James Corden's Balthazar ban has been lifted by proprietor Keith McNally. Getty Images
James Corden's Balthazar ban has been lifted by proprietor Keith McNally. Getty Images
James Corden's Balthazar ban has been lifted by proprietor Keith McNally. Getty Images
James Corden's Balthazar ban has been lifted by proprietor Keith McNally. Getty Images

James Corden's NYC restaurant ban lifted after owner brands him 'most abusive customer'


Farah Andrews
  • English
  • Arabic

Depending on which side of the pond your pop culture references align with, you'll either know him as the presenter of US chat show The Late Late Show with James Corden, or as one of the stars and creators of British sitcom Gavin and Stacey.

Either way, it's likely that you have Corden mentally filed under the "cheeky chappy" subsection of celebrity thanks to his viral Carpool Karaoke videos or his stint as loveable best friend Smithy in the family-friendly BBC comedy.

This week, however, Corden's off-screen character has been brought into question after a New York City restaurateur accused him of mistreating the waiting staff at his restaurant.

Keith McNally, who owns the NYC restaurant Balthazar, took to Instagram to recount "86-ing" Corden, which is American slang for banning a person from an establishment. He described Corden as "the most abusive customer to my Balthazar servers since the restaurant opened 25 years ago".

"James Corden is a hugely gifted comedian, but a tiny cretin of a man," McNally wrote on Instagram. "I don't often 86 a customer, to today I 86'd Corden. It did not make me laugh."

He then went on to recount two incidents with Corden. In the first alleged interaction, the presenter showed the manager a hair in his food and went on to demand free drinks, threatening to leave "nasty" reviews if they refused.

In the second reported incident, an egg yolk omelette was ordered but Corden claimed there was "a little bit of egg white mixed with the egg yolk". When the dish was remade and returned, the wrong side dish was served (French fries not a salad), which prompted Corden to reportedly shout: "You can't do your job! You can't do your job! Maybe I should go into the kitchen and cook the omelette myself!"

McNally described the team member as "very shaken" following the alleged interaction.

Since McNally made his allegations, he has posted an update saying Corden has been in touch and his ban has been dropped.

"James Corden just called me and apologised profusely. Having [messed] up myself more than most people, I strongly believe in second chances," McNally wrote.

"So if James Corden lets me host his Late Late Show for 9 months, I’ll immediately rescind his ban from Balthazar. No, of course not. But ... anyone magnanimous enough to apologize to a deadbeat layabout like me (and my staff) doesn’t deserve to be banned from anywhere ... All is Forgiven."

Balthazar is a French brasserie located in Soho, New York. It's been open since 1997 and is owned by McNally. On the same premises, there is also a Balthazar Bakery and, in 2013, an international outpost was opened in Covent Garden, London.

The New York restaurant is known for being a place to spot celebrities. According to pop culture Instagram account @Deuxmoi, stars seen there include Awkwafina, Jared Leto, Meryl Streep and Anna Wintour.

In 1999, Jerry Seinfeld proposed to wife Jessica at the restaurant.

The biog

Name: Timothy Husband

Nationality: New Zealand

Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney

Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier

Favourite music: Billy Joel

Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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While you're here
What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

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Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final

Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')

Key findings
  • Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
  • Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase. 
  • People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”. 
  • Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better. 
  • But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

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THE BIO

Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13 

Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier

Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife 

What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents. 

Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

5 of the most-popular Airbnb locations in Dubai

Bobby Grudziecki, chief operating officer of Frank Porter, identifies the five most popular areas in Dubai for those looking to make the most out of their properties and the rates owners can secure:

• Dubai Marina

The Marina and Jumeirah Beach Residence are popular locations, says Mr Grudziecki, due to their closeness to the beach, restaurants and hotels.

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh482 to Dh739 
Two bedroom: Dh627 to Dh960 
Three bedroom: Dh721 to Dh1,104

• Downtown

Within walking distance of the Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa and the famous fountains, this location combines business and leisure.  “Sure it’s for tourists,” says Mr Grudziecki. “Though Downtown [still caters to business people] because it’s close to Dubai International Financial Centre."

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh497 to Dh772
Two bedroom: Dh646 to Dh1,003
Three bedroom: Dh743 to Dh1,154

• City Walk

The rising star of the Dubai property market, this area is lined with pristine sidewalks, boutiques and cafes and close to the new entertainment venue Coca Cola Arena.  “Downtown and Marina are pretty much the same prices,” Mr Grudziecki says, “but City Walk is higher.”

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh524 to Dh809 
Two bedroom: Dh682 to Dh1,052 
Three bedroom: Dh784 to Dh1,210 

• Jumeirah Lake Towers

Dubai Marina’s little brother JLT resides on the other side of Sheikh Zayed road but is still close enough to beachside outlets and attractions. The big selling point for Airbnb renters, however, is that “it’s cheaper than Dubai Marina”, Mr Grudziecki says.

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh422 to Dh629 
Two bedroom: Dh549 to Dh818 
Three bedroom: Dh631 to Dh941

• Palm Jumeirah

Palm Jumeirah's proximity to luxury resorts is attractive, especially for big families, says Mr Grudziecki, as Airbnb renters can secure competitive rates on one of the world’s most famous tourist destinations.

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh503 to Dh770 
Two bedroom: Dh654 to Dh1,002 
Three bedroom: Dh752 to Dh1,152 

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ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

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Updated: October 18, 2022, 7:06 AM`