S20.E03: Cheeky Pints and Pub Bites

[FormerMod-a1]

Quote

In lieu of a Quickfire, Tom and Gail surprise the chefs with an old-fashioned pub crawl around central London; in teams of two, the chefs are tasked with re-creating and elevating a classic pub dish; two chefs will pack their knives.

Original air date: March 23, 2023

[Bastet]

Sylwia heading for the border to cook for and otherwise help Ukrainian refugees is a lovely story.  I also got a kick out of her potato euphoria on the pub crawl.   

I am not a big fan of traditional English pub grub; I sort of like fish & chips (I like the fish, but hate fries unless they’re thin and crispy as I hate potatoes, and they’re always thick cut), bangers & mash (like the sausage, but see above hatred of potatoes), and Scotch egg (I hate yolk, but like the rest), but am pretty “eh, I’ll eat it” on fish pie, steak & ale pie, and toad in the hole, dislike shepherd’s pie, and absolutely hate Sunday roast other than the Yorkshire pudding. 

So I was thrilled to see how they’d elevate those dishes.  And how the pairs would work together.  Gail did an interview at the start of the season in which I was happy to hear her address the language barrier some of these cheftestants are dealing with on top of the things that challenge all of them, so I like glimpses of that like something as seemingly simple as “Is the sausage ready?” being an obstacle to overcome.  (I also liked language commonality when Gabri thought Begoña meant flour, not flower, and she said no, the jardín [garden] flower.)

I was with May that Scotch egg was the better pick than fish & chips.  But it sucks the cheftestants found out it was a double elimination (which they should have figured, but still) only after Dale acquiesced to that and Victoire acquiesced to Sylwia’s “trust me” (as an aside, LOL at Victoire saying last time someone told her that she lost her house) – had they known, they might have pled their case more.  (Especially Dale, as he clearly had no problem bulldozing once he knew.)  Those two dishes wound up being half of the four that impressed me least (the others being Sunday roast and fish & chips), so the disunity may have been an issue.

I thought Begoña and Gabri’s bangers & mash was exceptional.  So beautiful, yet captured the comforting flavor in something that looked nothing like the inspiration.  Luciana and Buddha’s fish pie was my (close) second choice, another deconstructed dish that maintained the flavor.  I’d have voted the other way, but, of course, I don’t taste the dish, so, especially because it was so close just through my screen, I’m not surprised.

When I saw Ali and Amar’s fish & chips, I thought they were a given to go home -- soggy fish is right up there with shrimp poop.  But Dale and May’s Scotch egg was boring from jump, and then didn’t come out right on top of that – another textural fail.  So they were my pick for elimination.

I'd have still picked around the potato (and egg yolk), but I'd have loved to try all the food.  This is such a fantastic season so far.

Edited March 24, 2023 by Bastet

[Jodithgrace]

While I love the idea of pub food, I did get food poisoning in London after eating in one, so I tend to have a slightly soured outlook. 

It’s funny that the last two winners were both on the bottom this time, on different teams. I think the thing that saved Ali’s team is that their dish was Fish and Chips and they got the Chips right, while May’s team had one item, Scotch Egg, which they biffed. The salad was extra and not part of the brief. Their team never looked happy throughout the whole process. 

Buddha seems to be back in form, after not distinguishing himself the past two weeks. 

I’m sorry to see May go, but she could be back, thanks to LCK. I don’t watch that, but am interested in how it turns out. 

[The Solution]

There were a lot of things I did not like about this episode: this type of food is my least favorite on earth, to the point of being almost inedible; I thought it was kind of cruel to take them on a pub crawl with all that heavy and fried food and knew they would expect something after the beer and glop; and the teams and double elimination were pretty cruel at this point in the competition.

I wish Sylwia and Victoire had gotten some more credit as their dish actually looked pretty good, and kudos to Sylwia for getting Victoire to actually like Toad in the Hole. Buddha and Luciana's dish looked good as well and I was happy to see them win.

Not sad to see Dale leave. I thought he undermined May the whole challenge and was pretentious and arrogant as well.

[Ms Blue Jay]

21 minutes ago, The Solution said:

Not sad to see Dale leave. I thought he undermined May the whole challenge and was pretentious and arrogant as well.

Interesting.  I wanted May to stay for the whole competition, but the way I saw the show was that May had very strong ideas and Dale was not allowed any input.  She cooks Thai food and that's what the entire dish was.  Every time he brought up an issue it seemed like she simply told him no.  Also, she made it clear that she was fine with leaving if that was the way it was.  She had no regrets or second thoughts about any of her choices.  I am not even really seeing how that was a collaboration.  Dale was simply there to execute May's vision.

I do agree that the double elimination is stupid and cruel.

Edited March 24, 2023 by Ms Blue Jay

[The Solution]

7 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I am not even really seeing how that was a collaboration.  Dale was simply there to execute May's vision.

The one thing he suggested that I agreed with was the idea of cutting the egg in half. With the time they had and the unfamiliarity of the dish, it was the only way to see what was in there. My bias is showing because I don't like him in general and I thought Look, this chef won both challenges last week. See what you can learn before you undermine. They did show other teams who collaborated better, but it wasn't fair to do this with people who don't know each other well, on a random toss rather than their choice, after a morning of drinking and heavy food.

[HappyDancex2]

Well now I have to watch LCK and see how Tom gets her back in.  Feels like a 2 chance LCK where we get 2 redemptions but who knows.  She pushed so hard to get the scotch egg, she should have fought for the deconstruction.  I need to go back and rewatch the episode!

The malt fries looked fire.  I love malt vinegar but they make the fries so soggy so fast.  Great idea.

Ali looked beside himself in the bottom 4.  Weird how they tested the batter and both agreed it was crunchy but the final product was cakey.  Yuck.

[Daisychain]

I'll have to rewatch - I thought May didn't want to do Scotch eggs, and Dale was insistent on that choice.  Granted I'm on Day 6 of a diet and was probably thinking about the 10 Doritos I have left in a bag in my pantry . . . 

I did very much like chefs not "taking one for the team," which is the death-knell on Top Chef.  Nicole saying leave her popover pans in the ovens to heat -- my son does that -- and Buddha insisting on mashed potatoes that are creamy not gummy.  

Wished it were a double elimination based on parts played in the dish and not the 2-person team.  Unforch I thought Amar's fish the worst - a lot of home cooks can do a nice light battered fried cod.  I was scared for Ali and sad for May - let's see what LCK brings.  I was intrigued by the malt vinegar "chips," i.e., U.S. fries.  Malt and vinegar potato chips, i.e., UK crisps, are my favorite.

[Daisychain]

1 hour ago, The Solution said:

I wish Sylwia and Victoire had gotten some more credit as their dish actually looked pretty good, and kudos to Sylwia for getting Victoire to actually like Toad in the Hole. Buddha and Luciana's dish looked good as well and I was happy to see them win.

Sylwia and Victoire were kind of the unexpected food rom-com there, wasn't it?  Sywia was adorably excited about every single potato dish and and Victoire was "this is toy in the wall?"  Nice partnership.

[buttersister]

I like May and don't care for Dale, so, yeah. She wanted the Scotch egg rather than the fish and chips, but done her way, not Dale's and he was neither here nor there at the end. Also, except for crispy fish and chips, pub food sucks, imo. (Can someone make me malt salt, please?)

Victoire's comment about what happens when she trusts people she doesn't know scared me, but happily, it worked out just fine. All the attention on Sylwia in the beginning looked like trouble for her, so nice fake out, editing monkeys.

Note to self: No egg yolks in the fry batter ever.

[Bastet]

14 hours ago, Daisychain said:

I'll have to rewatch - I thought May didn't want to do Scotch eggs, and Dale was insistent on that choice.

Nope, opposite -- they had first pick, and he wanted to do fish & chips while she wanted Scotch egg. 

I agreed with her the Scotch egg had more room for creativity, but then they wound up going the "playing it safe" route he wanted; in the end, they not only lost creativity points for total lack of reinvention, it didn't even excel as a replication, so they were the clear choice to go.

Edited March 24, 2023 by Bastet

[Ms Blue Jay]

36 minutes ago, Daisychain said:

I'll have to rewatch - I thought May didn't want to do Scotch eggs, and Dale was insistent on that choice. 

Dale wanted fish and chips.  May said No, we're doing Scotch eggs.  (I have unintentionally double posted with above posts.)

Edited March 24, 2023 by Ms Blue Jay

[Fukui San]

I liked both Dale and May coming in to this episode. I don't think either of them had made a bad dish yet, but this was a bad partnership to be sure. I was thinking of how I might do an out there version of a Scotch Egg. What I landed on was this: Make a smaller version of the egg, maybe a quail egg. Soft boil and peel them. Then put them into a crispy fried dumpling of some kind with sausage. Maybe a fried wonton or empanada.

[Daisychain]

23 minutes ago, Fukui San said:

I liked both Dale and May coming in to this episode. I don't think either of them had made a bad dish yet, but this was a bad partnership to be sure. I was thinking of how I might do an out there version of a Scotch Egg. What I landed on was this: Make a smaller version of the egg, maybe a quail egg. Soft boil and peel them. Then put them into a crispy fried dumpling of some kind with sausage. Maybe a fried wonton or empanada.

Yes - I am convinced from above posters @Bastet and @Ms Blue Jay that I got it reversed.  I've got to admit I've never had a Scotch egg and it didn't seem like there was much range above a jammy egg inside a meaty breading.  This version I would pay-per-view, especially the crispy dumpling (lighter) over the empanada (heavier).

[oldCJ]

I was a huge May fan until judge’s table when May outright lied about wanting to make something deconstructed. The batter was terrible. You could see that when it was being mixed. And no mention ever of deconstructing it before being called out on the unpleasantness of the batter. Sucks for Dale he didn’t insist on fish and chips, but given the results, May wouldn’t have fried that well if they picked it. 

Ali told Amar how to fix the batter, but Amar ignored him. Glad Ali made it through, because other than the crust their dish looked great. 

Sylwia and Victoire were the most fun pairing. Their potatoes were the thing that looked the tastiest of the episode. 

Annoyed to see Tom’s still got a boner for Buddha. Buddha could serve anything and Tom would rave about it. Luciana’s comment on restaurants in London being crap twelve years ago, as if there haven’t been amazing multicultural options for decades that she doesn’t count as real food, makes me want her gone even more than I already did.

 

[JTMacc99]

That was disappointing. Good chefs going down due to a forced collaboration. 
 

7 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

Well now I have to watch LCK and see how Tom gets her back in.  Feels like a 2 chance LCK where we get 2 redemptions but who knows. 

I think it is a very safe bet that the double elimination here means LCK will have an episode pretty soon that’ll be “The winner will be rejoining the competition right now!”

[dleighg]

9 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

Their team never looked happy throughout the whole process. 

 

They certainly telegraphed their troubles, didn't they? I think the scotch egg is a tough one, since it's really just one thing (but that wonton idea above sounds amazing). That coating looked anemic. I didn't understand the big deal about "to cut or not to cut." It seems that if you do some test runs, you ought to be able to know what's inside just by the temperature and time. And they surely needed "hotter and shorter" to get it right.

 

8 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

May had very strong ideas and Dale was not allowed any input.  She cooks Thai food and that's what the entire dish was. 

I agree. I think she really pushed on the scotch egg idea and he eventually gave in.

9 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

Buddha seems to be back in form, after not distinguishing himself the past two weeks. 

 

As he was layering the zucchini on the fish in preparation for sous vide, all I could think is that if I had to do that for 40 servings it would take me a lot longer than the time he had. 

I laughed when one of the dinners at the table said something was too salty, but a minute later Tom said it was really great. Tom does love his salt.

[Ms Blue Jay]

6 hours ago, oldCJ said:

Annoyed to see Tom’s still got a boner for Buddha. Buddha could serve anything and Tom would rave about it. Luciana’s comment on restaurants in London being crap twelve years ago, as if there haven’t been amazing multicultural options for decades that she doesn’t count as real food, makes me want her gone even more than I already did.

The way I saw it in Buddha's season was that it was Padma who would always defend Buddha, and Tom who was not impressed by him.

Edited March 24, 2023 by Ms Blue Jay

[sugarbaker design]

When the teams were revealed I was certain that Sylwia and Victoire were going home.  Boy, was I wrong!  I questioned Ali's judgment when he and Amar were deciding which dish to cook,  when Amar suggested fish and chips Ali asked "How do we elevate it?" and Amar said "I don't know."  After that I knew they would be in the bottom.  In the end it was the least harmonious team that went home.

[Rambler]

May and Dale were two strong chefs who just got caught up in a bad team dynamic. They had first choice and it seemed like May had an idea on how to deconstruct the Scotch egg, so she insisted that they take it. Dale wanted the fish and chips, but decided to be a team player and give in to May. Then, after he found out that it was going to be a double elimination, it seemed like he got scared and insisted that they play it safe because he didn't know anything about Scotch eggs. This time it was May that gave in, so they wound up with a dish that was neither here nor there. Unfortunately bad things happen to good chefs during team challenges.

[Miss chi chi]

I think Amar and Ali should have done a perfectly cooked fish topped with a cracker or crumb made with the vinegar salt. And a fancy potato. 
 

really glad Ali didn’t go home.

Swlvia had the same edit as Dawn last week so thought she was a goner. Really loved her this episode so glad editing monkeys were screwing with me.

still love Germany Tom!

[tvfanatic13]

The editors clearly had some fun cutting back and forth between people in cars talking and joking, and then May and Tom. Dale.  It was foreshadowing for sure. 

Edited March 24, 2023 by tvfanatic13
Wrong Chef

[HurricaneVal]

From the moment when they dithered about which pub dish to pick, I knew they were doomed.  Then it was obvious they weren't working well together.  I did appreciate that when asked who's idea it was to cut the egg on the plate, Dale owned up to it.  May wanted to leave it whole, so the judges had the experience of the glorious creamy yolk flowing out.  Though....in the end....I don't think that would have saved them.

Sadly, I think no matter what they chose, their horrible team dynamic would have probably put them on the bottom.  Interesting that the two bottom dishes--scotch egg and fish and chips--were the two they were dithering about.

Anybody who took fish and chips was doomed though.  There's no way in a TV competition show like this that the food could arrive at the table and be consumed when it was in full piping hot crispy glory.  Beer batter, in particular, will get soggy fast.  Those guys testing for crispness should have let their test runs sit for 5-10 minutes before deciding they'd hit on a winning batter.   The other dishes were better able to stand up to standing around while camera shots were set up, and re-takes of clever lines were shot.

I love Yorkshire pudding.   I will drive on the sidewalk for Yorkshire pudding.  Every once in a while I'll make myself a pan of buttery popovers just to get close to the eggy, savory, umami, crisp and tender wonder that is a Yorkshire pudding.

[Rammchick]

3 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

Anybody who took fish and chips was doomed though.  There's no way in a TV competition show like this that the food could arrive at the table and be consumed when it was in full piping hot crispy glory.  Beer batter, in particular, will get soggy fast. 

I was wondering about that, but it also looked to me like they'd draped their tartar sauce directly on it, which is also the kiss of death for crispiness.

[caitmcg]

17 hours ago, oldCJ said:

Luciana’s comment on restaurants in London being crap twelve years ago, as if there haven’t been amazing multicultural options for decades that she doesn’t count as real food, makes me want her gone even more than I already did.

But Luciana made the comment specifically about traditional pub food when she first came to London, not about restaurant food in general. She basically said the pub food was not good then (nineteen years ago) and had come a long way in quality.

[South]

23 hours ago, buttersister said:

I like May and don't care for Dale, so, yeah. She wanted the Scotch egg rather than the fish and chips, but done her way, not Dale's and he was neither here nor there at the end. Also, except for crispy fish and chips, pub food sucks, imo. (Can someone make me malt salt, please?)

Victoire's comment about what happens when she trusts people she doesn't know scared me, but happily, it worked out just fine. All the attention on Sylwia in the beginning looked like trouble for her, so nice fake out, editing monkeys.

Note to self: No egg yolks in the fry batter ever.

I also like May.  Her stories won me over last week, but as worried as I was about possibly losing her, I was a bit more okay after she, unprompted, threw Dale under the double-decker bus.  He was still an unknown chef to me, so I won’t miss him, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.  Actually, I can make malt salt for you, but you can make it for yourself, as well.  The recipe/method is on the net.  More easily, you can order it on Amazon with or without salt.I’m liking Sylvia, so I was pleased about the fake-out.

23 hours ago, Fukui San said:

I liked both Dale and May coming in to this episode. I don't think either of them had made a bad dish yet, but this was a bad partnership to be sure. I was thinking of how I might do an out there version of a Scotch Egg. What I landed on was this: Make a smaller version of the egg, maybe a quail egg. Soft boil and peel them. Then put them into a crispy fried dumpling of some kind with sausage. Maybe a fried wonton or empanada.

Funny, but I’ve been thinking about the Scotch egg as well.  I like your idea, and I’ll take a plate-full.

[Yeah No]

I was positively disposed towards May before this episode.  As soon as she started being terse and inflexible with Dale my opinion of her went down a bit, then it crashed when she lied at judges' table.  It's interesting that some people don't like Dale.  I thought he was more than fair and gracious in response to her despite her pushiness for what she wanted.  He could have reacted much worse to her.  He also could have reacted much worse when she lied at judges' table.  She definitely didn't show her best side in this episode while I think he did better than he might be getting credit for.

Sylwia is a hoot.  She's an interesting person and funny too.  I LOLed when she said she brushed her teeth with potatoes!

2 hours ago, caitmcg said:

But Luciana made the comment specifically about traditional pub food when she first came to London, not about restaurant food in general. She basically said the pub food was not good then (nineteen years ago) and had come a long way in quality.

Having had pub food in London on a few occasions in 2004 I agree in general with her but it did depend on where you went.  A friend that lived in London at the time met me and my husband at a pub (her choice) and it was far better than the two other places I had been to before that.  I personally love pub food but don't eat it that often anymore because it's all so unhealthy.

I will say this, though - My food experience in 2005 in Ireland was phenomenal.  Nothing fancy, just down home meat and tons of potatoes, but everything I had there was just fantastic and highly underrated.  Much better than anything I had in London, and that includes Jamie Oliver's restaurant, "Fifteen".

[South]

20 hours ago, oldCJ said:

I was a huge May fan until judge’s table when May outright lied about wanting to make something deconstructed. The batter was terrible. You could see that when it was being mixed. And no mention ever of deconstructing it before being called out on the unpleasantness of the batter. Sucks for Dale he didn’t insist on fish and chips, but given the results, May wouldn’t have fried that well if they picked it. 

Ali told Amar how to fix the batter, but Amar ignored him. Glad Ali made it through, because other than the crust their dish looked great. 

Sylwia and Victoire were the most fun pairing. Their potatoes were the thing that looked the tastiest of the episode. 

Annoyed to see Tom’s still got a boner for Buddha. Buddha could serve anything and Tom would rave about it. Luciana’s comment on restaurants in London being crap twelve years ago, as if there haven’t been amazing multicultural options for decades that she doesn’t count as real food, makes me want her gone even more than I already did.

 

I was pleased that Dale spoke up about there not having been any talk of deconstruction.  And the egg…the color, or lack thereof.  Partner South was watching with earbuds in while listening to music.  He asked me (too loudly), “did they pack a fucking rice crispy treat around an egg!?”  Sylvia and Victoria were fun to watch.  In what other world would they find themselves together making Toad in the Hole?  So true about the many options for dining in London, and it has been true for decades.  I took what Luciana said to mean specifically pub food.  Additionally i figured she was referring to there being a wider range of options available at the pubs, not so much that those traditional dishes have actually improved.

[Quilt Fairy]

If Luciana has lived in London for the last 19 years, how did she win TC Brazil? 

[marybennet]

What makes you all say May lied?  We don’t hear the whole conversation, and it sounded to me, from what we heard, that she was making suggestions, and Dale said no to everything. Like others, I liked them both, but I found his repeated flat ‘no’ difficult.  It seemed as if he was trying to keep things safe and maybe keep them in the middle. 

[MerBearHou]

16 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

It's interesting that some people don't like Dale.  I thought he was more than fair and gracious in response to her despite her pushiness for what she wanted.  He could have reacted much worse to her.  He also could have reacted much worse when she lied at judges' table. 

I agree with this 1000%.  I like Dale a lot so far, and I felt he was accommodating to May’s preferences from the beginning of their pairing.  

[Ms Blue Jay]

I don't know Dale from his previous competition(s), so I have no bias towards him. I thought he was very gracious and had a very good attitude.  May simply would not and could not work with him unfortunately.

[Mellowyellow]

Loved this episode! Enjoyed it so much!

Potato girl (I know her name is Sylvia, I'm just going to call her that because everyone else does) and Victoire were like a duo cast in a comedy. I cracked up at how Potato girl was so enthusiastic and chirpy about toad in hole while Victoire had this long suffering "omg this is bad" look but she just trooped along skeptically. It was hilarious.

I really like Germany Tom and all his suspicious glances while he was on the pub crawl 🤣

I liked Sara in her season (still like her) and I find it interesting that she's very zen this season. I remember her being a bit more tense but she seems rather chilled here. Nice to see her enjoying herself.

Neither May nor Dale were happy with that they were doing. It's weird because I got the vibe that both sides thought they were making concessions. Unfortunate pairing for both of them. 

[ilovebeaarthur]

14 hours ago, Rammchick said:

I was wondering about that, but it also looked to me like they'd draped their tartar sauce directly on it, which is also the kiss of death for crispiness.

When they drizzled that sauce on, I groaned and said “that’s gonna ruin any crispness!”

[bosawks]

It’s weird how things work out.  I wonder how Dale and May would’ve done if they were last to pick instead of first.

[Pine]

My Pub Food experiences are from when I lived in England for several years, 1970's/1980's.  I use to find Pub Food quite nice, inexpensive in compared to other eateries in London, and cozy in the Counties.  London was basic, and the County Pubs were more exciting and interesting depending on where you were.   My favourite Pub eathing place by the Goodge Street Station was bombed by the IRA  :(

I was not too fond of May or Dale,  I wanted to like Dale, but just didn't, May already seemed one way to me.  JMHO of course.  I am sticking with Buddha for now, only because I don't have a firm feeling about any of the others.

Edited March 25, 2023 by Pine

[RoseAllDay]

Not gonna lie, when I saw Buddha working on the fish with the onion slices it reminded me of those gross 1970s-recipe mousse molds. Could not get that image out of my head for the rest of the episode.

I actually looked up a recipe for Shepherd’s Pie, and I plan to make it at some point. I vacationed in the UK a long time ago, and to this day one of my strongest memories is how big the portions were, how tasty, and just how filling the food was. It was perfect before spending an afternoon sightseeing in villages. 

I was truly sad to see May go, especially after last week. But some teams need to learn the art of compromise, and it was clear she and Dale were in trouble from the start, with the utter silence in the car. 

(While I’m here, going forward I’m not looking at the Reddit forum for Top Chef until after I watch the episode. I DVR to watch later, and I made the mistake of going there before watching this episode. Apparently the mods were lazy about policing the spoiler in the header. Don’t know if that was a one-off, but lots of people were not happy — justifiably so.)

[Colorado David]

Agree with the prior posters on the forced collaboration aspect - mostly because you've never cooked with your brand new partner before, and if you've got disparate views on the dish, that can completely disaster your dish.  Were I judges I'd have done head to head, with 2 separate chefs making the same dish, then those winners being compared against the other dishes.

I have to say half of my enjoyment this season is hearing all the different accents going on, I love stuff like that. And thank you for the occasional subtitles, they are helpful.

Man I would never do the scotch egg over the fish and chips - far more difficult to get perfect, and I think you've a lot more options to do on the f & c.

Going back one episode, is it fact that German cuisine doesn't use rice? That completely surprised me, but then I have not heard of a german dish that does have rice in it.

Love Potato Girl, she could be a potato spokesperson for Poland.

[Ms.Lulu]

3 hours ago, RoseAllDay said:

 

I actually looked up a recipe for Shepherd’s Pie, and I plan to make it at some point. I vacationed in the UK a long time ago, and to this day one of my strongest memories is how big the portions were, how tasty, and just how filling the food was. It was perfect before spending an afternoon sightseeing in villages. 

 

Maybe because I have spent most of my life in the US and haven't had regular access to lamb, I love the beef cousin cottage pie. In the winter, I make it about once a month and freeze the leftovers for work lunches.  I am liberal with the worcestershire sauce, and I always add in the red wine. This is my comfort food.

Well, this and Japanese curry. There is a place near me that makes a beef Japanese curry with paprika and melted mozzarella and cheddar cheese over the curry and rice. They serve it with pickled onions, spinach and hard-boiled eggs. It is the food of the gods.

It might be the best comfort food I have ever eaten.

[ilovebeaarthur]

2 hours ago, Colorado David said:

Going back one episode, is it fact that German cuisine doesn't use rice? That completely surprised me, but then I have not heard of a german dish that does have rice in it.

The only dish I can think of that uses rice is cabbage rolls, but usually potato or noodles (spätzle, dumplings) are more common. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, Ms.Lulu said:

Maybe because I have spent most of my life in the US and haven't had regular access to lamb, I love the beef cousin cottage pie. In the winter, I make it about once a month and freeze the leftovers for work lunches.  I am liberal with the worcestershire sauce, and I always add in the red wine. This is my comfort food.

I like it too.  I made it recently and the only thing is I had a bad reaction to Worchestershire sauce (I spoke about this in another thread) and my best deduction is that it has to do with the anchovies.  However, there are about a million things people use to sub in for W. sauce instead.

[sharifa70]

I grew up on cottage pie (in my house it was “Dad’s casserole”), but it’s a very, very basic (povvo) version: ground beef, onions, tomato sauce, and green beans topped with mashed potatoes and cheese. It’s cheap and freezes well, and it’s a winter staple. I always think I want to try one of the fancier versions but childhood always wins out. 

I also loved the Victoire/Potato Girl team-up (yes, I know it’s Sylwia). My love of potatoes earned me the nickname “Tater” from my dad when I was a kid, so I’ve decided Sylwia is my long-lost bestie.

Sara’s crack about Tom using agar in his perfectly-coiffed hair made me giggle. I didn’t like her in her season but I agree with the earlier poster who commented that she seems a little more mellowed out here.

Oh! All my life I’ve been putting the malt vinegar on my fish, never the fries. I dip my fries in tartar sauce, though. Suddenly, salt & vinegar potato chips make a *whole* lot more sense….

 

[HurricaneVal]

I'm still chuckling about Victoria's deadpan "WTF?" expression throughout, so I am glad they did well.  

Repurposing Thanksgiving or Christmas traditional turkey dinner leftovers into a version of cottage (coop?) pie is a regular at my house.  A layer of stuffing, a layer of green bean casserole (if plain green beans, then a little gravy here), a layer of shredded roasted turkey, dot with cranberry sauce, soak in gravy, then smother in mashed potatoes and bake.  Heaven.  Mr. HV requests it especially, and is known to make extra mashed potatoes so we have enough.

I am fond of pub food, though I usually can't get past fish and chips because that is a particular favorite of mine.  Overall, it is a bit stodgy, but it was meant to be cheap and filling meals for the working class, so sticking to the ribs was a selling point.

I was surprised there was no ploughman's lunch!  That's a really traditional pub dish.  Could you imagine what a presentation food artist Top Chef (Buddha?) could do when presenting what is essentially a charcuterie plate?  I think that was a bit of a missed opportunity. 

 

[carrps]

11 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

I was surprised there was no ploughman's lunch!  That's a really traditional pub dish

I was in England about 30 years ago, and we ate at pubs at bit. I loved the ploughman's lunch. Enough to be filling, but not so filling that you wanted a nap afterward.

 

[BusyOctober]

I finally watched this episode and I screamed like an idiot when I saw the 3rd pub, Trafalgar Tavern.  I was there in 2019 and it was amazing.  Of the several fish and chip dishes I sampled while in London, Trafalgar Tavern was the best.  Great atmosphere too. The enter Greenwich area was wonderful, and I wish we had more time to explore.  We had a lovely Sunday roast at another pub that was also one of the best meals I ever had. 

Sorry to see the Scotch egg be the downfall of May and Dale.  I love a good Scotch egg, but theirs was not one I would order.

Now all I can think about is fish and chips with malt vinegar. Or a Yorkshire pudding.  Or both.

 

[Daisychain]

On 3/25/2023 at 2:54 PM, RoseAllDay said:

Not gonna lie, when I saw Buddha working on the fish with the onion slices it reminded me of those gross 1970s-recipe mousse molds. Could not get that image out of my head for the rest of the episode.

Was it onions or cucumbers?  I must have been asleep, that's already been established.  I am a Buddha fan, but there were strong vibes on something that was passed around in my enormous farm family . . . it's a woman who found her mother's Weight Watchers recipe cards from 1974 in her mom's garage.  EVERYTHING was mousse, jellies, and for some reason, mackerel.  http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards.html  Enjoy all.  

[marybennet]

I thought the pseudo-scales on the Buddha/Luciana fish dish were thinly-sliced zucchini. Am I right?

[Vermicious Knid]

Quote

EVERYTHING was mousse, jellies, and for some reason, mackerel.

May I introduce you to The Gallery of Regrettable Food?

Actually there's a challenge; have the chefs create something edible and updated out of this kind of glop. 

[South]

3 hours ago, Daisychain said:

Was it onions or cucumbers?  I must have been asleep, that's already been established.  I am a Buddha fan, but there were strong vibes on something that was passed around in my enormous farm family . . . it's a woman who found her mother's Weight Watchers recipe cards from 1974 in her mom's garage.  EVERYTHING was mousse, jellies, and for some reason, mackerel.  http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards.html  Enjoy all.  

I remember Eric Ripert and Tom talking at Jtable, last year, about how his plating is lovely, but so outdated.   I sometimes expected him to carve a whale from a crook-neck squash.  My mom learned to do that at a Tupperware party during the 70s.   It made repeated appearances at the dinner table, complete with a spray of feathered celery spewing from the blowhole.

[South]

For the record, Sylwia, Gabri, Victoire and Begona are abundantly  invited to move to my neighborhood.  The closer and sooner the better.