells are wafting from his restaurant.

Residents in an elegant apartment block have complained to health inspectors about the stench of duck and bacon from a giant extractor fan.

They are also furious about noise from the fan and an airconditioning unit in the kitchen.

The racket it makes has been measured at 57 decibels, they say - above the limit for local events such as rock concerts.

They claim the row is ruining their sleep and hitting home values.

Shirley Lemmon, who is the head of the residents%26#39; association, said: ';This is ruining lives.

';The fan is this giant contraption that looks like a praying mantis, almost two storeys tall, and the smells from it at times are horrifying.

';First thing in the morning on the weekend the smell of bacon permeates the air and we can%26#39;t open our windows.

';It also is particularly intolerable when they are preparing duck at 3am. His air-conditioning unit sounds like you are riding in the back of a plane, and it can be on 24/7.

';We had one person who moved out and sold his apartment.

';Another who moved in before they turned the equipment on has been unhappy because this is hurting his property value. The city codes say the sound cannot be above 45 decibels. Gordon Ramsay%26#39;s has been recorded at 57.';

Miss Lemmon said residents want the restaurant, which is set in the London NYC Hotel, to be given a formal code-violation notice.

Ramsay is already under siege from unimpressed critics.

The New York Times%26#39; Frank Bruni awarded his establishment two stars out of four, describing the food as ';predictable';.

A spokesman for Ramsay said the chef was unaware residents had any complaints.

Smells Kitchen

Sounds (if you%26#39;ll pardon the pun) like the Mail has got its fact wrong (not for the first time). 57 decibels is actually relatively quiet (slightly less than normal conversation and much less than the noise of a busy street).

Smells Kitchen

Agree Nic, I%26#39;m no expert on sound levels but I thought 57 sounded a bit meek!