MasterChef: The Professionals (UK) - General Discussion

[akr]

2 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

So I’ll just check back and see if there is an episode 2. I hope there is.

There is! I just watched it - it was also fun. Oli from 2018, Olivia & Exose from 2019, & Steve from 2011. A bit more success on the skills test in this one, and everyone did well with their own dishes. 

[Spunkygal]

14 hours ago, akr said:

There is! I just watched it - it was also fun. Oli from 2018, Olivia & Exose from 2019, & Steve from 2011. A bit more success on the skills test in this one, and everyone did well with their own dishes. 

Yet another delightful, mouth-watering episode with four talented familiar faces!

Spoiler

As always, I could have devoured everyone’s food but Ollie was amazing in his season and is even more amazing now. When Marcus kept gushing and saying “stunning” about Ollie’s food, it was obvious that he would win, but they all performed brilliantly! Exose’s smile is so contagious and he really has developed into a fine dining chef. Olivia and Steve continue to impress. We really were treated to two fantastic surprise festive episodes. And I got glimpses of my pretend-BF, Michel Roux Jr.! That’s all the dessert that I need! 😂

Happy new year, everyone! Stay safe and I’ll see you next year! ❤️

[Sarnia]

I enjoyed the second episode better. I remembered fondly all the chefs in this round, and I was a lot more impressed by their dishes. Well-deserved winners in both episodes anyway and it was a lot of joy to watch.
Stay safe everybody and onwards with this brand new year.

[TVbitch]

The intoxicated way Marcus was looking at Ollie after eating his meal. I live for those moments. His food was sublime. The others were great too. Initially I thought Olivia would be the winner. 

Well those two episodes were a delight. Until next time...

Edited January 4, 2021 by TVbitch

[Spunkygal]

Famed chef and creator of Le Gavroche, Albert Roux, who was the father of Michel Roux, Jr, has passed away after a lengthy illness. Several months ago, Albert’s brother, Michel Roux, passed away. Deepest sympathy to Michel Jr. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9117925/Chef-Londons-legendary-Le-Gavroche-restaurant-dies-reveals-family.html

[Spunkygal]

According to Marcus’ IG, filming for the new season started May 5! Squeee!

[couchcelery]

On 8/28/2021 at 8:58 AM, Spunkygal said:

According to Marcus’ IG, filming for the new season started May 5! Squeee!

Thank you for the info!

(This is still by far my favorite cooking show, along with Top Chef France.)

[Spunkygal]

What’s this you say? Top Chef France? I must find this posthaste!

[couchcelery]

5 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

What’s this you say? Top Chef France? I must find this posthaste!

It usually starts at the beginning of the year after MCUKP ends. (And rather easy to find while the show is airing. 😀)

[lambertman]

Premiere date is November 8!  

 

[TVbitch]

Why are there only 4 contestants, are they having an even shorter season than last year?! If so, Booooo!!!! And what's with it being broken into two episodes that air on the same night? AND they didn't say "tomorrow night...." at the end, they said "next time...." so when is that?

Other than that, the two who went through seem promising. OMG, I've never wanted to eat a carrot so bad! It looked amazing. 

[akr]

12 hours ago, TVbitch said:

And what's with it being broken into two episodes that air on the same night? AND they didn't say "tomorrow night...." at the end, they said "next time...." so when is that?

Seems they are doing two heats of four each week, with the first one shown in two episodes on Mondays, sandwiched around an episode of The Eastenders, so basically it's just the one episode split in two with a half hour break in between (skills tests, then signature menus). The second group of four each week gets their episode shown in a one-hour block, as an official single episode rather than two separate ones, on Wednesday or Thursday depending on the week, and then the QF rounds are on Thursday or Friday, depending on the week.

Schedule for the first three weeks is MMThF, MMWTh, MMThF; I'm just assuming the pattern will more or less hold for the fourth week of heats (there are 32 competitors, same as last year). There are 4 episodes a week during this phase (16 total), and 22 episodes overall.

I wasn't sure during the skills test if Monica's test was just harder, but it was pretty clear who the top two were going to be by the end.

ETA: Upcoming episodes schedule here (for the next three weeks): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mx9xb/broadcasts/upcoming, with brief episode descriptions including what the skills tests are (for episode 1: "The first Skills Test features bangers and mash and monkfish with pea and bacon ragout"), and which critics they'll be cooking for in the QF episodes. 

Edited November 11, 2021 by akr

[Spunkygal]

On 11/10/2021 at 2:08 PM, TVbitch said:

Why are there only 4 contestants, are they having an even shorter season than last year?! If so, Booooo!!!! And what's with it being broken into two episodes that air on the same night? AND they didn't say "tomorrow night...." at the end, they said "next time...." so when is that?

Other than that, the two who went through seem promising. OMG, I've never wanted to eat a carrot so bad! It looked amazing. 

The two shorter episodes threw me when I went to our viewing platform. IMO, Monica’s skills test was more difficult than Marcus’. I knew Lauren wasn’t going to make it right away. She smiled too much! She was the smileyest contestant I’ve ever seen! Guess Dario won’t be naming the baby after Gregg! So thrilled to have this darling show back! 

[TVbitch]

My seasonal boyfriend might have shown up in episode 3, but I am keeping my options open. : D

[Spunkygal]

57 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

My seasonal boyfriend might have shown up in episode 3, but I am keeping my options open. : D

Oh I’ll have to watch tonight! I didn’t realize that episodes 3 and 4 are available. 

[Athena]

We're enjoying this new series as usual. This show which is one of our top tv shows.

Sharing the news that former winner Craig Johnston has been promoted to Head Chef at Marcus's restaurant. Craig has been working there for four years right after he won the show. It's a testament to how Marcus invests in the talent on this show in the long term and he seems like a decent boss too.

See here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CV0Nbl3octC/

[Spunkygal]

19 minutes ago, Athena said:

We're enjoying this new series as usual. This show which is one of our top tv shows.

Sharing the news that former winner Craig Johnston has been promoted to Head Chef at Marcus's restaurant. Craig has been working there for four years right after he won the show. It's a testament to how Marcus invests in the talent on this show in the long term and he seems like a decent boss too.

See here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CV0Nbl3octC/

I love hearing this. If I ever make it back to London, I’m definitely going to dine there. 

[Spunkygal]

Episode 4:

Spoiler

Huh, that canned food challenge was interesting. Not sure I’m a fan of that curveball. I prefer giving them a rutabaga or something and saying “have at it.” I see where M & M were going with it, but it was a bit too Food Networky for me. 

I adore the critic challenges! I hate truffle oil so I figured Nico was going home. It is an ingredient that has a mind of its own and takes over. I would devour Dan’s sirloin and both of John’s dishes. That cherry soufflé was genius. Did you notice the genuine shock on Dan’s face when his name was called as the second chef advancing? Ha! Also, it dawned on me that William Sitwell resembles the original valuator on Cash in the Attic, Jonty Hearndon. Does anyone else see that? 

 

[TVbitch]

The right two made it through, but I was surprised Nico had that misstep. My boyfriend did amazing, but I am still keeping my options open. ...mostly because of the ear plugs. Sorry, they freak me out! : D

I didn't really care for the tinned food challenged either. I wonder if M&M actually choose the challenges, or if the producers choose them. I would think they might veto that. At least it was a non-elimin challenge. 

I'm delighted to hear that Marcus ends up employing some of these chefs. You can tell when he is eating a dish, if it really delights him he just gets a goofy smile of his face like he just fell in love or something. I always think, oooh he is gonna snatch that contestant from wherever they are working! 

PS. Have not seen cash in the attic yet, Spunky. So many shows, so little time!

Edited November 15, 2021 by TVbitch

[Spunkygal]

@TVbitch, the episodes of CITA that I refer to are ancient! It would surprise me if you ever stumble on one of those old episodes. But it was comfort viewing back in the day. And Jonty was quite dashing. Probably still is. 

Yeah, I am not a fan of ear gauges. But John is so calm and focused. I’m keeping my pretend boyfriend options open. We’ve had some real cuties in the past! 

I look at Jay Rayner’s IG occasionally and he is such a hoot. He has a jazz quartet and he plays piano. 

[Athena]

I agree the right two went through. I didn't warm up to Nico and I think he had some palette issues. I really like John too and he's emblematic of a lot chefs who do well on this show. I think he's a bit more distinct because he's self-taught though. I thought that souffle looked amazing and was very innovative but not gimmicky take on a classic.

I actually didn't mind the tinned/preserved challenge. In bigger commercial kitchens where mass catering is the norm, they use a lot of tins, cans, and preserved foods. Tinned fish is especially good. It's actually getting a revival because it can be more affordable and nutritious than some other options. Also, it's not like they gave them all cheap stuff. I saw a tin of caviar in that pantry. I am a bit disappointed that some of them went safe or boring. My estimation of Dan went a notch down. John had one of the better mindsets going into that.

[Spunkygal]

Episodes 5/6:

Spoiler

Eh, not very memorable for me except for the chef who I think was Eddie who didn’t rest the liver and it bled on the plate. Yuck, yuck, yuck. Shame on him. But I wouldn’t eat liver under any circumstance! The two going through seemed rather weak to me although Jamie had a rather good skills test. 

 

[Spunkygal]

Episode 7….I hate how these episodes are flying by!

Spoiler

Skills test. Eggs Benedict and strawberry swirl? Yes please. Three times a day is fine with me! However, although I like spice, I would prefer a classic hollandaise with fresh lemon to cut through the richness. Save the sriracha for something else. When the guy (Aaron?) who’s the private chef said he cooks for the head of the country home and there’s other staff to cook for the madam and kids, I said, wait! Does the head of home have an uncle or grand dad that I could hook up with! I can’t imagine that sort of set up. I also like Elena who has the pastry chef twin. 

Also, I have to share this. I was visiting a friend and her hubs in Nashville one time and she made eggs Benedict one morning. She used the Knorr’s hollandaise sauce packet and followed as directed but squeezed in fresh lemon at the end. Maybe it was because I was enjoying a Bloody Mary at the time, but that Knorr’s packet doctored up with the lemon was okay. Hmm, yeah, on second thought, it was probably the Bloody Mary……..

Looking forward to critics next episode! 

 

Edited November 20, 2021 by Spunkygal

[Spunkygal]

Episode 8:

Spoiler

Oh how I love mustard! That challenge had me drooling and Aaron crushed it. I’m sorry but Elena’s food in both the mustard and the critics challenges was so boring. Charith and Jamie really stepped up and got rave reviews in the critics challenge. Yum, both lobster dishes looked amazing and I’m intrigued by Charith’s flavors. He will go really far in this competition. I was a little surprised that they sent Aaron through since he had apricot overload in one of his dishes. I wasn’t too excited about any of these chefs in episode 7 but I’m coming around to them. Grace is so serious when she takes a bite and closes her eyes to evaluate the taste. 

 

[TVbitch]

After they all did so well with the mustard, I had a feeling we were going to see three go through. I always love when that happens. I think they all deserved it. Aaron did not seem to do as well as the other two with the critics, but he was perfection with the mustard, causing Marcus to make googly eyes at his plate of food, so there was no way Marcus was gonna let him go. Comparatively, Elena's plates were a snooze. 

The semis are really going to be packed with great chefs!

[Athena]

Ep 9 and 10 more drama than this show usually gets! 
 

Spoiler

We laughed at the “I’m about fire only and  here for myself” development chef alongside the judges during the skills test.  We were entertained by his braggadocio talking but I was not that shocked how he served raw meat twice! He at least looked ashamed when Marcus and notably Monica told him to slow down and they expect chefs to treat this as a service line. In his talking heads he was all “well I took risks” but serving almost no dessert and raw meat is not risks. Good riddance.

The other character was posh Ollie whom we were amused by but he definitely showed promise. I liked his quips “I heard that Monica likes celeariac” ha  

Too bad Mathilde couldn’t make it through she had an interesting personality too.

The last chef from warrington is more typical of contestants and he delivered that consistency of style too. Good stuff. 

 

 

 

 

[TVbitch]

Episode 9/10:

OMG, that was so funny. I've never seen Marcus laugh so much. I hope that is at least useful to that chef as a learning experience going forward. Glad he is gone though, cuz I can't say I was looking forward to seeing all those tattoos again.  

Uh oh, I might need to have a harem instead of a seasonal boyfriend, cuz the two who went through were cutie patooties. 

[Spunkygal]

27 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Episode 9/10:

OMG, that was so funny. I've never seen Marcus laugh so much. I hope that is at least useful to that chef as a learning experience going forward. Glad he is gone though, cuz I can't say I was looking forward to seeing all those tattoos again.  

Uh oh, I might need to have a harem instead of a seasonal boyfriend, cuz the two who went through were cutie patooties. 

There’s a chef in episode 11 with knuckle tats. Ugh. Speaking of which:

episode 11:

Spoiler

That was hilarious when Andy said his nickname was Poodle because he recently cut off his long curls! I would love a funny nickname like that. The filleting of his fish wasn’t the prettiest but he did well enough in his signature dish. Jake’s filleting was brilliant, his mayo was not and he just didn’t bring it home in the signature. 

I appreciated Ryan having his super long hair securely tied back. Neither he nor Thom did well in the crepe/Nutella spread challenge. I was shocked at Thom’s crepe! He is French! There’s not much more of a basic French recipe than a crepe! But I gotta say that the Nutella spread did look difficult, although I think there are bakers on GBBO that have done a similar spread with success. Good for Ryan for nailing his signature. 

I personally think that a little fennel goes a long way. Too many chefs rely on that ingredient as being cutting-edge but it really isn’t. And I hate splattering (especially red) on a plate like Thom’s strawberry sauce splatter on his dessert. Oh, and Thom’s chicken did look dry. 

So Poodle and Ryan go through. I hope critics are back in the next episode. 

 

Edited November 26, 2021 by Spunkygal

[Spunkygal]

Episode 12….yay, Jay is back at critics table!

Spoiler

Ollie, Liam, Andy/Poodle and Ryan vie in the quarterfinal. 

In the first round, Andy and Liam have the best dishes. In fact, the judges raved about Andy’s colors and flavors. Ollie’s sauce was too oily and the chard was salty. Ryan’s flavors were flat. 

I was surprised when Andy’s second round dishes were too safe and quite a yawner. Grace did not like the strawberry vinegar on the dessert, it was “brutal”, but M&M didn’t seem to have a problem with it. His food was boring so he’s going home.

Ollie’s scallops were too seared for Monica but Jay called his starter “proper blimey.” The critics enjoyed it. But his pork chop was dry and did not impress any of them, especially Jay who cooks the best pork chops. Prove it to me, Jay. Invite me over.

Ryan’s sole Veronique was a retro dish that was well executed. I do agree with the critics that a raspberry sorbet was an odd side to accompany the pistachio soufflé. Although the soufflé was beautiful, it did not have a strong pistachio flavor. 

But the star of the day was intense Liam who forgets to smile. Both his mackerel starter and his lamb loin with offal were “bobby dazzers” according to Jay who was in Heaven with those kidneys and absconded with Grace’s serving! So Liam and Ryan go through to the next round. I would have loved to have seen what Andy could have done but it’s a shame he wasn’t more adventuresome.

So many great lines from the critics on this episode. 

 

[TVbitch]

Liam is one to watch. And he's a quirky goof, too, so I will be rooting for him to  make the finals! When Monica and Marcus were judging him in the signature round, the spooky way he intently stared them up and down was cracking me up. Boy is intense! 

Andy was such a disappointment after impressing earlier. Don't think Ryan will last too long if he keeps replicating classics, however, maybe he can get Andy to license the nickname "Poodle" to him, cuz those were some righteous curls.

I never understood the gushing over a souffle. (I am too lazy to figure out how to put the mark over the "e", you guys!) Anyway, I've had a couple souffles at fancy restaurants, and I just thought, okay, but I've had better tasting chocolate sponges and better tasting chocolate creams, so why is this so great? Is it mostly the impressive presentation and trick of getting it to bake all at once? Or have I just never had a great souffle. 

[Spunkygal]

Ryan is the new Poodle! 🤣

[Athena]

2 hours ago, TVbitch said:

I never understood the gushing over a souffle. (I am too lazy to figure out how to put the mark over the "e", you guys!) Anyway, I've had a couple souffles at fancy restaurants, and I just thought, okay, but I've had better tasting chocolate sponges and better tasting chocolate creams, so why is this so great? Is it mostly the impressive presentation and trick of getting it to bake all at once? Or have I just never had a great souffle. 

I'm the opposite and looking for more places with souffles! I've made a chocolate souffle before to try it out because I could never find enough good ones. It is incredible when you have a good recipe for the flavour and the texture is so light yet rich at the same time. As a baker, souffles are a bit tricky because they are delicate to fold and incorporate the right kind of flavours. If you aren't careful with mixing and the additions, souffles have a tendency not to rise and you also don't want to overcook it. It's a dish about timing so it shows the chefs can plate in time too. The margin of error is like 1-2 mins. 

It sounds like Ryan's didn't have enough flavour. Earlier in the season, someone else made an amazing souffle. At home, it's not super difficulty if you have the time and if you're a pastry chef in a pastry kitchen, probably not too bad. However in a competition, it's probably really stressful to do all the steps in time for service.

I am a bit neutral on Ryan. Isn't he the one with the "Ancient Chinese" character knuckle tattoos? He didn't fare well in the invention test and his dishes were kinda safe. I think he won out mostly because Andy was more boring and Ollie crashed in his main. I would have preferred Andy over Ryan as Andy was the only one who did well on the invention test. It was strange how the other chefs basically failed at making a colourful AND tasty dish.

Onwards to this week.

[Spunkygal]

We have a local restaurant whose menu is basically just sweet and savory soufflés and they are amazing. My favorites are either the spinach or the ham and gruyere for savory and the grand marnier or the chocolate for sweet. Oh and when they serve the sweet ones alongside a little pot of sauce, they puncture the center with a spoon and pour that sauce in there…..oh my eyes roll back in my head every time. They also have a rotating menu of soufflés made with seasonal ingredients. Since that, and a few salads and soup, is all they serve, the wait time for your dish is really quite reasonable. One of their soups is called marshmallow soup (because of the color) but it is really a cream of garlic soup which is sublime. 

[TVbitch]

Now I have souffle envy. 

[Spunkygal]

Episodes 13/14:

Spoiler

Robbie and Allwyn are faced with Marcus’s skills test of making a prawn omelette. Robbie’s was the better of the two although his was torn. Allwyn basically made scrambled eggs, and he committed one of Spunkygal’s major sins against eggs which is letting them get any color at all. Maybe a little brown around the edge of a fried egg is okay, but color on an omelette or scrambled egg is unforgivable. I will send it back every time. Hmmm, I think Robbie’s omelette had color on it, too. 

For Monica’s test, Yasmine and Samuel had to prepare chicken meatballs and flatbread. Both chefs served raw meatballs, which is also unforgivable! 

In the signature challenge, Robbie and Yasmine made the best dishes and advance to the next round. I knew Allwyn would be in trouble when he made the multi-layered cake. I think a chef in a previous season made one (or was it on GBBO) and it is time consuming. His other dishes suffered due to him baby-sitting the cake. The sauce accompanying the halibut was way too strong for Marcus and rosti was raw. I mean, really? A raw rosti is just lazy, IMO. Samuel served an overly sweet sauce with his duck breast. Robbie’s dish had gorgeous colors with nicely cooked wagyu and a good dessert. Yasmine served up a good brill (plate looked boring and a bit sparse) and a boring looking but tasty dessert. I’m not so sure the mother of four has enough chops to go much further but she is in culinary school, so we’ll see.  I have no favorites in this group. 

 

[TVbitch]

That may have been the poorest showing to date. I thought Welshie was gonna bring it in signature, cuz his food was looking so pretty, but he fumbled the flavors.

[babs1226]

That last heat was probably the best I recall seeing on this show.  Those three young guys were amazing!  Even the skills tests were better than usual.  I can't wait to see what happens in the quarter final.

[akr]

If the talent had been evenly distributed across the week, I think all four of Thursday's chefs would have gone through! Great round. I wouldn't be surprised if they take three (the three from today) through to the SFs.

I liked Yasmine from the last round but she seems to be at an earlier stage in her development as a chef than these guys (relatively simple dishes but well executed, and an eagerness that made me think her learning curve would be steep if she were to go through), and I don't really remember the guy who got through with her. I looked back and it seems his main dish with duck was too sweet, but they liked his dessert, but it seemed pretty clear he only got through because the heat was so weak. Certainly weaker than Gina's dishes today, which had the textural issues but were otherwise very successful. 

Looking forward to the QF. 

[akr]

Ep 16 - last quarterfinal - 

Spoiler

 

Only four make it through to the critics round; Samuel, from the first set of heats, is the one to leave early, with a risotto that didn't adequately showcase cheese. The three from Thursday's heats all do very well, and I see that they have in fact set it up so that they get one from heat 7 and three from heat 8 in the critics round, which is as it should be, given the relative strengths of the two heats. 

Daniel once again excels in the critics round and seems a likely contender to win the whole thing. Matt beat out Enrigue for the final spot; it seemed to me that Enrique had both the strongest and the weakest of the 4 dishes the two cooked. Matt's foraged herbs underwhelmed but his first dish was very good and the second solid, while Enrique's starter was strong  but his pork chop was a bit too chewy, his pork cheeks a bit dry, and the blood puree was - powdery? and some other quality that wasn't quite right texturally.

Jay Rayner with the line of the day: "I really don't care if you went and ferreted out some of your ingredients from a hedgerow where the foxes pee. (All I want to know is if it's going to taste nice with the lamb and have you cooked the lamb accurately.)" (This was between the two courses; at the start of the first, Jay tried the spignel with a bit of interest, then immediately said, dismissively, "oh. fennel tops.")

As for the costmary, he was cautious with it & nobody could really taste it. He had been afraid to go strong because it can be overpowering (he said "I gave some to Enrique earlier and it nearly killed him." Not surprising, I suppose, as he said it was put between the pages of old Bibles to keep out the insects. He said it reminded him of a mix of rosemary and mint; a google search suggests the leaves smell like camphor, so - mothballs? I'll admit I'm curious, more so than I am about the spignel, and I don't mind Matt's interest in highlighting these unfamiliar ingredients, because it comes off as an innocent enthusiasm for things that are new to him, rather than pretentiousness, as is often the case.

 

 

  

[Spunkygal]

6 hours ago, akr said:

Ep 16 - last quarterfinal - 

  Hide contents

 

Only four make it through to the critics round; Samuel, from the first set of heats, is the one to leave early, with a risotto that didn't adequately showcase cheese. The three from Thursday's heats all do very well, and I see that they have in fact set it up so that they get one from heat 7 and three from heat 8 in the critics round, which is as it should be, given the relative strengths of the two heats. 

Daniel once again excels in the critics round and seems a likely contender to win the whole thing. Matt beat out Enrigue for the final spot; it seemed to me that Enrique had both the strongest and the weakest of the 4 dishes the two cooked. Matt's foraged herbs underwhelmed but his first dish was very good and the second solid, while Enrique's starter was strong  but his pork chop was a bit too chewy, his pork cheeks a bit dry, and the blood puree was - powdery? and some other quality that wasn't quite right texturally.

Jay Rayner with the line of the day: "I really don't care if you went and ferreted out some of your ingredients from a hedgerow where the foxes pee. (All I want to know is if it's going to taste nice with the lamb and have you cooked the lamb accurately.)" (This was between the two courses; at the start of the first, Jay tried the spignel with a bit of interest, then immediately said, dismissively, "oh. fennel tops.")

As for the costmary, he was cautious with it & nobody could really taste it. He had been afraid to go strong because it can be overpowering (he said "I gave some to Enrique earlier and it nearly killed him." Not surprising, I suppose, as he said it was put between the pages of old Bibles to keep out the insects. He said it reminded him of a mix of rosemary and mint; a google search suggests the leaves smell like camphor, so - mothballs? I'll admit I'm curious, more so than I am about the spignel, and I don't mind Matt's interest in highlighting these unfamiliar ingredients, because it comes off as an innocent enthusiasm for things that are new to him, rather than pretentiousness, as is often the case.

 

 

  

Spoiler

I definitely would be surprised if Daniel doesn’t advance to the final 3. What a talented chef! Not only were the dishes served to the critics superb, but that eggplant served in the cheese challenge sounded fantastic, even if it wasn’t the best plating. I kind of wish they had chosen Samuel over Yasmine in the cheese challenge. He may not have put enough cheesy goodness in the risotto but it was well cooked. In any case, Daniel and Matt were the chefs of the day. Loved all three critics and especially Jay’s quips. 

 

[TVbitch]

That group of chefs in the last heat was superb, and I'm glad they give Marcus the flexibility to put three through.

In the quarter final, I'm just gonna say it, Yasmine did not deserve to go through. She had cheese sticks on a plate with not enough sauce, and just grated cheese over them. Not exactly a clever or nuanced use of cheeses. But it's the first decision I side-eyed, and we knew no one from that heat was really in contention to go to the semis, so I will let it go! : D 

Daniel is definitely a contender to win the whole competition, but those blue/yellow half moons under his eyes are concerning. Is his liver okay?! Is he sleeping?! 

[Spunkygal]

Now we’re whittling down the chefs so I can better remember who is who! 

Episode 17:

Spoiler

Lots of good cookery in the semi-final. Cook from your favorite food memory. There really wasn’t much dispute on this one and Aaron, Liam, Ryan and Matt go through. 

The remaining chefs cook with leftover ingredients and Jamie is going home. Not only did Marcus think that the lemon marmalade didn’t go with the horseradish sauce on the dish, Monica thought the sauce was too thick. I know that John’s potato risotto turned out well, but I thought he might go home because he was lazy with the pork chop.  I was a bit surprised when Gregg said Jamie’s name!

 

[Athena]

21 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Daniel is definitely a contender to win the whole competition, but those blue/yellow half moons under his eyes are concerning. Is his liver okay?! Is he sleeping?! 

Daniel is one of my favourites so far. His dishes and flavours sound fantastic. I am concerned too. He did not look like he got much sleep before the critics round.  I think he could burn out and flame out if he keeps at this pace. Other chefs have fallen after the semis or near the finals because of this reason. He's put himself had a lot higher calibre than the others with his consistency. Both Marcus and Monica already look at his work with pride. Something they reference but the viewers don't see as much on camera is how the chefs prep, work in detail, and clean up as they go. They have already commented on how fast and efficient Daniel is and he must be also really clean and thorough too. 

[babs1226]

I love the pop-up competition they are doing this year instead of watching the contestants work in someone's kitchen cooking someone else's dish.  They all get to make their own food and still feel the pressure of a service challenge.  I also like that they are using both the pop-up challenge and the subsequent cook in the MC kitchen to determine who goes to the finals.  They have such a talented group of chefs this year, so it's impossible to tell who will win.  It could be any of them.

[TVbitch]

I also really like the pop up challenge. Although I do enjoy getting to see the chefs in awe of getting to work in an amazing restaurant under a renowned chef, I think the pop up challenge is actually more relevant to their talent and ability, whereas replicating someone else's food mostly speaks to their ability.

Marcus could not even find fault with a couple of the final dishes. This really is a strong group!

[TVbitch]

In the second semi-final, as soon as the one chef said he did not practice his pop-up dish, he was dead to Marcus. (and to me!) Liam disappointed in the second challenge, but I'm really glad he squeaked through, cuz his personality is darling.

[Spunkygal]

Not that surprised who made the final three, although I wish they had allowed for four so that 

Spoiler

Daniel

could have gotten through too. It was great seeing Michel Roux’s daughter Emily at The Dorchester. She really does resemble him. Michel is my pretend BF but Jean-Phillipe is a close second! 

[TVbitch]

Chef's table episode:

I was surprised only one of them knocked it out of the park. Aaron has been the most consistent overall, but I thought Liam was gonna surge just at the right moment. Then he made that overly complicated dessert. I have never in my life thought: "This dessert need more vinegar!" I am bummed for Daniel, but he seems to have peaked. I hope now that he is out he will get some sleep and go see a hepatologist, stat! I actually kind of thought the one with the long curly hair who made the tart might have deserved to go through to chef's table over Daniel, but I think Marcus found Daniel more exciting. 

[Spunkygal]

I didn’t want to watch the finale because I don’t want it to be over! 
 

Spoiler

I was gutted for Liam and wanted to hug him. Loved Monica’s mama instincts coming out and getting him to calm down and take a breath. I do think that even if Liam hadn’t made those mistakes, Dan seemed to be a step or two ahead of Liam and Aaron on that day and would have still won. I guess Dan’s mom put down the Prosecco and grabbed the champagne! I guffawed when Dan said he was going to get a bucket of chicken, a jigsaw puzzle and a bottle of champagne to celebrate. This show never disappoints and the final three are always amazing. 

 

[TVbitch]

OMG, that was as heartbreaking as when Matthew cried after being ousted!!!! I still remember his tears! Marcus and Monica are just so rock solid, laying it down honestly and calmly. Marcus the stern but fair father figure, and Monica going right in to address his emotions. I love them so much as judges.

...um, and Greg's there too. : D 

Dan really did knock it out of the park on all three dishes. Aaron has been so consistent and really proved himself throughout, he just didn't wow them as much on the day. I think Liam came in second, and also think Dan would have won regardless of Liam's mistakes. I love that Aaron and Liam always cook with passion and smiles. I never warmed as much to Dan because he cooks more from anxiety, but he is amazing. I kind of felt Dan was gonna win it after, Liam said that was what he dreamed. I'm sure all three of these guys have huge opportunities coming. 

I hope they have a bonus episode with returning chefs. Does anyone know if they will?