He said it was tough coming to a city with such exacting culinary standards where he was known only for his TV show Hell’s Kitchen, for which he revealed he was paid "a million dollars for three weeks".

With New York’s notoriously brutal food writers poised to give their verdict on the restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at the London, it is a nerve-wracking time for the chef.

"When I came through JFK, I buttoned up my bulletproof jacket," Gordon, 40, joked.

"I’m a serious chef, so the hard part is being known in New York before I actually run a restaurant.

He said he had told his kitchen staff before the restaurant opened: "All anyone wants to see you do is fail."

Gordon bites into Big Apple - Nov 18 2006
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s hotly-awaited first US restaurant finally opens to the public in New York.

The cook’s latest venture, at Manhattan’s new London NYC hotel, is already booked solid for dinner until the end of the year.

At Gordon Ramsay at The London just 45 diners at a time will be able to feast on dishes like lobster ravioli and langoustine carpaccio, while The London Bar will provide a more casual experience for 92 customers.

A three-course lunch at the restaurant will cost between 35 and 40 dollars for food, with dinner costing an average of 60 to 80 dollars - a relative bargain for fine dining in New York.

But with the city’s notoriously brutal food writers poised to road-test Gordon’s offerings it will be a nervewracking time for the Scot, who has invested around £3 million in the project.

The three Michelin-starred kitchen guru has also been warned his famous temper could cause problems in New York, where the Local 6 union, which represents hotel and restaurant employees, has substantial power in addressing members’ workplace concerns.

"I’ve already been warned," the chef told the New York Times.

Chef Ramsay dismisses ’cheap’ chocs - Oct 30 2006
Controversial celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has put his foot in it with dismissive remarks about the quality of his own range of boxed chocolates.

The 39-year-old, known for his expletives, kept it clean as he defended the range.

But he went on to say that he did not worry about the standard of the product because of its low price.

"I don’t think you are going to be blown away at £3.99-odd for a box," he was quoted as saying by The Grocer magazine.

"I don’t worry about the standard of the chocolates because they’re £3.99. I don’t feel that is degrading."

His comments are reminiscent of jeweller Gerald Ratner who famously described one of his products as "total crap" in 1991, wiping £500 million off the value of the company.

The Gordon Ramsay range of chocolates was launched in 2003 by Ashbury Confectionery and include Just Desserts and Secrets.

They were launched after his book Just Desserts and make around £7.5 million a year.

David Zulman, managing director of Ashbury Confectionery, defended the product and said the retail price was actually £5.99.

"The quality of the product is at the top end of the mass market and easily stands up to any other product in the sector," he said. "The range has been very successful over the past four years and the number of repeat orders speaks for itself."