FOR a pudding so sweet it left a bitter aftertaste.

In a scene straight out of Hell's Kitchen, a group of diners were barred from a top York restaurant after a furious row with the chef...over a crme brule.

The party of ten women were told by the owner of Villa Italia, in Micklegate, never to return when they refused to pay for the posh pudding after claiming it had "gone off".

But boss James Lowe, who is also head chef at the popular Italian restaurant, was adamant today that there was nothing wrong with the £4.25 dessert and claimed some of the women were "extremely rude" to him and his staff.

One of the diners, Karen Garrity, 39, of Ullswater, Woodthorpe, who tasted the crme brule said it was "disgusting" and "looked green on the bottom". She claimed Mr Lowe was "aggressive" when they complained and refused to knock the pudding off the bill.

"He was adamant that there was nothing wrong with it," Mrs Garrity said.

"His tone of voice was really off - I've never met anyone so rude in my life. We refused between us all not to pay for it and now we've been barred."

The women have sent a joint letter to Mr Lowe complaining about their treatment.

But Mr Lowe said his floor staff followed the restaurant's policy by offering the women an alternative pudding - but they refused.

He said the dessert was green because of the blueberries he uses in the mix.

"I told them if they wouldn't pay for it, I didn't want them back," he said.

"I don't think I was rude - I wouldn't be in front of a restaurant full of people. I don't lose my temper - full stop.

"There was nothing wrong with the crme brule. I wouldn't be so foolish as to risk my reputation over a pudding. We rely on people coming back.

"I told them that as most of it had been eaten it would stay on the bill.

"If these women took offence by something I said then I apologise, but my floor staff were shocked by how rude one of the women was."

Updated: 10:02 Saturday, April 30, 2005