Turkish chef and restaurateur Nusret Gökçe, famously known as ‘Salt Bae’, has been criticised for ’removing’ bad reviews on Google after many complained about the restaurant’s exorbitant prices.
Gökçe went viral over the last few weeks over his expensive restaurant which he recently launched in London called Nusr-Et Steakhouse.
As people flocked to the opening of the restaurant, footage and photos quickly emerged of the experience inside. In one clip, a woman is fed a piece of steak straight off Salt Bae’s knife, while another man refuses to do the same, picking it off with his hands.
One photo showed the bill for a group who had eaten at the restaurant, and it was eye-watering. Totalling to a whopping $6 228.05 (over R94 000), it includes a $10 (R151) Sprite, $15 (R227) French fries, $19 (R287) mashed potato, and most notably, a $1 000 (R15 120) steak. However, it’s not just any steak – it is golden. The receipt quickly went viral on Twitter receiving over a thousand quote tweets and likes.
One user wrote: “That’s big enough to split 10 ways and have 10 portions of chips so it might be doable for a once-in-a-lifetime special night out with everyone going Dutch.”
Another user argued: “You can eat so much better for so much less in London. We go for a Michelin starred dim sum and pay ⅛th of this! Even the bars and restaurants in Harrods aren’t this expensive.”
In addition to the fury over their “rip-off” prices, the restaurant has also been accused of “deleting” bad reviews.
According to My London News, ‘a flurry of reviews appearing to criticise the restaurant when it first opened’ have since ‘disappeared.
At the time of publication, the restaurant boasts 4.6 stars on Google with one diner commenting on how delicious the food was.
“Unbelievable food, the best steak I've had in London. Salt Bae is awesome, very cool having him serving you food.”
Another diner wrote: “amazing but overpriced though.” While a third said, “Too expensive rip. I ordered a steak that was uncooked, flavourless, and too expensive.”