From Hell's Kitchen to Lukewarm New York

He is arguably Britain's most celebrated chef, and has the Michelin stars and restaurants to prove it. But it is arguably the most challenging city in the world for a cook, a city whose inhabitants dine out four nights a week and won't be taught anything about food.

So when Gordon Ramsay threw open the doors of his first US restaurant to the New York public it was unclear who would come out on top. The television star's eaterie at the London NYC Hotel in midtown Manhattan cost $7.2m (£3.8m) to create. But for all the pre-opening buzz, he experienced the fickle side of the Big Apple as his establishment remained eerily quiet on its first day.

With a giant union flag hanging above the door, the venue hopes to offer a bit of modern British class to Americans who lapped up Ramsay's habit of bawling out underlings in the television show Hell's Kitchen. "It's all going fine - everything's great," Ramsay said as he hurried between the bar and kitchen.

The establishment comprises a 45-seat formal dining area decorated in elegant white, silver and blue which offers a $110 set menu, plus an outer area with 70 seats for lower key meals. By mid-evening only a handful of people occupied the bar and two thirds of the tables were empty in the casual section.

According to its public relations team, Gordon Ramsay at the London is fully booked two months ahead with diners keen to sample specialities such as white bean cappuccino and lobster ravioli.

The restaurant's manager maintains that phone lines collapsed due to excessive demand a few minutes after opening. But a trio of British stockbrokers seated at the bar said they booked little more than a week in advance.

Critics have questioned whether Ramsay's signature style of hurling colourful language at his employees will play well in a city where restaurant workers are unionised - and litigious. "It's not an issue," Ramsay insisted before politely berating a waiter for leaving open the door of a wine cabinet.

Jean-Baptiste Requien, the restaurant's host who has worked with Ramsay elsewhere, said his boss showed no signs of moderating his language. "He's always the same, everywhere."

Bill Granfield, president of the restaurant workers' union in New York, warned that there was a limit - even in the hothouse environment of a kitchen. "A little loud volume and, possibly, occasional words which wouldn't pass muster in Sunday school is acceptable. But if it goes on to not treating members of the team with respect, that's where members will draw the line."

Early diners were complimentary about Ramsay's food, but some are quibbling about the protocol. The New York Times' influential critic, Frank Bruni, has complained that he was told he could only occupy a table for a maximum of two hours.

Although the restaurant has insisted that was not its policy, the issue has generated simmering heat. One visitor to Mr Bruni's blog sarcastically suggested a chef of "Mr Ramsay's calibre" should levy a charge of $1.50 per minute, while another said: "I always wondered whether Mr Ramsay would try this in NY ... and hoped NY people would revolt."

Ramsay, 39, maintains New York is a serious venture. He intends to spend five days a week until the end of the year supervising the kitchen."I've been busting my gut to get to New York," he told the New York Times.

If all else fails, he could do worse than rely on New York's large community of British expatriates.