La Parra de Burriana

Gordon takes on a nightmare restaurant abroad - La Parra de Burriana in Nerja on the Spanish Costa del Sol. Nestling among the cafes lining the seafront offering all-day English breakfast and chips, ex-nightclub manager Laurence set himself up in business 18 months ago with a loan from his dad, and although he's not an experienced chef, he mans the kitchen on his own, determined to offer something better than chips. Laurence's menu has 72 dishes including his signature dish; prawns in garlic with chocolate sauce. Running front-of-house is Laurence's mate, Alex, and sous-chef, Norman, is on the barbecue serving kebabs and steaks cooked by torchlight. The kebabs are raw, the dining room is a mess and anyone who does turn up for dinner faces an interminable wait. Laurence lost £22k last year, but still resists Gordon's attempts to introduce a simple menu that will bring customers back.