Five Star Chef (2023–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Episode #1.3 - full transcript

[dramatic music playing]

[Ravneet] Running a restaurant
in a five-star hotel

is different to anywhere else.

Good afternoon, ladies. How are you today?

That's because of the VIPs staying there
who spend big money.

These guests have high standards
and they want everything right now.

[narrator] The six remaining chefs
have been summoned to the Sterling Suite.

[Dom] Wow!

[narrator] At £25,000 a night, it comes
with its own butler and team of chefs.

Look at that!

I'm getting further in the competition,



and this is definitely the point
where I shouldn't let my guard down.

[Adria] Wow! Wow!

I'm glad I'm here to fight another day.

I want to bring that passion.
I want to bring that energy.

-[Adria] Ooh!
-[Dom] There's some more doors next door.

You're only as good as your last plate,
so I need to make today great.

How the other half live, eh?

Morning, chefs.

-Come on.
-Good morning.

We have got a VIP
coming in to this suite in four hours.

In room service for these suites,
it's a "never say no" attitude.

These suites very often come with a rider.

A bespoke menu made to order,
to the guest's liking.

And our VIP has put in
his own set of requests for today.



We need that menu done, cooked,
served up on time.

You cannot afford to be late.

So I'm going to
split you up into two brigades.

This is all about teamwork.

Brigade one, Jordan, Igor, Adria.

Brigade two, Dom, Raquel, Lara.

The best menu
will be served here in the suite.

The one that doesn't make it,
staff at The Langham will get to eat.

The rider is waiting for you
in the kitchens.

Off you go.

-Let's go, guys.
-Ooh! Yes.

[narrator] Checking into
the VIP suite today

is London socialite, Tom Chamberlin,

editor-in-chief of
a style and elegance magazine.

What I expect from five-star hotels,

if they want to call themselves that,
they need to be the best.

My expectations of this rider,

I want something that I love
made by the best chefs in the world

in the best possible way.

The request that I put in feels simple,

but actually the hotel
needs to deliver something special.

This is The Langham Hotel.
Perfection is expected.

-[Jordan] Are we ready, chefs?
-[Adria] Yes.

[narrator] For his rider,
Tom has requested

a platter of elevated American classics.

On it he wants five-star burgers,

luxury mac and cheese,
and a tower of sweet treats.

Please focus.
Get cracking because time is ticking.

[Igor] Time is ticking, okay.

Plating.

[narrator] Working in two brigades,

the chefs have four hours
to deliver the VIP's menu.

At the heart
of a successful kitchen is teamwork.

A brigade needs to work as one,

but it also needs
somebody to take the lead,

define roles and delegate jobs.

We should probably
put somebody in the position

-of making sure that jobs are being done.
-[Lara] Yeah. Dom?

-Just kind of taking lead. [laughs]
-[Lara] Go for it.

-I'm happy to lead.
-Let's do this.

[Dom] I think we'll attack
each element as a group.

-[Lara] Yeah. I like it.
-No, "I'm doing this, you're doing that."

-A group.
-We're doing all aspects together.

I've managed teams
of up to, like, 15 people.

And managing people, I often say,
is the hardest bit of any job.

Because people have
a range of personalities,

and sometimes in the kitchen

it can be really hard
to cater to everybody's individual needs.

Dom is the leader.

I'm not sure I'm head of the team.
[chuckles]

But they've allowed me
to kind of, erm, co-ordinate.

[Dom] There's a part of me

that's got a bit of
a kind of people-pleasing type of energy,

which doesn't always serve me well.

Hey, Dom, come wash your hands.

-I did just wash them.
-Didn't see you, sorry.

It's the mom in me.

I think my best traits are,
is I'm a natural leader.

But if I respect your opinion,
I'll listen.

-Blacken the red pepper. Make a purée...
-Yeah.

[Raquel] When I know I have
something that works,

I can be pretty stubborn.

So this is gonna be the world's best
burger because we're using great meat.

So, we've got some Wagyu in here
and bacon and red onion jam.

And we're doing morel mushrooms
filled with mac and cheese

and then we're doing
a dessert tower of apple pie doughnuts,

milk chocolate brownies, the ice cream.

The other one is brownie.

The other guys are prepping.
Let's get this down.

It's okay. I'd rather be more organised.

[narrator]
On the other side of the kitchen,

Jordan and Igor have chosen
café owner Adria to take the lead.

I think what makes a good team leader

is putting all the pieces together.

I don't believe in forcing people
into specific roles

if that's not what is gonna make
them happy.

But the one thing you do need is,
that desire to work together as a team.

We all bring
different things to the table.

I like to be organised.
I like to have process in place.

Chef Igor is going to be
really strong on presentation, creativity.

I think Chef Jordan is going to be
really strong on flavours and techniques.

I'd like to think I'm a good leader.
I like to lead by example.

One of us needs to do the pastry.

That will be a challenge.

I cannot make buns.

-I can try.
-Yeah?

-But if it fucks up, guys...
-[Igor] That will be great.

[Adria] I really don't like baking,

but at the end of the day,
I think we live and die as a team.

[Jordan] When you've got a VIP guest,

you have to pull out
the magic tricks, all the stops.

Our burger is going to be
a chopped Wagyu burger

with extra crispy bacon
and black truffle mayonnaise.

[Igor] We're going to do
mac and cheese balls.

[Adria] We're doing
a tower of profiteroles

with basil and strawberry cream.

I'm just getting
our ingredients for the choux pastry.

So, obviously,
we need a bit of flour, a bit of sugar.

Because I made
such a big career change in my thirties,

once I finished working as an engineer,

it's kinda like this feeling
of, "I'm behind" somehow,

not as well-practised
as a lot of the other chefs.

Careful.

-That's it.
-That's it. Thank you, chef.

It is this impostor syndrome feeling.

I am very insecure
when I'm comparing myself

against other chefs who are real chefs.

This could be the end of me,
unfortunately. So... [laughs]

[narrator] On Dom's team, Lara is making
the dough for two of their dishes.

I'm doing a doughnut dough,
which is an element for the dessert tower.

We'll also use it as our brioche buns.

Timing-wise, we're a little bit tight.

I would love to give them
another different dough,

but we've gotta work with what we've got.

Are you using the same doughnut mix...

-Yes.
-...to make doughnuts, fried,

-and for making the burger bun?
-Yes.

-That you're going to bake?
-Yes.

[Michel] So the same recipe for both?

Have you tried this? It works?

No, but we're trying it now.

We like a challenge.

-I know it's a little bit different.
-It's very different.

But I had a look through the recipe
and I believe it's gonna work.

You can make
doughnuts out of brioche dough,

but can you make brioche
out of doughnut dough?

[Raquel] Dom, your pasta's sitting
right here on the stovetop.

[Dom] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[narrator] Raquel is cooking
her own recipe for tomato ketchup.

Tomato paste, shallots,
garlic, olive oil, clove,

maple syrup, sugar and red wine vinegar.

Dom, the ketchup is done.
It just needs to cook down.

Did you hear me? Dominic, did you hear me?

-Yes, chef.
-Okay.

I grew up in Manhattan
with a single mother.

I now live in Los Angeles, California.

I have a nine-year-old, an eight-year-old,
a five-year-old and a two-year-old.

My culinary career
started with my grandmother

at four years old in the kitchen.

She got tired of kicking me out.

They built me a stool
so I could reach the counters,

and it's been a love affair ever since.

My mother doesn't cook.

By eight, I was already
cooking for both me and her.

I think my biggest success in life
is being able to own a catering company.

I don't believe in giving up.

You've only failed when you stop trying.

Do you wanna start thinking about morels?

-You want me to cut them in half?
-Yeah, please.

Morel mushrooms, if you wanna stuff them,

you have to cut them exactly in half.

You've gotta be precise,

otherwise you won't
be able to get any filling in.

[Lara] Oh, no. Why are we doing in half?

-No.
-One, two. Well, we had.

[narrator] But after
discussing it with Lara,

Raquel cuts the tops off instead.

[Raquel] I don't think
we can pipe into that.

-I thought we were cutting in half.
-[Raquel] So did I.

[Dom] When did we change?

She said that's what we were doing
so I cut the top off.

Just cut it in half then.
These are the ones that I started.

I feel like we made decisions and then...

Look.

How much mac and cheese
would you get in that?

-Nothing.
-We made decisions.

Why haven't we stuck with them?

[Lara] I'm not discussing now.
Let's get shit done.

-Bitch at her when we finish.
-I can't do everything.

The energy's just
gonna stop us from finishing.

But I need you to get it together.

[Dom] It's just the actual liberty.

[Raquel] Dom, if you send me home,
I'm gonna find you.

[Michel] Jesus Christ.

Come on, guys.
At The Langham, we do not do late.

-[Lara] Yes, chef.
-[Raquel] You got it, chef.

It still clumps. We need to...

Meeting the requirements
of VIP guests is not just part of the job,

it's a business requirement.

You just can't say no

or you'll end up
losing thousands of pounds.

[narrator] The chefs now have
two hours to deliver the VIP's menu.

-How many minutes should I set it for?
-[Jordan] I'd go for four.

Mac and cheese?

[narrator] Adria still hasn't
started the choux pastry

for her profiterole tower.

I'm readjusting the recipe one more time.

Eight bars instead of ten,
so 720 divided by 225.

But when I'm nervous...
You have to have a clear head.

I get this feeling that
there's a lot of movement,

but you're not working
really together and to a plan.

And then when I look at my watch
and I see the time ticking,

I'm seriously worried that
you guys will be able to deliver on time.

[narrator] On Dom's side of the kitchen,
the mac and cheese is underway.

Don't waste too much.
Don't spend too much time.

-That's mine. That's mine!
-Okay, chef. Sorry.

[sighs]

[Michel] Communication
is vital in the kitchen.

A good head chef has to get
their message across quickly and clearly.

It's their job to have everybody
on board and working as a team

or service will be an absolute disaster.

[Lara] I'm waiting for it to cool down.

-Taste the ketchup, Dom.
-I tasted it. It's good.

[sighs]

I feel bullied.

[Lara] Dom?

Dom? Mac and cheese just needs
folding, yeah?

-[Dom] I've got it under control.
-I'm just asking. We need to know.

It's just going inside pan A and deep fry.

-[Lara] Yep.
-[Dom] I've got it under control.

I'd prefer a little bit
more communication, to be honest.

Between all of us,
I think it's quite chaotic.

The kitchen won't run properly
without communication.

It's very frustrating.

Is the actual pasta cooked?

I promise, Lara,
I've got it under control. I promise.

-I thought you just told me...
-Promise.

[Ravneet] It's stressful in here.

-[Michel] It is.
-Yeah.

Dom, I think,
has wanted to, kind of, take the lead,

but he's not asserted himself enough.

I think Raquel is a bit annoyed

that she isn't allowed
to take that role of head chef.

But why didn't Raquel take over and say,
"I'm gonna lead this team today"?

I dunno. I really don't know.

It's important not to undermine
the person in charge in a kitchen

because if the leader is being undermined,
that will affect the entire team.

If one succeeds, you all succeed.
If one fails, you all fail.

There's not enough mayonnaise.

-Where's your bacon jam?
-No mayonnaise is cool.

Bacon jam on the bottom,
blue cheese on the top.

-Where is your bacon jam?
-There in the pan in front of you.

Thank you, sir.

Sometimes, being a Nuyorican,
I can have a pretty fiery tongue.

So I kind of keep it back,
but then when I explode, it's pretty bad.

[sighs]

What's going on?

-It seems frustrated in that corner.
-Exactly that.

I mean, I've seen their buns,
and to me they look quite deflated.

[Michel] They're using
the same doughnut recipe.

And it's risky to do that.

[Lara] Do you wanna check the buns?
It needs more...

-Shall I turn it up?
-Bit heavy.

-Yeah. What should I do?
-Erm...

-I'll put it down a little bit.
-Yes, please.

[Michel] Right, one hour, yes?

-Yes, chef.
-[Jordan] Chef.

-On time!
-[Igor] We need to push ourselves.

Come on, push.

-Strawberry compote's on.
-[Adria] Yes, chef.

-I'll keep an eye on the chocolate. Yep.
-Chocolate is melting, chef, thank you.

Our strongest point here
is gonna be that we gel as a team.

Let's go.

Maybe you can deep fry.

-You mix this and I will roll. Okay?
-Yeah.

[narrator] On Adria's team,
Jordan is helping Igor

to bread his
mac and cheese balls ready for frying.

-So I've got four, chef.
-Four, yeah.

Thanks for signing and everything.

-You understand sign language. Brilliant.
-Yeah.

Where is the choux pastry?

[Michel chuckles]

Oh, my goodness.

The choux pastry
should have been prioritised,

especially if
they wanted to get it perfect.

They don't have a lot of time left.

[narrator] The VIP's rider
is due to be served in 45 minutes

and Adria still hasn't
baked her choux pastry.

Adria, what are you doing?

Do the choux, chef. We can do the cream.

I'm scared. I'm scared.

[Ravneet] Consistency of the dough
is everything with choux.

You need to judge by look and feel.

Get the proportions wrong
and it won't pipe or cook properly.

[Adria] I have one here, chef.
I'll be done in five minutes.

[Jordan] Get that choux in.

[Adria] Choux going in the oven.

[Raquel] How do we know
if these are done, Lara?

[narrator] On the other side
of the kitchen,

Raquel is checking on the doughnuts.

[Dom] We've got to start
thinking about plating.

-What's going on with that?
-I've thought about it, it's sorted.

[Dom] What are we doing now?

-[Raquel] She's got it.
-[Dom] I'm concerned about the doughnuts.

We're looking at the doughnuts.

-Worst case...
-[Dom] We need to cook 'em.

-Why...
-Work on that. We got it, I promise.

Jesus. How can two of us
be stood on doughnuts?

They're done. Look. Done.

But burnt.

They're burnt.

Listen up, guys. VIP has arrived.
Ten minutes, come on.

-[Jordan] Oui, chef.
-Oui.

-Brioche burger buns, 14.
-Done, yep.

Yep. The truffle mayo. Mac and cheese?

Done. I'm gonna set a timer.

Dom. Here you go, chef.

Chef!

Smells amazing here.

[Raquel] There's not enough bacon jam.

We have to make it enough.
We can't make more.

Where... Chef, the buns, chef?

What we need now is a doughnut tower.

-It needs to cool down.
-Don't worry about it. Come on.

-One minute.
-[all] Yes, chef.

[Igor] Put it in there.

[Adria] All right. Let's go.
Come on, Jordan, you got it.

-[Igor] Quick. Quick. Quick.
-Okay.

Time's up.

Oh, well done. Well done.

[narrator] Just one of the riders
will be sent to the suite

for the VIP and his guests.

-Cheers.
-Cheers.

[narrator] First up, Adria's team.

[Mike] The burger was really nice.
It was juicy, very well-seasoned.

I like the almost dirty
American cheese in there as well.

The mac and cheese balls.
Oh, my goodness. I could have eaten ten.

They were fantastic.

Choux buns. I thought they were great.
Well done.

[narrator] Next, Dom's team.

I'm struggling 'cause
I'm trying to find something positive.

You've just gotta make sure,
with a burger,

it's gotta be moist, juicy,
dripping, messy, it's dirty.

If you refine it, it still has
to have those elements in there.

Yeah? And it wasn't.

I had gristle in mine, which is not right.

The bun itself, you guys
weren't sure if it was gonna work.

It's too dense.

Your take on the little macaroni cheese,

stuffed in a morel mushroom.

You don't really taste the morel mushroom.

For me, the doughnut,
the texture was quite tight.

They needed lots of air in them,

so you could really get
lots of filling in there.

But I do like that you tried to accomplish
making a dough in the time you had.

I know you know flavour,
I just think perhaps, as a team,

you couldn't knock all of those ideas
together to get the most out of you.

Jordan, Adria, Igor.

Your rider's going up.

Yes!

[Michel] Dom, Raquel, Lara.

Yours is going down to the canteen.

Nick! Come and collect.

Adria, brilliant to see you
step up the mark and become head chef.

You three, you get the day off.
All right, you guys head off please.

Bye. Enjoy your day off.

-So, yeah.
-Day off.

-Thank you to both of you.
-Well done.

[Adria] I think we rocked it today
and I couldn't be more proud.

Well deserved.

It is. Thank you. That was the best.

Good, smooth service.

-Really happy.
-I'm happy.

We won.

-Welcome, gents. Please sit.
-Thank you very much.

-What a lovely treat.
-This looks amazing.

I always find, with room service,
that it's a real opportunity for gluttony.

Dispensing with dignity here,
so do forgive me, gentlemen.

This is bang on the money.

It tastes absolutely amazing.

Really good.

[Tom] This is pretty spectacular.

This challenge was
all about working as a team.

And each and every one of you
had a responsibility to one another

to bring what you're good at to the table.

What the hell went wrong?

I needed a little bit
more attention from Dom.

When I call, like, listen.

I didn't feel comfortable
with kind of overriding and saying,

"I don't think that that's a good idea."

I'd prefer to have two minutes,
everyone stop what we're doing,

let's all collaborate, team and team,
and let's get our jobs done better.

If you're not happy
with how things are going,

you need to speak up
and communicate that to your team.

I've learned a heck of a lot from this.

Possibly one of you guys
will be running a restaurant here,

I can't make a mistake.

You three, you're back in the kitchen
with me tomorrow morning bright and early.

We've got another tough day ahead.

-Yes, chef.
-[Raquel] Yes, chef.

-Congratulations, guys.
-Good job.

Well done, man. You smashed it.

Yeah, I saw,
I was checking around a little bit,

no communication.

I'm not sure that's fully true.

There were some strong energies
on my team.

We had a list, there was allocated jobs
and then we started to overlap jobs.

[producer] Did you feel undermined?

There was times when I felt a bit kind of,
like, "That's not what we agreed on."

-I think none of us were perfect.
-Exactly.

[Raquel] You have to remember
what you're here for,

you want to be the last man standing.

Sometimes you got to get a little nasty,
get your little hands a little dirty.

[laughs]

It's a little bit soul-destroying
and a little bit heartbreaking.

It's only what you let it be, man.

We can't even blame the guy.
There were too many cooks in the kitchen.

I feel like every day,
I'm fighting for my life.

Morning. How are you?

-All right?
-I don't know.

I definitely lost sleep last night.

You gotta learn
how to shut your brain off.

[narrator] Today, Dom, Raquel and Lara

face a cook-off which will see
one of them sent home.

-Morning, chef.
-Good morning, chef.

[Mike] Morning, guys.

The last challenge wasn't your greatest.

You need to make sure that you show us

why you deserve to be here.

I want you to create
a signature breakfast tray,

which reflects who you are as a chef
and what your restaurant will be.

It is so important
that we get this right today.

To cook a five-star breakfast

is incredibly difficult.

To make it something
really special and memorable is an art.

And I want to
see that today from all of you.

Yes, chef.

-Yeah?
-Yes, chef.

So if ever you've been saving it,
whatever you've still got in reserve,

I want from you today.

You have three hours
to come up with a breakfast tray.

Let's go to the kitchen.

Breakfast is probably the most
important meal in a hotel like this.

It's that lasting memory.

The last plate of food
that you get to serve to your guest.

If you get it wrong,
then they may go elsewhere.

And that's a lot of money
walking out the door.

Yesterday was definitely chaotic,
but that's the kitchen.

That's what we signed up for.

Sometimes stuff goes crazy in the kitchen

and, you know,
just keep your calm and keep going.

So, the last challenge
was a big disaster, a big chaos.

But we're coming back strong.

I'm gonna let the food
do most of the talking today,

which I believe it will do.

It's a new day
and I'm fighting to stay here.

I can't leave now.

The fight is in me today.
I definitely want to win.

I always want to win.
We're chefs. We're a little self-centred.

So what are you
looking for today from the chefs?

Creativity, something personal to them.

Something that represents their concept,
maybe brings us something completely new.

You can have so much fun at breakfast.

Oh, absolutely.

People that stay
in five-star luxury hotels,

they're looking
for something special, different.

[narrator] The chefs have three hours
to create a signature breakfast tray

in line with their restaurant concept.

My dish is called
"Break the Genie's Fast."

So I got inspired to create this breakfast
with a mythological genie story of it.

[narrator] For Lara,
that's theatrical fine dining.

[Lara] We're gonna cook
sourdough flatbread.

And then with that,
we're gonna serve beetroot hummus.

In our little genie lamp,
we're going to serve melon gazpacho.

And then we have deconstructed shakshuka
with scorpion powder.

[narrator] Shakshuka
is a Middle Eastern breakfast

of eggs poached in tomatoes and spices.

Lara is putting her own spin on it.

[Lara] We've got a little egg in our hand,

which is gonna be
poached egg yolk with shakshuka mix

and parmesan and polenta foam.

I love shakshuka,
but it has to be perfect.

It shouldn't be too spiced.

It should be so comforting
that you want to just keep going

and mop it all up
with that gorgeous bread.

If there's anyone who's going to
convert us to scorpion powder, it's Lara.

[Michel] With Lara,
there's always a sting in the tail.

Am I reading this right, scorpion powder?

You are indeed, chef. [chuckles]

So, scorpion powder is made
out of the armour tail scorpions.

They have
a really beautiful earthy flavour.

Scorpion powder?

Yes, chef.
I'm gonna dust it on top of my egg.

Trying to introduce
insects into fine dining.

For me, a kitchen is a playground.
You open the doors to create.

I do want to win this competition

'cause I feel like
fine dining is missing the fun.

So this dish today,
I am quite confident in.

[narrator] To show off
his Caribbean concept,

Dom's rethinking
a well-known breakfast favourite.

The main part of my breakfast tray
is a take on a classic eggs Benedict.

However, I'm using
pork belly instead of ham

for the rum and raisin glaze.

I'm making a homemade muffin.
And a Jamaican-style carrot juice.

[Michel] Rum and raisin glazed pork belly.

Ah, yes, now we're talking.

English muffins are not the easiest
of things to make in a short time period.

For me,

the English muffin has got to be
light and crisp on the outside

and really gorgeous.

It cannot be dense.

So Dom is going to
have to keep his timings very tight

in order to execute this dish well.

It would feel amazing
to have a Caribbean restaurant

here at The Langham.

It would be unreal.

I think there'd be a whole community
that would be clapping if that happened,

so the pressure's on.

I feel like there's
a huge amount on my shoulders.

This is what I used to have
for breakfast in New York.

Coming into this competition
and being the underdog,

not classically trained, self-taught.

I definitely feel like
the time is now to showcase what I can do.

[narrator] Raquel is elevating
a traditional Puerto Rican breakfast.

[Raquel] I'm going to do a mangú,

which is green plantains
and, like, a mashed potato.

I'm gonna do a crispy Serrano ham.

And a fried egg with pan de agua,
which is a traditional Puerto Rican bread.

Traditionally, you have it
with breakfast as toast

and you dip it in, like, a cross
between a cappuccino and a latte.

The judges have definitely
never had Raquel's breakfast before.

Raquel's menu reads well.

It's a great demonstration of her concept
working in a breakfast setting.

Yeah, I think so.
It's a window onto Puerto Rico.

My only little worry is,

if you're trying
something for the first time,

it's gotta be recognisable

so there has to be a kind of
gentle entry into Puerto Rican flavours.

I'm actually basing it on the town

where my grandmother
and my grandfather were from.

My grandma, she taught me
the basics of all the Spanish food I know.

She's watching. She's like,
"You better not make me look bad."

So mangú, which is just
basically a mash, you would say,

there's garlic, cilantro, chicken stock.

If you like garlic,
you'll like Puerto Rican food. [chuckles]

If you don't, you won't like it.
You'll probably hate it.

[Mike] Garlic, that's a very strong
flavour for breakfast.

It's bold, but it's about balance,
'cause you want to taste it,

but you can't have it
overpower the rest of your dish.

So this pork belly is going to be
going with a dark rum and raisin glaze.

Okay.

I've got some nice, lovely
flame jumbo sultanas.

-Not too sweet for breakfast?
-It is sweet,

but I feel like
pork lends itself to sweetness.

[Lara] I'm peeling my beetroots
for my beetroot hummus,

which I've roasted
to get a nice little roasted flavour.

[Ravneet] Hi, chefs.

It smells so good in here.

-English muffin time?
-Yeah, so making English muffins.

Did you cut them all the same size?

No, so I did
two smaller ones and two bigger ones.

-I could probably just let them slow cook.
-Yeah.

-I'm in no rush for them.
-Yeah.

Because the last thing
I want is burnt ones.

No. We don't want that.

-We want a nice fluffy texture.
-Yes, indeed. Indeed.

I felt worried about those English muffins
because he's done two different sizes

and he was cooking them in the same pan

and that stovetop
is quite difficult to monitor.

Literally just putting it over one side
for a second too long is gonna burn them.

Lara's got the scorpion powder out.

[Mike] She challenges you with her food,

which is great at times.

Whether it's what we want for breakfast,

time will tell.

Raquel's got a lot of garlic in her dish.
That's a strong flavour for breakfast.

It could also be way too rich

-and could overpower everything else.
-[Mike] Mmm.

[Ravneet] The kitchen feels quite serene,

but tense at the same time
because someone is going home today.

Yeah, the pressure's on
for every one of them.

Okay, chefs. You've got 25 minutes

to put your love and your self
into this plate of food. Let's go.

[Raquel] I'm working on my plating.

When you go to Puerto Rico
and you go to the salt flats,

there's a long sand pathway.

[Dom] Oh, lovely. Oh, yes.

[Ravneet] I've seen everyone's bread
and everyone's bread looks amazing.

[Dom] Good. It's lovely and tender.

Add in my Jamaican flair.

[Lara] It's all about cooking with love.

Guys, final touches.
Two minutes to go, yes?

[Lara] Scorpion powder.
Dust it on top of my egg.

[Dom] I never know
what your eyes are saying.

Stop cooking.

Now breathe.

[woman] Thank you.

[Michel] The Palm Court
is famous for its breakfast

and the chefs need to
be able to deliver five-star luxury

that will be appealing
and memorable to guests

whilst showing off
their restaurant concept.

[narrator] First up is Lara with her
"Break the Genie's Fast" breakfast tray.

-Got a little bit of smoke today.
-Just a little bit.

If it was my restaurant,
I'd have the genie upside down in a hoop

pouring it for you.

But I had to tone it down
so I might have to pour it myself.

As chefs,
we're always looking for something new.

A new angle on breakfast. I like that.

I love the egg.

Not sure that the scorpion powder
did much or added much

to the flavour of that egg,
but really tasty.

I'm not sure
that the gazpacho is a breakfast dish,

but as a starter on a hot summer's day,

I think it's amazing.

Absolutely amazing, I love it.

The flatbread is so delicious.
It's got the perfect amount of salt in it

and you can see
all of the lovely air pockets in it.

You've got a nice amount of colour.

I can't fault it
because I loved it so much.

Thank you.

The gazpacho, flavour, beautiful.

Use of the scorpion powder was fun.

It's something that people
are going to talk about for a while

which helps make you memorable.

It is a memorable plate of food.

Thank you, chefs. Thank you so much.

[Michel] Thanks, Lara.

-Hello, judges.
-[Michel] Hi.

[Raquel] Today's dish is inspired

by where my grandmother
and my grandfather are,

in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.

They have salt flats,

and those salt flats
have pink salt and white salt,

and they naturally separate,
and it's absolutely breathtaking.

I like the collection of dishes together.
They're pretty, inviting.

You've got pops of colour.
It looks beautiful, gorgeous.

I love the salt story. I love it.

I really, really want to try it.

Thank you.

The egg element is clever.

The bread, amazing.

The flavour is right up there.

However, the mangú
is way too garlicky for me.

I think garlic for breakfast,
even the French,

and they consume a lot of garlic,

I think is pushing it a bit too much.

It is a good dish though.

Well, I'm Indian, so we love dosa, sambar.

We love fenugreek.

All of those flavours in the morning
and I have no problem with it at all.

Love it.

The bread dipped in the coffee,
it just reminds me of France.

-We do the same in France.
-[Raquel] It's delicious.

-[Michel] And then you slurp and...
-[slurps]

-Yeah, it's good.
-Yeah.

-Thank you.
-Thank you.

-Well done.
-Thank you.

[Dom] I'm going to be honest,

this is more
of a weekend type of breakfast.

Like, you're going back upstairs
to chill for a bit before you go out.

[chuckles]

Visually, you've made
such a comeback here.

It is beautiful, and it's inviting.

And you want to
get stuck in straight away.

-I must say I enjoyed that.
-Thank you.

The pork was juicy. I find it too sweet.

And stewing the raisins
in with the sauce is not a good idea.

They go really hard like this one.

I mean, it's just like confit.

I loved the English muffin.

-I thought it was fantastic.
-[Dom] Thank you.

Watching you cook it, I was nervous,

I thought you were going to burn them.

But here, the muffin was light

and it was able to
carry the rest of the dish,

and I really liked that.

This is one of those times
when I'm so annoyed...

'cause I want this entire plate of food

to myself right now.

For me, I would order this every day.

I really appreciate it, chefs.

I mean, yeah, it ticks all of the boxes
that you expect to have for breakfast.

Is it five-star luxury?

There's a little bit of work
still to be done, I think.

There's a lot to think about here,
a lot of stuff.

-Thank you very much.
-[Michel] Well done.

I feel like that was
a really smart choice.

-Hey.
-How are you?

-Good, good, good, erm...
-I knew that. Yeah. I thought so.

As always,
it's kind of really great stuff,

and then stuff you could have improved.

-Overall they liked it, which is good.
-I'm proud of you.

[Raquel] It's always nerve-wracking

when somebody else
makes a decision in your life.

Yes.

[exhales]

I like the way Lara is cooking.
I like her style. Like her panache.

I really enjoyed that.

The genie idea was beautiful.

The presentation
was gorgeous and memorable.

I think what Lara
delivered today is fine dining.

Now let's talk about Raquel.

I've got no issue with the garlic
for breakfast as long as it's balanced,

and I just don't think the balance
of that dish was right.

I loved it. And I think for some palates,
people would rave about that dish.

Raquel gets flavour
like no one else in this competition.

I would prefer to eat
a Raquel breakfast than a Dom breakfast.

-No, Rav!
-Sorry to say it.

-No!
-[Ravneet] Yes.

I just found Dom's pork way too sweet.

What he's starting
to show us is British Caribbean cuisine.

His food is clearly definable.

It's clearly recognisable
and it's full of flavour.

He could be seriously industry-leading.

At this stage of the competition,
they can cook, we know that,

but I'm not looking for just that.

I'm looking for somebody that can
lead a brigade and can learn, can grow.

We saw that
in the other day in the challenge.

Raquel, she didn't take orders well.

She wasn't a team player.

I felt like she was
a little bit sneaky with Dom,

she almost set him up to fail a bit.

The issue I've got with Dom

is that when he had the opportunity
to present himself as a leader,

he didn't do it.

And really, one of the biggest reasons

as to why that team failed yesterday

was because no one
took a leadership approach.

I think the flavours
are amazing, the both of them.

That's what breaks my heart,
because they're both bloody good cooks.

But for me, only one of them
is taking on board what we're saying.

Wow. That was tough, huh? Really tough.

Impressed all three of us.

-Thank you.
-Thank you, chef.

But sadly, somebody has to leave us.

Lara, what you delivered today

was as near as we have seen
five-star luxury.

You wowed us today, you really did.

[sighs] Which leaves us
with Raquel and Dom.

You two understand flavours

and you two understand
what makes people's palate happy.

It's tough.

[Raquel exhales]

But I've come to a decision.

And I tell you, it's not been easy.

Dom...

we want to see more of you.

So congratulations.

Raquel. I am so sorry...

Thank you. I knew.

...but we have to part company here today.

Thank you.

Good luck, you guys.

[chuckles]

Thank you.

It was such an honour

because I felt I've spent
my whole career trying to prove myself.

It was one of the best experiences
of my life.

I'm so proud of myself
for getting this far.

I got such an example to show to my kids,

thank you so much.

You guys have amazing chefs here.

-You've been truly amazing.
-Thank you.

And a joy to cook with
and to taste your food.

-Thank you.
-Thank you.

Time to go.

Bye, guys. Thank you.

Thank you.

-That's sad.
-Smells really good in here.

Shut up, Dom.

[all laugh]

[Raquel] We all
crossed paths for a reason.

I just appreciate the opportunity.

I do think there's a place
for Puerto Rican food in London.

It might not be at The Langham yet.

This will not be the last time you see me.

I feel like I only just beat Raquel.

I just feel truly blessed
that I'm still here

and I get to cook yet again. Ha!

I have to give
more flavour and more finesse

and just more Chef Dom in there.

Everyone has to
raise their game to another level

to stay in this playground.

I'm not ready to leave the playground yet.

So I wanna keep playing
and let's see what's next.

I'm looking forward
for the next challenge.

The pressure's on.

Yeah.

[theme music playing]