S20.E12: Goodbye, London!

[Rammchick]

On 5/28/2023 at 9:28 PM, bravofan27 said:

I wonder if Gabri got in the winner list because he used his dishwasher story and the last episode heavily featured Finish dishwasher detergent. LOL. If he was thinking about that, that was genius. That said, it's not a new idea: Sponge

It was also a technical challenge on one of the seasons of Junior Bake Off (the kids version of Great British Baking Show), where the kids had to make a cake that looked like that scrubbie sponge.

[carrps]

15 hours ago, Daisychain said:

Fun fact: Ali was an alternate -- he found out he was going about 12 hours before filming started.  They said he's actually missing from the first filmed scene in Episode 1.  Anyway they were just exuberant about the experience.

Now, I want to know who he replaced.

2 hours ago, Drogo said:

Buddha be like: 

Agree. I prefer quiet confidence to fake humility. And he's not a good enough actor to pull off the latter.

[MaggieG]

I have forgotten most of what happened this episode because guest judge Jeremy and his soothing voice has been occupying my mind

[bravofan27]

7 hours ago, Drogo said:

He's definitely funny.

Buddha: "Tom what are you doing right now?" 

Tom: "None of your fucking business." 

And his "climbing over the railing" during the Wellington judging was top tier.

I like how he is always deadpanning, "living the dream" when asked pretty much anything while cooking.

[bravofan27]

6 hours ago, Drogo said:

Like Tom's "caviar tin."  

I feel like I remember in the earlier seasons Tom C being vehemently against "anything we're not supposed to eat" (garnishes/ingredients that add nothing to the dish) as opposed to "things we can't eat." 

Yeah, I don't think things like shells, bones, skin, etc., count because they are part of the dish or part of the food and contribute to how you eat it and how it tastes. There is a difference between making the food palatable for a 4-year old (although some adults do seem to expect this) and garnishing. I know for a kid, I wouldn't give them chicken or fish with bones (choking hazard, won't eat it, grosses them out) and many adults (myself included) prefer meat with bones, and prefer shrimp cooked and served in the shell (tastes way better) which is COMPLETELY different than a garnish which the whole idea is to make the dish look pretty. Oyster shells are critical for how you eat them-- they are the vessel. But the banana wrap thing, people just took it off and put it away. I don't think it was even used to season or flavor the matzo balls.

I have feelings about this because when I learned that the proper way to serve food was with an edible garnish (if you need a garnish) I was kind of sad about it. They called me out!

[marybennet]

I think a banana wrap would be ok, too, because people do sometimes cook things (steaming or baking) in banana leaves; so the leaf has been functional, even if you don't eat it.  What's not okay is the sprig of curly parsley that you might even eat but that's there because it looks pretty and not because it adds to the taste of the dish.  Really, though, I think the only rule is, 'if I like it, it's ok, but if I don't,then there must be a rule against it!'

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, marybennet said:

I think a banana wrap would be ok, too, because people do sometimes cook things (steaming or baking) in banana leaves; so the leaf has been functional, even if you don't eat it.  What's not okay is the sprig of curly parsley that you might even eat but that's there because it looks pretty and not because it adds to the taste of the dish. 

Exactly.  Besides I thought exceptions were made for dishes that are traditionally made with things that are either inedible or just not intended for consumption like the corn husk part of the tamale.  Does the corresponding banana leaf in the imitation have to be intended to eat?  I don't think it should have to be.

6 hours ago, marybennet said:

 Really, though, I think the only rule is, 'if I like it, it's ok, but if I don't,then there must be a rule against it!'

I think there should be a rule against that...

[pally]

Frankly, NOTHING should be out of the wheelhouse of any of these chefs at this point in the competition. The challenges certainly may be out of their specialties but these really aren't brand-new techniques they are being asked to perform.  Gabri is the only one who hasn't worked in Michelin-star restaurants.  The last challenge was one of technique.

And anyone who knew they were selected for the show and didn't bone up on traditional English foods did themselves a disservice.

[Chickabiddy]

6 hours ago, pally said:

Frankly, NOTHING should be out of the wheelhouse of any of these chefs at this point in the competition.

Right because trompe l’oeil delicacies are a global dining trend where working chefs can run successful restaurants in such tastes. And let’s not forget the mass appeal of jellies. 🙄

My French mother used to make beautiful hard boiled eggs suspended in homemade aspic - a classic Northern European delicacy. Doubt she could find enough people with interest in that to run a food truck these days.

I know - let’s suggest some medieval delicacies for the finale….maybe 4 and 20 blackbirds baked in a pie. Because if it was ever popular in the history of the world, any chef should be able to do the technique on a TV competition. 🙄

[Vermicious Knid]

Well, yes, savory pies are traditional British food. And it's been done on The Great British Baking Show. Not with blackbirds but I think pigeon was involved. 

I get why people perceive Buddha as arrogant, but in his case he's just that good. And there's no soul in his food? I see it in his meticulous preparation, his dedication, and the exquisite (most of the time) dishes it produces. The last episode before the finale of course it was going to be a fine dining challenge. They all should have been prepared for that. Many of the chefs had that type of  background and could have excelled, had they made it to this point. 

[South]

On 5/28/2023 at 2:45 PM, ProudMary said:

That sure sounds like the smart move to me, especially since Padma specifically told the cheftestants that while they HAD to use a mold in the creation of the dish, they did NOT have to use the mold for the jelly. In fact, Buddha wasn't the only chef to use a mold for a different portion of their dish. 

But I thought that it had to wiggle/jiggle.  His did neither, but there was no mention of the fact.

[ProudMary]

11 minutes ago, South said:

But I thought that it had to wiggle/jiggle.  His did neither, but there was no mention of the fact.

Buddha's jelly was the bottom layer of his dish, all of which fit perfectly into the serving bowl, so it would be hard to see a jiggle. He was, however, complimented on its texture and flavor by the jelly expert guest judge.

[nokat]

14 hours ago, South said:

But I thought that it had to wiggle/jiggle.  His did neither, but there was no mention of the fact.

They had to look at the bottom. Oh there it is.

[dleighg]

On 5/28/2023 at 12:24 PM, Mellowyellow said:

Back to the episode, Buddha absolutely deserved that win. His plate looked amazing. Everything else was really amateur and dodgy (Gabri's sponge was ok but I really had to squint to accept that it was a sponge) whereas the stuff on Buddha's plate was so tricky it looked like he went, bought cherries, olive etc and plated them up

I had to play his "recap" of his plate for the judges a couple of times because each element was so completely opposite what it looked like. I think even the stem of the cherry was "something else" (I didn't catch what) so I laughed when one of the diners said they expected to be able to eat the toothpick too!

Anyone know how he made a "beef onion broth" look like red wine?

[marybennet]

13 hours ago, dleighg said:

think even the stem of the cherry was "something else" (I didn't catch what) so I laughed when one of the diners said they expected to be able to eat the toothpick too!

Anyone know how he made a "beef onion broth" look like red wine?

Don’t know for sure, but he used grissini (breadsticks) for something; I thought maybe the cherry stems were shaved and bent bits of breadstick.  The broth had beet juice in it, too, I think, which would have helped with color. 

[Daisychain]

On 5/30/2023 at 10:55 AM, carrps said:

On 5/29/2023 at 7:16 PM, Daisychain said:

Fun fact: Ali was an alternate -- he found out he was going about 12 hours before filming started.  They said he's actually missing from the first filmed scene in Episode 1.  Anyway they were just exuberant about the experience.

Now, I want to know who he replaced.

@carrps, there was absolutely no hard information about that.  My slight inference from a different article was that Gregory G (the Great) was supposed to be among the contestants, but he was opening Kann at the same time, which obviously, no. Again, suspicion not information.  My son is in Portland so I cannot wait until we and his friends get to go to Kann.

 

[snarktini]

On 5/31/2023 at 8:28 PM, Vermicious Knid said:

I get why people perceive Buddha as arrogant, but in his case he's just that good. And there's no soul in his food? I see it in his meticulous preparation, his dedication, and the exquisite (most of the time) dishes it produces.

I am often sympathetic to chefs like Buddha who are incredibly talented and meticulous but can be perceived as sore losers or arrogant or even faking humility as noted elsewhere. (I'll put Blaise into this category. And Ruby from GBBO who was sure she sucked even when she was winning.) Overachievers are driven to be perfect / the best and what's hiding behind that -- what is doing the driving -- is often anxiety. A fear that you really aren't good enough. So it's not unusual to find a mix of confidence and anxiety. Yes, I've won a lot and that proves something objectively, but what if it's not enough? What if this is the time I fail? In the creative world, that's always possible! (And if it does go poorly I interpret their sour faces as being upset with themselves for being imperfect, not directed at others.)

 

Edited December 5, 2023 by snarktini