Holy Butter Steamed Escargot! It seems that some Ozzies can't stomach opinions, making pounding freedom of speech using the civil courts as your meat mallet a palatable proposition.
Australian food critics were left spluttering into their napkins yesterday after a court decided that an unfavourable review of a Sydney restaurant was defamatory, opening the way for the owners to claim damages. [...] The case centres on a review of Coco Roco restaurant published in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper in 2003. Matthew Evans, then the newspaper's chief food critic, dined at the restaurant twice and was not impressed. He said the flavour of oysters soaked in limoncello "jangled like a car crash" and that a sherry scented apricot white sauce that accompanied steak was a "wretched garnish" that he scraped off. [...] Coco Roco closed three months after the review and the owners, who had spent more than A$3m (｣1.3m) refitting the restaurant, blamed it on the reviewer, saying that customers had been put off by Evans' words.
All I can say is that the next time one of my kids turns up his or her nose at my Caribbean Rissoto With Tofu Casserole, his or her ass will be sued and then sauteed, I swear.
The restaurant owners should have just gone all "Eating Raoul" on his ass...