Five Star Chef (2023–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Episode #1.4 - full transcript
[dramatic music playing]
[Jordan] Halfway through the competition,
it's getting to crunch time.
One of us is the winner.
[Lara] This means the world to me.
I'm not ready to go yet.
[Dom] I feel like I can see the final
now, I've just got to work and work.
I can't make any mistakes.
It has to be perfect.
[Adria] Did you guys sleep all right?
I dreamt again that we were cooking.
Surprise, surprise.
It's getting a little bit intense.
[narrator] The five remaining chefs
are called to the Palm Court
where afternoon tea service
is just beginning.
The Langham
is the birthplace of afternoon tea.
It's steeped in tradition.
What makes a good afternoon tea?
The finger sandwiches,
the cakes, the scones.
It has to be perfection.
Keep reinventing it successfully
and you'll have a constant revenue stream.
-[Ravneet] Hello, chefs.
-Morning, chef.
We're in the Palm Court.
Absorb the fact that one of you
is going to be running this restaurant.
Today I want to test your creativity
and I want you to bring your concept alive
through afternoon tea.
I want you to show us
your pastry and dessert-making skills.
I'm asking you for three key elements.
One is a savoury element.
The second one is an entremet.
An entremet
is a multi-layered multi-textured cake.
It really is the measure
of a good pastry chef.
The third can be
anything of your choosing.
I expect precision,
consistency and creativity.
We're talking afternoon tea
in the five-star dining world.
Yes, chef.
Yes, chef.
Okay, let's do this. Help me, help me!
I'm feeling good,
but this is the part of the challenge
where it's always good.
You're like, "Yeah, I'm gonna rock this."
Ask me in a couple of hours. [laughs]
[narrator] Each chef has three hours
to create a tiered afternoon tea
in keeping with their restaurant concept.
So, my concept is three, so yeah,
sticking with three flavours and we've
got to make three elements as well,
so that helps.
I'm making a sardine mousse choux bun,
a strawberry, sherry trifle entremet.
We're doing my take on a Battenberg,
rose, pistachio and almond.
I hate pastry. [laughs]
[narrator] Jordan begins
by making the pastry mixture
for his sardine choux bun.
[Jordan] Pastry is very scientific.
I like to add
a little bit of this and that,
whereas pastry, you stick
to the recipe or you do it again.
No, no, no.
I want to see original, creative ways
of reinventing afternoon tea.
It has to impress.
It has to be dainty.
It has to be perfect beyond reproach.
Jordan has made his choux and it failed.
He didn't put enough eggs in,
so it was so thick and stodgy.
He then added flour...
-Really?
-...to the mixture.
Gone.
It's gone in the bin.
Not good enough.
In Nordic,
we don't have any afternoon tea,
so I'm doing my own way.
What I'm gonna do is deer heart
with a soft cream cheese with rye bread
and Nordic berry cake
with a lot of layers of the berries.
And then I'm going
to have a sandwich of prawns.
I think this is the hardest challenge,
but I know what I'm doing in my kitchen.
That's why I want to share it.
My experience, childhood,
my passion, my inspiration.
Amazing.
[narrator] Igor's deer heart
will be smoked
in brandy-infused wood chips,
evoking the smells and flavours
of the Nordic woodland.
[Igor] It's all about the senses.
It'll be something special for the judges,
to feel they're walking in the forest.
My version of an afternoon tea,
I've taken classic stuff
and just added a Caribbean twist to it.
I'm making a patty
with a Caribbean vibe going on.
My entremet, I'm doing
a Guinness punch panna cotta
and got scones on the menu,
which is influenced by Caribbean bun.
[narrator] Dom is preparing
the chocolate mirror glaze
-[whirring]
-for his panna cotta entremet.
The finest entremets you see
are usually finished off
with a mirror glaze.
It's an incredibly hard skill to master.
The number one rule is that it
must be glazed straight from the freezer
in order for the glaze to set.
[Dom] These are my frozen entremets.
See how they've kept
their smoothness all the way round.
And their shape,
they don't like being hot.
And this kitchen's excruciatingly hot.
Having Chef Rav in the kitchen today
is definitely nerve-racking.
She's a super pastry chef.
So, yeah, I see her eyes
and I'm like, "Is it all right, chef?"
She's giving nothing away.
Gotten my soil on. Happy with that.
It's actually made from quinoa,
it's an ancient grain.
My concept
is about making plants the feature,
so why not make the afternoon tea
an actual garden?
We have, on top,
dehydrated portobello mushroom burgers.
I'll also have
my entremet shaped as a plant.
It'll be a carrot that will have
some lovely French buttercream on it.
Edible soil with garden vegetables.
We are all nervous about pastry,
it won't be an easy one,
but I'm definitely gonna make sure
I'm really representing five-star cooking.
I'm gonna prep
my mushrooms a little bit now.
[narrator] With her concept
that reduces meat to just a side portion,
Adria's afternoon tea is heavy
on unusual plant-based ingredients.
[Michel] Adria over there,
all I saw on her workbench
was just tons and tons of vegetables.
-[Ravneet chuckles] Yeah.
-Does she know it's afternoon tea?
She's making a burger
and instead of making bread
she's using dehydrated mushrooms.
[Michel] Oh, okay.
That really is true to her concept.
-[Ravneet] Yeah.
-[Michel] I like that.
[Lara] Do I know what I'm doing?
I ask myself this question every day,
but I enjoy doing it.
And when you enjoy doing things,
you achieve your best.
[narrator] Lara hopes to transform
the Palm Court
into a theatrical dining experience.
Blending food with performance art.
I'm doing a Mad Hatter's tea party.
On the top, you'll have
porcini mushroom mousse,
then white rabbits and dice shapes.
My entremet is gonna be a banana mousse
and a peanut butter insert.
For my finger sandwich,
I'm doing a charcoal brioche
and it's gonna have Ibérico ham
and black truffle shavings.
It's exciting to get a taste
of what it will be
to serve your own
afternoon tea at the Palm Court.
But it's not just about the food.
I've got a few secrets up my sleeve.
Yeah, really, [chuckles] really excited
to just see the judges' reactions.
What we don't want from Lara
is too much theatre and no flavour.
It's got to be in equal proportions,
fun, theatrical, but backed up
with proper good pastry skills.
[Ravneet] So Jordan's had to start
his pastry again.
That second choux pastry
doesn't look right either.
[Ravneet] It's because
he doesn't know the signs to look for.
Mistakes happen in the kitchen.
I make them. I own my failures.
If that don't work, I give up.
It won't do you any favours
sweeping it under the carpet.
Own it, understand it, and fix it.
Yeah... No.
Not happy with them.
Still a little bit dense,
so I'm gonna go for plan B.
Yorkshire pudding.
Goodbye, my lovers.
[Jordan] Shame.
[Ravneet] And how's that choux?
[Jordan laughs nervously]
Choux didn't work, chef,
not gonna lie to you.
-Where is it?
-[Jordan] It went in the bin again.
Plan B is Yorkshire pudding.
I know I daren't to get that one wrong.
[Ravneet] Meanwhile Dom's entremets
are defrosting.
[narrator] Dom is ready
to glaze his entremet,
which have been
out of the freezer for ten minutes.
Mmm.
I don't think that's gonna work.
[Dom] No, that's not gonna solve it.
Definitely a bit of a panic now.
Well, surely
they've gotta be ice cold or frozen
when you put the glaze on, so it sets.
I'm having an absolute 'mare.
[groans] No! Another layer of glaze
on it won't make it any better.
[Ravneet] No. I know.
-It pains me.
-I know.
-Now they're sticking to the tray.
-Yep.
Hmm.
Hopefully, the rest of his afternoon tea
will be up to scratch
because that isn't.
I'm having a nightmare,
like an actual 'mare.
This is the deer heart.
Yeah, Nordic, very Nordic.
I hope the judges are gonna like it.
The texture, very smoky.
A little bit meaty.
[Lara] I'm demoulding my dices,
a porcini mousse.
It's being a bit tough to come out.
[narrator] In keeping
with her Mad Hatter theme,
Lara is making edible sculptures
out of porcini mushroom mousse...
I've got a few cracks,
I'll have to fix them.
[narrator]...which she hopes will take
on the shape of white rabbits and dice.
[Lara] They need to be neat.
It's important they look perfect.
It's not that easy to hide mistakes
[chuckles] with such little time.
How are we looking on time?
Chefs, you've got 45 minutes left.
[Jordan] Normally
a Battenberg is chequered.
[narrator] Having finally moved on
from his choux pastry,
Jordan is putting his own take
on a classic.
My Battenberg instead
of the normal chequered four,
it's gonna be three layers.
So I'm doing it
in a different way than normal,
putting our spin on it,
making it five-star.
It's the Battenberg from three.
Jordan's making a Battenberg.
[Ravneet] I mean,
a classic Battenberg is chequered.
It has to be made up
of four precisely cut,
pink and yellow sponge squares.
-Not what we have right here.
-[dishes clattering]
-It's a mess.
-Oh, no.
[Ravneet] I don't know how
we're gonna get a beautiful Battenberg.
[Adria] Focus, focus, focus.
I'm gonna pop these out.
So that first one is a bit broken,
so I need to be careful
while removing my jelly
and then I'll get my buttercream on.
[narrator] Adria is icing
her carrot cake entremet
using buttercream.
[Adria] Baking just makes my nerves,
like, something else.
Uh-oh, my buttercream has not solidified,
I'm not sure what to do.
If the buttercream doesn't work out,
I'll try turning it into a glaze.
[Dom] Don't! Just send your cake naked.
Yeah.
[narrator] It's take two for Dom
as he attempts
to glaze his entremet again.
[Dom] Don't start clapping for me
just yet.
What saved me
was when I saw it wasn't working out,
I put them back in the freezer.
Do you know what, I said
I just needed to calm down a bit.
So I was all, kind of,
in my feelings about it,
and pastry is everything that's not that.
[Adria groans]
This does not look good.
Don't know how to rescue it.
Anyone know how to rescue a buttercream?
Oh, gosh.
Oh, I don't want pastry
to get the better of me.
Chefs, you've got 15 minutes left.
Yes. Yes, chef. Thank you.
I'll have to go with what I have.
[sighing] Not enjoying this.
[exhales]
Just move it straight,
it will look very nice.
[Lara] Hopefully, this will be
the key to success.
It's the key to the "not success."
I broke my key.
Done it. Think you can see I've tried.
[Ravneet] Jordan, are you finished?
Yes, chef.
Chefs, you've got five minutes left.
[dramatic music playing]
[Ravneet] Five, four, three, two, one.
Okay. Stop what you're doing.
I'm gonna see you in the Palm Court.
Yes, chef.
[Lara] Look at that.
Needs a bit of work, but...
Man.
-I can't wait to taste some food.
-Me too.
[Michel] Afternoon tea
is a super competitive business.
Staying ahead of the competition
is essential
to the success of the Palm Court.
I'm looking for an inventive
and perfectly executed tea
that will keep
diners coming back for more.
[narrator] With the Palm Court
full of diners
enjoying its legendary afternoon tea,
Lara steps up to present her version.
[Michel] The Mad Hatter's tea party.
I'm just hoping it's not too mad
or too over-the-top.
-Hello.
-Ahoy.
Oh, welcome to the Mad Hatter's tea party.
[whimsical music playing]
-Mad Hatter!
-Oh, God!
Did somebody say Mad Hatter?
Oh, no.
You told me I must come today
to bring some mad hats
-to accompany your dish.
-I did.
This beautiful purple hat
is from my private collection.
Yes, this one's finely picked for you.
-You're insane and I love it!
-[Ravneet laughs]
You must have... one of my finest creations.
I bet you're gonna enjoy it a lot.
Lara, I can't be serious
-with this on my head.
-[Lara laughs]
And now is the place to be serious.
[Mike] Oh, thank God. Thank you.
[judges laughing]
[Michel] I'm going for the bunny.
-[Ravneet] Can I give this to you?
-[Michel] Yes.
The entremet was almost there.
I loved the combination
of the banana and the peanut,
but the creativity is incredible.
It's flawless in terms of texture.
You can definitely work
on getting every single thing neater.
You need to spend more time thinking
about the food and less on the theatrics.
I disliked the cep mousse.
[Lara] Okay.
-Not to my taste at all.
-Cool.
And in a place like this, I don't think
the Mad Hatter would be fitting.
[Ravneet] Thank you, Lara.
I'm gonna go back home tonight with this.
[Ravneet and Mike laughing]
I'm not sure what Mrs Roux is gonna say.
That was so funny.
I wasn't happy with it,
with the look of it,
it wasn't neat, sharp, but it was fun.
-Wow.
-[Igor] Hi.
So here we have
the world's first Nordic afternoon tea.
Okay.
I think, visually, very nice.
Thank you.
The reindeer heart, I love.
Delicious. The cake...
too big, too heavy.
You can do better than this.
-I think everything is heavy, creamy.
-Okay.
But there's no acidity
to cut through any of it.
In terms of the flavour, it hasn't hit
the notes that we know you can hit.
-Thank you.
-[Michel] Thank you, Igor.
-Like it?
-[Igor] Very good.
Some of them were too big.
They said it's good.
[Jordan] Nice one, chef.
Whoa.
-Good afternoon, chefs.
-[Ravneet] Hello.
Dom!
I want to put my fork into that so badly.
-[laughs]
-[Michel] That stout chocolatey mousse...
Ah. Yes, please.
Thank you.
The flavour of that.
-That glaze!
-[laughs heartily]
Just well done
for keeping your head above water
when you could have slipped today.
Oh, yeah.
The patties are lovely.
They're so delicate
and I love the spicing in there.
The scone. Chunky, big.
Really enjoyed the jam. Very, very nice.
I was the most worried about
afternoon tea with the Caribbean concept.
You absolutely smashed it.
Oh. Thank you, chef.
Well done, chef.
-I'm eating the rest of the patty.
-I'm eating the plate.
My God. It was insane.
They said I smashed it.
Oh, man, I am chuffed.
I literally left my soul on that section.
I can't even lie.
[Lara] It looked amazing.
There was a point I thought
this isn't gonna happen.
Well, visually, it fits your brief.
-[Ravneet] Not so sure of the finishing.
-Yes.
But, let's get stuck in.
Yeah.
[Ravneet] The carrot cake is delicious,
and you've got
such neat defined layers, Adria.
And that in itself is extremely difficult.
Thank you, chef.
[Michel] The carrot here looks
as if it's dead or wilted.
The burger, I actually quite liked it.
Salty, punchy, it's good.
I've never seen a dehydrated mushroom
as a top of a burger.
I could see those, with some work,
sitting on an afternoon tea.
I really could.
You've got the makings
of something fantastic here.
-Okay.
-[Mike] Well done.
[Michel] Hmm.
-Hmm. Ah.
-Ah!
Hello, judges.
-Hello, chef.
-[Ravneet] Hello.
I feel offended looking at this.
There was about ten minutes to go,
you stood there, doing nothing.
This, to me, is inexcusable.
That is not a Battenberg.
Would this pack
this incredible dining room?
On looks alone, no.
So I hope you deliver on flavour.
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
Right.
I'm slightly struggling to speak
because I'm so disappointed.
And I'm sorry.
Yep.
[Michel] Jordan, the sponge
of the Battenberg is dry.
It's really not nice. Not nice at all.
I like your sardine pâté in there.
That's the only positive I can find
on this whole plate here.
-Yeah. [chuckles]
-Yeah.
Chefs, I do feel like I let myself down.
-Thank you, chefs.
-Cheers, Jordan.
[Michel] Mmm.
My word.
I was looking forward to the Battenberg.
[Lara] How you doing?
Tough. Tough. Tough.
I hate pastry, so today was gonna be
the toughest challenge for me.
-It was gonna be tough.
-Yeah.
-But nothing I wasn't expecting, so...
-Yeah.
The judges were brutal today.
I was always up against it
with the pastry chef.
Rav was always gonna tear me a new one.
And that's what she did.
Go again. Go again.
[Lara] We're all standing on thin ice.
We have to prove ourselves every day.
Five of you left.
Tomorrow, the challenge is to cook
a five-course tasting menu
at a chef's table.
You will be taking one course each,
but you will
have to cook and plate the dish
in front of some friends
that I have invited.
I want to see your charm,
your character, your passion,
not just on the plate of food,
but how you present it to our guests
because that now is part and parcel
of being a head chef.
Okay, enough said.
Maybe have a sneaky beer, you deserve it.
The afternoon tea task
wasn't my strongest, erm,
but it's given me more of a fight today.
[Lara] My guests are gonna be
in for a surprise today.
Don't wanna reveal too much,
but I think there'll be
some smiles around the table.
[narrator] Each chef has two hours
to prepare their course,
part of which must be cooked tableside.
-Morning, chefs.
-[Lara] Morning, chef.
-[Jordan] Morning, chef.
-Morning, chef.
Adria, you're up first.
You got it, chef.
Don't let the team down.
I won't, chef.
[Mike] A chef's table
should be personable.
It's gotta be fun.
You've gotta be able to hold a table.
People want to see elements of the dishes
coming together right in front of them.
Everyone loves
a bit of theatre in gastronomy now.
You know, everyone wants
to have that element of "Wow!"
Pressure's on.
So today I'm doing an Indochine,
so Indian-Chinese, bao bun.
The mushrooms are gonna be the star,
in a soft bun.
There's gonna be a nice slaw
and there's gonna be
some elements of duck.
There's so much on the line,
it's been so much hard work.
As a chef, it would be validation
that I am good enough
to compete in a five-star environment.
Don't underestimate
the seriousness and gravity,
if you balls this up.
[Lara] Today, I'm doing a lobster bondage.
I'm gonna do
an apple, vanilla, ginger glaze.
And then I'm doing turnip discs,
which I'll compress.
I'm gonna make
little mango gelatin flowers
and just some simple avocado purée.
Can't go wrong.
Now everything goes wrong. Watch.
Little did I know
I'd be doing little blindfolds
for lobsters in my career.
Mmm.
Wow.
Fifty Shades of Lobster.
[chuckles] Very much, chef.
Some of my dish is a little bit kinky.
I love to make people blush.
Don't worry, you'll be safe.
I feel like Michel Roux
is ready for wackiness.
I'm blindly cooking the lobster a bit,
then finish it off in front of the guests
and give them a surprise.
Any thoughts, chef?
My guests are just arriving now, yes.
-Yes, chef.
-[Dom] Yes, chef.
Remember, this is for a place
in the semi-final.
If you are running the Palm Court,
you need to be able
to execute a chef's table with finesse.
It's an art form
and the chefs need to be able
to dazzle their guests
with their food and their personality.
-How good does this courtyard look?
-[Ravneet] I know!
Look at that! No?
[narrator] Chef Roux
has invited some of The Langham's
most senior and influential staff
to meet the five chefs
who will entertain them
whilst serving up
their individual courses.
The guests include managing director,
Bob van den Oord...
I'm so excited to meet the chefs
and see what they've come up with.
It'll be a great dinner.
[narrator] ...the hotel's head
of food and beverage, Sarah Kundi,
the executive chefs
Berwyn Davies and Millie Simpson,
and the senior maître d' Luigi Varavallo.
I hope they deliver today for you all
'cause they are some cracking chefs.
-Do you think they're nervous today?
-[Mike] Oh. They're nervous every day!
-[all laughing]
-[glasses clinking]
[Michel] And here we have
our first chef Adria.
[Adria] Today I want to make
everybody proud.
I really need to execute something
that will wow the judges.
Hello. My concept is all about
making vegetables the star.
And today, I'm gonna
be preparing an Indochine bao bun.
And while I'm plating up here,
I'll be talking, I could talk forever.
We'll be cooking our star vegetable today
which you'll cook yourselves.
-[imitating drum roll]
-[all laughing]
What is the star vegetable?
I have some wonderful,
lovely, golden chanterelles
and some wonderful oyster mushrooms
which I've marinated.
-We want to get some really
-[sizzling]
beautiful caramelisation
and that's always what brings
the sugars and the flavours and the spices
and that brownness
and that almost charring effect.
A lot of chefs find it
very difficult to run a chef's table.
It can be very awkward.
It's finding that right balance.
We need protein in every meal.
[Michel] Talk too much
and it turns into a lecture,
talk too little
and your guests will get bored.
But it's a fine line.
[Adria] Nuts, seeds, pulses, legumes.
-[Michel] Adria?
-Yes.
You weren't joking
when you said you could talk.
[Adria] I am talking way too much.
Okay, so I have that in there as well.
[narrator] Twenty minutes in,
Adria has yet to serve up her course.
I'm ready, just give me one second.
All right, and then we are ready.
Thank you very much.
[Bob] It looks great.
-Got The Langham L on here.
-[Bob] Yep.
[Sarah] It's amazing. Really nice detail.
-[Adria] Bon appétit.
-Thank you, Adria.
-[Michel] Thank you, Adria.
-Thank you very much.
[Berwyn] It's gonna be delicious.
There's so many flavours here.
She lost a lot of time
just by the explanation.
[Ravneet] I like how fresh
the whole dish is.
The vegetables
really are the star of the show.
[Lara] I'm excited. I could win this.
But I know the others could win this too.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
My name's Lara
and this is my beautiful assistant, Ellie.
My restaurant concept is a theatrical
and immersive dining experience.
So today I present you
with lobster bondage.
-Lobster bondage?
-[Mike] They've been blindfolded?
-They have been blindfolded.
-Oh, Lord.
[Lara] Bringing a bit of kinkiness
today to the table.
-Gotta let go a little.
-[all laugh]
What is going on here?
Bondage? Blindfolding?
Guys, has anyone seen my blowtorch?
Wow.
[Mike] I'm not gonna lie,
I'm very scared right now.
[judges laugh]
-I don't know who to watch, you or...
-[Lara] I know.
You can come back to me later.
Give my blowtorch
a bit of attention, please.
So on the top of the lobsters,
we have a compressed turnip,
bit of avocado purée and a mango gelatin.
-Assistants! Oh, there they are.
-[Mike] Oh.
[Mike] Here we go.
-Oh!
-[Mike laughs]
[Sarah] Oh, my goodness.
[Luigi] Oh, man.
[judges laughing]
-[Mike] I have to say, this is a first.
-[Lara] Yeah.
Not the last, I hope.
[Mike laughs]
Wow.
I'm just thinking Palm Court.
[Ravneet] It's terrifying.
[woman] Pick it up.
-[Michel] Thank you, Lara.
-[Mike] Thanks so much.
-Reveal your treasure.
-[Mike] Thank you, Lara.
[Michel] That's a very beautiful treasure,
isn't it?
-[Millie] The lobster looks beautiful.
-[Ravneet] Gorgeous.
What did you think of the er, theme?
For me, it was too much.
Okay, out of ten, what would you give it?
I don't know. It's like... [groans]
It was just so awkward.
Oh, man, I feel a bit crappy.
[Adria] I guarantee it was awesome
and they loved it.
There was a moment
where I felt uncomfortable
and I saw a lot of skin around me.
[Michel] Okay, right.
Let's have a look at this.
Thinking the same thing as me?
-Yeah.
-Yeah, think so.
-[Ravneet] Is everybody's lobsters cooked?
-[Luigi] I don't think so.
-It's too translucent.
-Yeah.
-[Michel] For me, it's not cooked enough.
-[Ravneet] It's very raw.
You can't eat that. [grunts]
Damn, that's a shame.
Today, I'm gonna do
a venison with the lingonberry,
and we have salsify as a side,
put together with herbs, some panko.
And then I'm gonna do
a burnt beetroot purée
and edible white moss.
So it will be very Nordic,
will be amazing.
I'm looking forward to impress the judges.
I need to show
that I can pick myself back up.
The judges have said that I can cook.
It just gives me more determination
to keep going.
I'm doing a suckling pig,
served with a compressed apple terrine,
then I'm gonna serve that with a fabada,
which is a Spanish stew.
For my flat bread,
I am using three herbs,
so thyme, rosemary and sage
just keeping with the three elements.
[Dom] There is an artistic element
in the way
that I'm plating up
in front of the guests.
I'm hoping that the art shines through.
So I've got a plantain tart
with some Italian meringue,
orange curd, cherry compote,
two ice creams,
molasses ice cream, sea salt ice cream.
It should feel like
a mixture of, kind of, food,
but with an art kind of element to it.
[Igor] I'm really excited.
Today, I'm going to show I'm back on top.
I'm gonna work harder than expected.
Hello, everyone.
Hello, Igor.
Today, we're gonna have something unique.
A Nordic style.
Please can we change it
to my Nordic style?
-Yeah.
-[Igor] Thank you.
So now they are doing this,
I will start with the venison.
I will start to grill it.
[Bob] Wow, look at this.
[Michel] Reindeer.
This is part of my concept,
so people will feel a part of the nature.
I don't feel the forest here,
so I bought some juniper berries
and I will put in the fire.
It will be something unique.
I like it.
-Do you feel the berries smoking?
-[Sarah] Definitely.
Perfect. My plan is done here.
[woman laughs]
It's a great colour.
-[Berwyn] Beautiful colour, isn't it?
-[man] Yeah.
Colours is one
of the most important thing for me,
because food is like art.
I love Picasso.
And this is a similar style of that.
Now I'm using the white moss as a garnish.
And I made a cranberry sauce.
I think I counted 15 elements.
-[Ravneet] Did you?
-[Mike] Yeah. [chuckles]
Quite the Picasso we're getting.
[Millie] I feel tired watching him.
[Igor] We're ready to go.
Hold on, adjust this.
[narrator] Thirty minutes later,
Igor's dish is finally ready to be served.
[Igor] Everything here, done.
[Ravneet] Beautiful.
You can see why it all took so long.
-Igor.
-Yes, chef.
-Thank you.
-Thank you.
[man] Thank you very much.
It looks absolutely stunning as a dish.
[Mike] I was sitting here going,
"Okay, Picasso, if you say so,"
but it is a work of art.
[Bob] It sure is.
There is a heck of a lot
going on in this plate.
[Mike] There's a lot.
But there are some amazing flavours,
I must say.
Jordan is about to arrive here
with his lovely suckling pig
and flavours of Spain.
He got really destroyed in the last round
and you never want someone
to be that destroyed.
Like, he copped it.
So yeah, he's got a lot to prove.
And here he is.
[Jordan] This is my last opportunity
to prove that I've got what it takes
to be a five-star chef in a luxury hotel.
Ladies and gentlemen, my name's Jordan.
Before we start,
you will need your boarding passes.
-One for you.
-Thank you.
[narrator] With the chef's table
well underway,
the guests are about to embark
on their next course.
-Where am I off to Jordan?
-Flavour-town, chef.
[judges laughing]
[Mike] I like that.
So today's dish is gonna be
a fabada, which is a Spanish stew.
That will be topped
with a glorious suckling pig.
We have some three-herb flatbreads
to go with that and an apple terrine.
I'm just gonna go get
my Spanish friend, Porque.
[Ravneet laughs]
He's come out with confidence.
It's great to see.
I hope you're all excited.
-[Michel] Very excited.
-[Mike] Very.
Whoa!
[Mike] Yes.
This dish is probably
one of the best things
I've ever eaten in my life.
Last time we sampled your food,
we did give you a bit of a grilling.
Yep.
Would you agree
you've got a lot to prove with this dish?
I have had my downfalls,
but I've taken all the comments
from all of the judges
and tried to implement them
into what I'm doing today,
so that's why I've tried
to keep it simple.
Do I have to dish it out?
[all laughing]
-[Jordan] Do I have to dish it out?
-[Millie] Sure.
[Berwyn] Wow, look at that.
[Ravneet] Mmm.
[Mike] I'm salivating.
[judges laughing]
[Mike] Come on, chef. [laughing]
-[Michel] Flatbreads look nice as well.
-[Ravneet] They look great.
Okay. Service, please.
-Thank you very much.
-Thank you.
-[Michel] Fantastic. Thank you, Jordan.
-[Ravneet] Thank you.
All aboard!
[Mike] Yes.
[Ravneet] I think we all want
to get stuck in.
It just looks delicious.
It's a story here that could work
very well in the Palm Court.
Literally, I was carving it with a spoon.
And they were like, "Wow, look at that."
-[Adria] Oh, good.
-Yeah.
I think he would need training
if he's carving in front of guests.
Wasn't quite polished enough
for my liking.
But the food tastes delicious.
[Ravneet] I think it was endearing.
I was so worried he would have
a real difficulty today presenting,
but I was sitting here quietly,
so impressed with him.
[Dom] I'm just kind of growing
in confidence.
Got good feedback on my afternoon tea
so you don't want to be at the bottom.
You get that feeling
from being at the top.
[Ravneet] Yay, we get dessert!
-Yes!
-[guests cheer]
This better be good!
[Michel] Here he is, the man himself
with a smile on his face.
-Yes!
-[Dom] Good afternoon.
Welcome. Well, actually, not welcome.
Thank you for having me.
My name is Dom.
And my dessert today is plantain tart
with flavours of orange and cherry,
with molasses and sea salt ice cream.
My concept is really about bringing
Caribbean and British flavours together.
So I'm gonna get started.
So this is an orange curd,
that is my plantain, which has been diced,
it's got some orange juice in there.
We've got some plantain purée.
I really want to eat this.
-[Dom] Do you wanna do yours?
-[Ravneet] No. After you.
[all laughing]
Shall I?
-Do you want me to blowtorch?
-Yeah. Perfect.
-[Dom] Luigi?
-Yes, chef.
Five on each, please. Five on each.
-Five pieces, okay.
-[Dom] Thank you.
[Michel] That smells lovely.
[Mike] This is your molasses?
[Dom] This is my molasses.
[Michel] I love that you've managed
to rope in everybody.
[Ravneet and guests laughing]
[Ravneet] That looks good.
He left himself too much to do,
but none of us cared.
We all pitched in.
[Bob] Couldn't agree more.
It was almost like a dinner party.
And everybody was helping
each other out. Felt really warm.
All of our guests would love him.
The pastry is a little bit thick,
a little bit rough.
I'm really liking the ice creams,
the flavours are quite something.
Yes, the pastry's too thick,
but it's delicious.
It's like a dessert
I've never tasted before.
Dom has made us all smile
and made us very happy, I must say.
Well, thank you for joining us
for a spectacular dinner.
[Bob] Thank you for having us.
You've got some
really tough decisions to make.
Not gonna be easy.
Not at all.
Not after this round of cooking.
Yep.
We've got one that bowled us over.
Shall we say their name after three?
One, two, three.
-Dom.
-Dom.
The other four...
I was underwhelmed by Adria.
Her food is always not quite there.
Igor.
Beautiful plate of food,
stunning to look at.
There was almost
a little bit of arrogance,
of "I am Picasso"
and I didn't find it endearing.
What about Lara?
The performance was too much.
And the fact that the food, then,
didn't back it up?
It was raw.
-How can you serve that up?
-[Mike] Yeah.
I think she needs more years in a kitchen
to deliver the same level of food
as she does entertainment.
-Yeah.
-[groans] Jordan.
I felt the carving of the suckling pig
was a little bit clunky.
[Mike] Messy.
But it was spot on
when it comes to flavour.
We can't forget about
just how bad that afternoon tea was.
It's a genuine concern. Absolutely.
It's not an easy decision.
I'm very happy
I don't have to make it, chef.
Cheers, guys.
-[Mike] Good luck.
-Thanks.
[smacks lips] Mmm.
Well, that certainly
turned everything on its head.
[puffs] Dom.
Yes, chef.
You made us all feel
at ease within a minute.
Afternoon tea, you blew us away
with some great flavours.
-Well done.
-Thank you, Chef.
Igor, afternoon tea.
Not up to your usual standard.
Today, lovely plate of food.
Adria. Some of that
afternoon tea wasn't great, was it?
Concept was there.
Today, all of the table
were suitably impressed with the buns.
Loved the fact
that they were fresh, light.
The emulsion could have been done better.
Jordan.
You had a 'mare
on the afternoon tea, didn't you?
Yes, chef.
You seem to have reined it back.
Cooked us a very good pig.
Thank you, chef.
Lara.
It was theatrical,
which is what we expected from you.
Is it style over substance?
Hope not.
And the lobster wasn't cooked.
Did you realise that?
No, I didn't wanna overcook it
because with the fire...
You'd have needed a flamethrower
to cook that lobster.
Yes, chef.
-It really is a tough decision.
-[dramatic music plays]
But I have to think
about who, out of you guys,
would I feel most confident
to give my restaurant to.
So the chef leaving us is...
Lara. I'm afraid it's the end of the road.
Yes, chef.
Dishing up raw lobsters,
I'm afraid we can't do that.
Thank you for a beautiful experience.
Smash it, guys.
Create some magic.
Of course, any chef would be gutted.
I'm there with you, guys.
At the same time,
I've been grateful for this experience.
I want a hug.
I want a hug too.
-Keep it up!
-[Lara] I will.
Mistakes are great.
They're a powerful tool.
So I'll come back
and give you a good cooked lobster.
Being able to cook for Michel Roux,
that's already a win.
-An amazing chef.
-Thank you.
-Amazing personality.
-Thank you.
-And you will succeed.
-[Lara] Thank you, chef.
Well done, Lara.
-Love you.
-Thank you, guys.
[Jordan] I'm still here. Like, wow.
It's shown I've got the mentality
to get knocked down and come back up.
That's kind of been the story of my life.
I'm just gonna keep pushing.
[Michel] You four live to cook
another day.
So please, deliver.
[Dom] I think I arrived here
not really sure
that I belonged in this space.
And today I'm feeling like I could win.
[Igor] I'm not ready to go home yet.
I will come back, fight to the top.
No matter what.
[exhales]
Thank you, Langham. It's been a pleasure.
[theme music playing]
[Jordan] Halfway through the competition,
it's getting to crunch time.
One of us is the winner.
[Lara] This means the world to me.
I'm not ready to go yet.
[Dom] I feel like I can see the final
now, I've just got to work and work.
I can't make any mistakes.
It has to be perfect.
[Adria] Did you guys sleep all right?
I dreamt again that we were cooking.
Surprise, surprise.
It's getting a little bit intense.
[narrator] The five remaining chefs
are called to the Palm Court
where afternoon tea service
is just beginning.
The Langham
is the birthplace of afternoon tea.
It's steeped in tradition.
What makes a good afternoon tea?
The finger sandwiches,
the cakes, the scones.
It has to be perfection.
Keep reinventing it successfully
and you'll have a constant revenue stream.
-[Ravneet] Hello, chefs.
-Morning, chef.
We're in the Palm Court.
Absorb the fact that one of you
is going to be running this restaurant.
Today I want to test your creativity
and I want you to bring your concept alive
through afternoon tea.
I want you to show us
your pastry and dessert-making skills.
I'm asking you for three key elements.
One is a savoury element.
The second one is an entremet.
An entremet
is a multi-layered multi-textured cake.
It really is the measure
of a good pastry chef.
The third can be
anything of your choosing.
I expect precision,
consistency and creativity.
We're talking afternoon tea
in the five-star dining world.
Yes, chef.
Yes, chef.
Okay, let's do this. Help me, help me!
I'm feeling good,
but this is the part of the challenge
where it's always good.
You're like, "Yeah, I'm gonna rock this."
Ask me in a couple of hours. [laughs]
[narrator] Each chef has three hours
to create a tiered afternoon tea
in keeping with their restaurant concept.
So, my concept is three, so yeah,
sticking with three flavours and we've
got to make three elements as well,
so that helps.
I'm making a sardine mousse choux bun,
a strawberry, sherry trifle entremet.
We're doing my take on a Battenberg,
rose, pistachio and almond.
I hate pastry. [laughs]
[narrator] Jordan begins
by making the pastry mixture
for his sardine choux bun.
[Jordan] Pastry is very scientific.
I like to add
a little bit of this and that,
whereas pastry, you stick
to the recipe or you do it again.
No, no, no.
I want to see original, creative ways
of reinventing afternoon tea.
It has to impress.
It has to be dainty.
It has to be perfect beyond reproach.
Jordan has made his choux and it failed.
He didn't put enough eggs in,
so it was so thick and stodgy.
He then added flour...
-Really?
-...to the mixture.
Gone.
It's gone in the bin.
Not good enough.
In Nordic,
we don't have any afternoon tea,
so I'm doing my own way.
What I'm gonna do is deer heart
with a soft cream cheese with rye bread
and Nordic berry cake
with a lot of layers of the berries.
And then I'm going
to have a sandwich of prawns.
I think this is the hardest challenge,
but I know what I'm doing in my kitchen.
That's why I want to share it.
My experience, childhood,
my passion, my inspiration.
Amazing.
[narrator] Igor's deer heart
will be smoked
in brandy-infused wood chips,
evoking the smells and flavours
of the Nordic woodland.
[Igor] It's all about the senses.
It'll be something special for the judges,
to feel they're walking in the forest.
My version of an afternoon tea,
I've taken classic stuff
and just added a Caribbean twist to it.
I'm making a patty
with a Caribbean vibe going on.
My entremet, I'm doing
a Guinness punch panna cotta
and got scones on the menu,
which is influenced by Caribbean bun.
[narrator] Dom is preparing
the chocolate mirror glaze
-[whirring]
-for his panna cotta entremet.
The finest entremets you see
are usually finished off
with a mirror glaze.
It's an incredibly hard skill to master.
The number one rule is that it
must be glazed straight from the freezer
in order for the glaze to set.
[Dom] These are my frozen entremets.
See how they've kept
their smoothness all the way round.
And their shape,
they don't like being hot.
And this kitchen's excruciatingly hot.
Having Chef Rav in the kitchen today
is definitely nerve-racking.
She's a super pastry chef.
So, yeah, I see her eyes
and I'm like, "Is it all right, chef?"
She's giving nothing away.
Gotten my soil on. Happy with that.
It's actually made from quinoa,
it's an ancient grain.
My concept
is about making plants the feature,
so why not make the afternoon tea
an actual garden?
We have, on top,
dehydrated portobello mushroom burgers.
I'll also have
my entremet shaped as a plant.
It'll be a carrot that will have
some lovely French buttercream on it.
Edible soil with garden vegetables.
We are all nervous about pastry,
it won't be an easy one,
but I'm definitely gonna make sure
I'm really representing five-star cooking.
I'm gonna prep
my mushrooms a little bit now.
[narrator] With her concept
that reduces meat to just a side portion,
Adria's afternoon tea is heavy
on unusual plant-based ingredients.
[Michel] Adria over there,
all I saw on her workbench
was just tons and tons of vegetables.
-[Ravneet chuckles] Yeah.
-Does she know it's afternoon tea?
She's making a burger
and instead of making bread
she's using dehydrated mushrooms.
[Michel] Oh, okay.
That really is true to her concept.
-[Ravneet] Yeah.
-[Michel] I like that.
[Lara] Do I know what I'm doing?
I ask myself this question every day,
but I enjoy doing it.
And when you enjoy doing things,
you achieve your best.
[narrator] Lara hopes to transform
the Palm Court
into a theatrical dining experience.
Blending food with performance art.
I'm doing a Mad Hatter's tea party.
On the top, you'll have
porcini mushroom mousse,
then white rabbits and dice shapes.
My entremet is gonna be a banana mousse
and a peanut butter insert.
For my finger sandwich,
I'm doing a charcoal brioche
and it's gonna have Ibérico ham
and black truffle shavings.
It's exciting to get a taste
of what it will be
to serve your own
afternoon tea at the Palm Court.
But it's not just about the food.
I've got a few secrets up my sleeve.
Yeah, really, [chuckles] really excited
to just see the judges' reactions.
What we don't want from Lara
is too much theatre and no flavour.
It's got to be in equal proportions,
fun, theatrical, but backed up
with proper good pastry skills.
[Ravneet] So Jordan's had to start
his pastry again.
That second choux pastry
doesn't look right either.
[Ravneet] It's because
he doesn't know the signs to look for.
Mistakes happen in the kitchen.
I make them. I own my failures.
If that don't work, I give up.
It won't do you any favours
sweeping it under the carpet.
Own it, understand it, and fix it.
Yeah... No.
Not happy with them.
Still a little bit dense,
so I'm gonna go for plan B.
Yorkshire pudding.
Goodbye, my lovers.
[Jordan] Shame.
[Ravneet] And how's that choux?
[Jordan laughs nervously]
Choux didn't work, chef,
not gonna lie to you.
-Where is it?
-[Jordan] It went in the bin again.
Plan B is Yorkshire pudding.
I know I daren't to get that one wrong.
[Ravneet] Meanwhile Dom's entremets
are defrosting.
[narrator] Dom is ready
to glaze his entremet,
which have been
out of the freezer for ten minutes.
Mmm.
I don't think that's gonna work.
[Dom] No, that's not gonna solve it.
Definitely a bit of a panic now.
Well, surely
they've gotta be ice cold or frozen
when you put the glaze on, so it sets.
I'm having an absolute 'mare.
[groans] No! Another layer of glaze
on it won't make it any better.
[Ravneet] No. I know.
-It pains me.
-I know.
-Now they're sticking to the tray.
-Yep.
Hmm.
Hopefully, the rest of his afternoon tea
will be up to scratch
because that isn't.
I'm having a nightmare,
like an actual 'mare.
This is the deer heart.
Yeah, Nordic, very Nordic.
I hope the judges are gonna like it.
The texture, very smoky.
A little bit meaty.
[Lara] I'm demoulding my dices,
a porcini mousse.
It's being a bit tough to come out.
[narrator] In keeping
with her Mad Hatter theme,
Lara is making edible sculptures
out of porcini mushroom mousse...
I've got a few cracks,
I'll have to fix them.
[narrator]...which she hopes will take
on the shape of white rabbits and dice.
[Lara] They need to be neat.
It's important they look perfect.
It's not that easy to hide mistakes
[chuckles] with such little time.
How are we looking on time?
Chefs, you've got 45 minutes left.
[Jordan] Normally
a Battenberg is chequered.
[narrator] Having finally moved on
from his choux pastry,
Jordan is putting his own take
on a classic.
My Battenberg instead
of the normal chequered four,
it's gonna be three layers.
So I'm doing it
in a different way than normal,
putting our spin on it,
making it five-star.
It's the Battenberg from three.
Jordan's making a Battenberg.
[Ravneet] I mean,
a classic Battenberg is chequered.
It has to be made up
of four precisely cut,
pink and yellow sponge squares.
-Not what we have right here.
-[dishes clattering]
-It's a mess.
-Oh, no.
[Ravneet] I don't know how
we're gonna get a beautiful Battenberg.
[Adria] Focus, focus, focus.
I'm gonna pop these out.
So that first one is a bit broken,
so I need to be careful
while removing my jelly
and then I'll get my buttercream on.
[narrator] Adria is icing
her carrot cake entremet
using buttercream.
[Adria] Baking just makes my nerves,
like, something else.
Uh-oh, my buttercream has not solidified,
I'm not sure what to do.
If the buttercream doesn't work out,
I'll try turning it into a glaze.
[Dom] Don't! Just send your cake naked.
Yeah.
[narrator] It's take two for Dom
as he attempts
to glaze his entremet again.
[Dom] Don't start clapping for me
just yet.
What saved me
was when I saw it wasn't working out,
I put them back in the freezer.
Do you know what, I said
I just needed to calm down a bit.
So I was all, kind of,
in my feelings about it,
and pastry is everything that's not that.
[Adria groans]
This does not look good.
Don't know how to rescue it.
Anyone know how to rescue a buttercream?
Oh, gosh.
Oh, I don't want pastry
to get the better of me.
Chefs, you've got 15 minutes left.
Yes. Yes, chef. Thank you.
I'll have to go with what I have.
[sighing] Not enjoying this.
[exhales]
Just move it straight,
it will look very nice.
[Lara] Hopefully, this will be
the key to success.
It's the key to the "not success."
I broke my key.
Done it. Think you can see I've tried.
[Ravneet] Jordan, are you finished?
Yes, chef.
Chefs, you've got five minutes left.
[dramatic music playing]
[Ravneet] Five, four, three, two, one.
Okay. Stop what you're doing.
I'm gonna see you in the Palm Court.
Yes, chef.
[Lara] Look at that.
Needs a bit of work, but...
Man.
-I can't wait to taste some food.
-Me too.
[Michel] Afternoon tea
is a super competitive business.
Staying ahead of the competition
is essential
to the success of the Palm Court.
I'm looking for an inventive
and perfectly executed tea
that will keep
diners coming back for more.
[narrator] With the Palm Court
full of diners
enjoying its legendary afternoon tea,
Lara steps up to present her version.
[Michel] The Mad Hatter's tea party.
I'm just hoping it's not too mad
or too over-the-top.
-Hello.
-Ahoy.
Oh, welcome to the Mad Hatter's tea party.
[whimsical music playing]
-Mad Hatter!
-Oh, God!
Did somebody say Mad Hatter?
Oh, no.
You told me I must come today
to bring some mad hats
-to accompany your dish.
-I did.
This beautiful purple hat
is from my private collection.
Yes, this one's finely picked for you.
-You're insane and I love it!
-[Ravneet laughs]
You must have... one of my finest creations.
I bet you're gonna enjoy it a lot.
Lara, I can't be serious
-with this on my head.
-[Lara laughs]
And now is the place to be serious.
[Mike] Oh, thank God. Thank you.
[judges laughing]
[Michel] I'm going for the bunny.
-[Ravneet] Can I give this to you?
-[Michel] Yes.
The entremet was almost there.
I loved the combination
of the banana and the peanut,
but the creativity is incredible.
It's flawless in terms of texture.
You can definitely work
on getting every single thing neater.
You need to spend more time thinking
about the food and less on the theatrics.
I disliked the cep mousse.
[Lara] Okay.
-Not to my taste at all.
-Cool.
And in a place like this, I don't think
the Mad Hatter would be fitting.
[Ravneet] Thank you, Lara.
I'm gonna go back home tonight with this.
[Ravneet and Mike laughing]
I'm not sure what Mrs Roux is gonna say.
That was so funny.
I wasn't happy with it,
with the look of it,
it wasn't neat, sharp, but it was fun.
-Wow.
-[Igor] Hi.
So here we have
the world's first Nordic afternoon tea.
Okay.
I think, visually, very nice.
Thank you.
The reindeer heart, I love.
Delicious. The cake...
too big, too heavy.
You can do better than this.
-I think everything is heavy, creamy.
-Okay.
But there's no acidity
to cut through any of it.
In terms of the flavour, it hasn't hit
the notes that we know you can hit.
-Thank you.
-[Michel] Thank you, Igor.
-Like it?
-[Igor] Very good.
Some of them were too big.
They said it's good.
[Jordan] Nice one, chef.
Whoa.
-Good afternoon, chefs.
-[Ravneet] Hello.
Dom!
I want to put my fork into that so badly.
-[laughs]
-[Michel] That stout chocolatey mousse...
Ah. Yes, please.
Thank you.
The flavour of that.
-That glaze!
-[laughs heartily]
Just well done
for keeping your head above water
when you could have slipped today.
Oh, yeah.
The patties are lovely.
They're so delicate
and I love the spicing in there.
The scone. Chunky, big.
Really enjoyed the jam. Very, very nice.
I was the most worried about
afternoon tea with the Caribbean concept.
You absolutely smashed it.
Oh. Thank you, chef.
Well done, chef.
-I'm eating the rest of the patty.
-I'm eating the plate.
My God. It was insane.
They said I smashed it.
Oh, man, I am chuffed.
I literally left my soul on that section.
I can't even lie.
[Lara] It looked amazing.
There was a point I thought
this isn't gonna happen.
Well, visually, it fits your brief.
-[Ravneet] Not so sure of the finishing.
-Yes.
But, let's get stuck in.
Yeah.
[Ravneet] The carrot cake is delicious,
and you've got
such neat defined layers, Adria.
And that in itself is extremely difficult.
Thank you, chef.
[Michel] The carrot here looks
as if it's dead or wilted.
The burger, I actually quite liked it.
Salty, punchy, it's good.
I've never seen a dehydrated mushroom
as a top of a burger.
I could see those, with some work,
sitting on an afternoon tea.
I really could.
You've got the makings
of something fantastic here.
-Okay.
-[Mike] Well done.
[Michel] Hmm.
-Hmm. Ah.
-Ah!
Hello, judges.
-Hello, chef.
-[Ravneet] Hello.
I feel offended looking at this.
There was about ten minutes to go,
you stood there, doing nothing.
This, to me, is inexcusable.
That is not a Battenberg.
Would this pack
this incredible dining room?
On looks alone, no.
So I hope you deliver on flavour.
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
Right.
I'm slightly struggling to speak
because I'm so disappointed.
And I'm sorry.
Yep.
[Michel] Jordan, the sponge
of the Battenberg is dry.
It's really not nice. Not nice at all.
I like your sardine pâté in there.
That's the only positive I can find
on this whole plate here.
-Yeah. [chuckles]
-Yeah.
Chefs, I do feel like I let myself down.
-Thank you, chefs.
-Cheers, Jordan.
[Michel] Mmm.
My word.
I was looking forward to the Battenberg.
[Lara] How you doing?
Tough. Tough. Tough.
I hate pastry, so today was gonna be
the toughest challenge for me.
-It was gonna be tough.
-Yeah.
-But nothing I wasn't expecting, so...
-Yeah.
The judges were brutal today.
I was always up against it
with the pastry chef.
Rav was always gonna tear me a new one.
And that's what she did.
Go again. Go again.
[Lara] We're all standing on thin ice.
We have to prove ourselves every day.
Five of you left.
Tomorrow, the challenge is to cook
a five-course tasting menu
at a chef's table.
You will be taking one course each,
but you will
have to cook and plate the dish
in front of some friends
that I have invited.
I want to see your charm,
your character, your passion,
not just on the plate of food,
but how you present it to our guests
because that now is part and parcel
of being a head chef.
Okay, enough said.
Maybe have a sneaky beer, you deserve it.
The afternoon tea task
wasn't my strongest, erm,
but it's given me more of a fight today.
[Lara] My guests are gonna be
in for a surprise today.
Don't wanna reveal too much,
but I think there'll be
some smiles around the table.
[narrator] Each chef has two hours
to prepare their course,
part of which must be cooked tableside.
-Morning, chefs.
-[Lara] Morning, chef.
-[Jordan] Morning, chef.
-Morning, chef.
Adria, you're up first.
You got it, chef.
Don't let the team down.
I won't, chef.
[Mike] A chef's table
should be personable.
It's gotta be fun.
You've gotta be able to hold a table.
People want to see elements of the dishes
coming together right in front of them.
Everyone loves
a bit of theatre in gastronomy now.
You know, everyone wants
to have that element of "Wow!"
Pressure's on.
So today I'm doing an Indochine,
so Indian-Chinese, bao bun.
The mushrooms are gonna be the star,
in a soft bun.
There's gonna be a nice slaw
and there's gonna be
some elements of duck.
There's so much on the line,
it's been so much hard work.
As a chef, it would be validation
that I am good enough
to compete in a five-star environment.
Don't underestimate
the seriousness and gravity,
if you balls this up.
[Lara] Today, I'm doing a lobster bondage.
I'm gonna do
an apple, vanilla, ginger glaze.
And then I'm doing turnip discs,
which I'll compress.
I'm gonna make
little mango gelatin flowers
and just some simple avocado purée.
Can't go wrong.
Now everything goes wrong. Watch.
Little did I know
I'd be doing little blindfolds
for lobsters in my career.
Mmm.
Wow.
Fifty Shades of Lobster.
[chuckles] Very much, chef.
Some of my dish is a little bit kinky.
I love to make people blush.
Don't worry, you'll be safe.
I feel like Michel Roux
is ready for wackiness.
I'm blindly cooking the lobster a bit,
then finish it off in front of the guests
and give them a surprise.
Any thoughts, chef?
My guests are just arriving now, yes.
-Yes, chef.
-[Dom] Yes, chef.
Remember, this is for a place
in the semi-final.
If you are running the Palm Court,
you need to be able
to execute a chef's table with finesse.
It's an art form
and the chefs need to be able
to dazzle their guests
with their food and their personality.
-How good does this courtyard look?
-[Ravneet] I know!
Look at that! No?
[narrator] Chef Roux
has invited some of The Langham's
most senior and influential staff
to meet the five chefs
who will entertain them
whilst serving up
their individual courses.
The guests include managing director,
Bob van den Oord...
I'm so excited to meet the chefs
and see what they've come up with.
It'll be a great dinner.
[narrator] ...the hotel's head
of food and beverage, Sarah Kundi,
the executive chefs
Berwyn Davies and Millie Simpson,
and the senior maître d' Luigi Varavallo.
I hope they deliver today for you all
'cause they are some cracking chefs.
-Do you think they're nervous today?
-[Mike] Oh. They're nervous every day!
-[all laughing]
-[glasses clinking]
[Michel] And here we have
our first chef Adria.
[Adria] Today I want to make
everybody proud.
I really need to execute something
that will wow the judges.
Hello. My concept is all about
making vegetables the star.
And today, I'm gonna
be preparing an Indochine bao bun.
And while I'm plating up here,
I'll be talking, I could talk forever.
We'll be cooking our star vegetable today
which you'll cook yourselves.
-[imitating drum roll]
-[all laughing]
What is the star vegetable?
I have some wonderful,
lovely, golden chanterelles
and some wonderful oyster mushrooms
which I've marinated.
-We want to get some really
-[sizzling]
beautiful caramelisation
and that's always what brings
the sugars and the flavours and the spices
and that brownness
and that almost charring effect.
A lot of chefs find it
very difficult to run a chef's table.
It can be very awkward.
It's finding that right balance.
We need protein in every meal.
[Michel] Talk too much
and it turns into a lecture,
talk too little
and your guests will get bored.
But it's a fine line.
[Adria] Nuts, seeds, pulses, legumes.
-[Michel] Adria?
-Yes.
You weren't joking
when you said you could talk.
[Adria] I am talking way too much.
Okay, so I have that in there as well.
[narrator] Twenty minutes in,
Adria has yet to serve up her course.
I'm ready, just give me one second.
All right, and then we are ready.
Thank you very much.
[Bob] It looks great.
-Got The Langham L on here.
-[Bob] Yep.
[Sarah] It's amazing. Really nice detail.
-[Adria] Bon appétit.
-Thank you, Adria.
-[Michel] Thank you, Adria.
-Thank you very much.
[Berwyn] It's gonna be delicious.
There's so many flavours here.
She lost a lot of time
just by the explanation.
[Ravneet] I like how fresh
the whole dish is.
The vegetables
really are the star of the show.
[Lara] I'm excited. I could win this.
But I know the others could win this too.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
My name's Lara
and this is my beautiful assistant, Ellie.
My restaurant concept is a theatrical
and immersive dining experience.
So today I present you
with lobster bondage.
-Lobster bondage?
-[Mike] They've been blindfolded?
-They have been blindfolded.
-Oh, Lord.
[Lara] Bringing a bit of kinkiness
today to the table.
-Gotta let go a little.
-[all laugh]
What is going on here?
Bondage? Blindfolding?
Guys, has anyone seen my blowtorch?
Wow.
[Mike] I'm not gonna lie,
I'm very scared right now.
[judges laugh]
-I don't know who to watch, you or...
-[Lara] I know.
You can come back to me later.
Give my blowtorch
a bit of attention, please.
So on the top of the lobsters,
we have a compressed turnip,
bit of avocado purée and a mango gelatin.
-Assistants! Oh, there they are.
-[Mike] Oh.
[Mike] Here we go.
-Oh!
-[Mike laughs]
[Sarah] Oh, my goodness.
[Luigi] Oh, man.
[judges laughing]
-[Mike] I have to say, this is a first.
-[Lara] Yeah.
Not the last, I hope.
[Mike laughs]
Wow.
I'm just thinking Palm Court.
[Ravneet] It's terrifying.
[woman] Pick it up.
-[Michel] Thank you, Lara.
-[Mike] Thanks so much.
-Reveal your treasure.
-[Mike] Thank you, Lara.
[Michel] That's a very beautiful treasure,
isn't it?
-[Millie] The lobster looks beautiful.
-[Ravneet] Gorgeous.
What did you think of the er, theme?
For me, it was too much.
Okay, out of ten, what would you give it?
I don't know. It's like... [groans]
It was just so awkward.
Oh, man, I feel a bit crappy.
[Adria] I guarantee it was awesome
and they loved it.
There was a moment
where I felt uncomfortable
and I saw a lot of skin around me.
[Michel] Okay, right.
Let's have a look at this.
Thinking the same thing as me?
-Yeah.
-Yeah, think so.
-[Ravneet] Is everybody's lobsters cooked?
-[Luigi] I don't think so.
-It's too translucent.
-Yeah.
-[Michel] For me, it's not cooked enough.
-[Ravneet] It's very raw.
You can't eat that. [grunts]
Damn, that's a shame.
Today, I'm gonna do
a venison with the lingonberry,
and we have salsify as a side,
put together with herbs, some panko.
And then I'm gonna do
a burnt beetroot purée
and edible white moss.
So it will be very Nordic,
will be amazing.
I'm looking forward to impress the judges.
I need to show
that I can pick myself back up.
The judges have said that I can cook.
It just gives me more determination
to keep going.
I'm doing a suckling pig,
served with a compressed apple terrine,
then I'm gonna serve that with a fabada,
which is a Spanish stew.
For my flat bread,
I am using three herbs,
so thyme, rosemary and sage
just keeping with the three elements.
[Dom] There is an artistic element
in the way
that I'm plating up
in front of the guests.
I'm hoping that the art shines through.
So I've got a plantain tart
with some Italian meringue,
orange curd, cherry compote,
two ice creams,
molasses ice cream, sea salt ice cream.
It should feel like
a mixture of, kind of, food,
but with an art kind of element to it.
[Igor] I'm really excited.
Today, I'm going to show I'm back on top.
I'm gonna work harder than expected.
Hello, everyone.
Hello, Igor.
Today, we're gonna have something unique.
A Nordic style.
Please can we change it
to my Nordic style?
-Yeah.
-[Igor] Thank you.
So now they are doing this,
I will start with the venison.
I will start to grill it.
[Bob] Wow, look at this.
[Michel] Reindeer.
This is part of my concept,
so people will feel a part of the nature.
I don't feel the forest here,
so I bought some juniper berries
and I will put in the fire.
It will be something unique.
I like it.
-Do you feel the berries smoking?
-[Sarah] Definitely.
Perfect. My plan is done here.
[woman laughs]
It's a great colour.
-[Berwyn] Beautiful colour, isn't it?
-[man] Yeah.
Colours is one
of the most important thing for me,
because food is like art.
I love Picasso.
And this is a similar style of that.
Now I'm using the white moss as a garnish.
And I made a cranberry sauce.
I think I counted 15 elements.
-[Ravneet] Did you?
-[Mike] Yeah. [chuckles]
Quite the Picasso we're getting.
[Millie] I feel tired watching him.
[Igor] We're ready to go.
Hold on, adjust this.
[narrator] Thirty minutes later,
Igor's dish is finally ready to be served.
[Igor] Everything here, done.
[Ravneet] Beautiful.
You can see why it all took so long.
-Igor.
-Yes, chef.
-Thank you.
-Thank you.
[man] Thank you very much.
It looks absolutely stunning as a dish.
[Mike] I was sitting here going,
"Okay, Picasso, if you say so,"
but it is a work of art.
[Bob] It sure is.
There is a heck of a lot
going on in this plate.
[Mike] There's a lot.
But there are some amazing flavours,
I must say.
Jordan is about to arrive here
with his lovely suckling pig
and flavours of Spain.
He got really destroyed in the last round
and you never want someone
to be that destroyed.
Like, he copped it.
So yeah, he's got a lot to prove.
And here he is.
[Jordan] This is my last opportunity
to prove that I've got what it takes
to be a five-star chef in a luxury hotel.
Ladies and gentlemen, my name's Jordan.
Before we start,
you will need your boarding passes.
-One for you.
-Thank you.
[narrator] With the chef's table
well underway,
the guests are about to embark
on their next course.
-Where am I off to Jordan?
-Flavour-town, chef.
[judges laughing]
[Mike] I like that.
So today's dish is gonna be
a fabada, which is a Spanish stew.
That will be topped
with a glorious suckling pig.
We have some three-herb flatbreads
to go with that and an apple terrine.
I'm just gonna go get
my Spanish friend, Porque.
[Ravneet laughs]
He's come out with confidence.
It's great to see.
I hope you're all excited.
-[Michel] Very excited.
-[Mike] Very.
Whoa!
[Mike] Yes.
This dish is probably
one of the best things
I've ever eaten in my life.
Last time we sampled your food,
we did give you a bit of a grilling.
Yep.
Would you agree
you've got a lot to prove with this dish?
I have had my downfalls,
but I've taken all the comments
from all of the judges
and tried to implement them
into what I'm doing today,
so that's why I've tried
to keep it simple.
Do I have to dish it out?
[all laughing]
-[Jordan] Do I have to dish it out?
-[Millie] Sure.
[Berwyn] Wow, look at that.
[Ravneet] Mmm.
[Mike] I'm salivating.
[judges laughing]
[Mike] Come on, chef. [laughing]
-[Michel] Flatbreads look nice as well.
-[Ravneet] They look great.
Okay. Service, please.
-Thank you very much.
-Thank you.
-[Michel] Fantastic. Thank you, Jordan.
-[Ravneet] Thank you.
All aboard!
[Mike] Yes.
[Ravneet] I think we all want
to get stuck in.
It just looks delicious.
It's a story here that could work
very well in the Palm Court.
Literally, I was carving it with a spoon.
And they were like, "Wow, look at that."
-[Adria] Oh, good.
-Yeah.
I think he would need training
if he's carving in front of guests.
Wasn't quite polished enough
for my liking.
But the food tastes delicious.
[Ravneet] I think it was endearing.
I was so worried he would have
a real difficulty today presenting,
but I was sitting here quietly,
so impressed with him.
[Dom] I'm just kind of growing
in confidence.
Got good feedback on my afternoon tea
so you don't want to be at the bottom.
You get that feeling
from being at the top.
[Ravneet] Yay, we get dessert!
-Yes!
-[guests cheer]
This better be good!
[Michel] Here he is, the man himself
with a smile on his face.
-Yes!
-[Dom] Good afternoon.
Welcome. Well, actually, not welcome.
Thank you for having me.
My name is Dom.
And my dessert today is plantain tart
with flavours of orange and cherry,
with molasses and sea salt ice cream.
My concept is really about bringing
Caribbean and British flavours together.
So I'm gonna get started.
So this is an orange curd,
that is my plantain, which has been diced,
it's got some orange juice in there.
We've got some plantain purée.
I really want to eat this.
-[Dom] Do you wanna do yours?
-[Ravneet] No. After you.
[all laughing]
Shall I?
-Do you want me to blowtorch?
-Yeah. Perfect.
-[Dom] Luigi?
-Yes, chef.
Five on each, please. Five on each.
-Five pieces, okay.
-[Dom] Thank you.
[Michel] That smells lovely.
[Mike] This is your molasses?
[Dom] This is my molasses.
[Michel] I love that you've managed
to rope in everybody.
[Ravneet and guests laughing]
[Ravneet] That looks good.
He left himself too much to do,
but none of us cared.
We all pitched in.
[Bob] Couldn't agree more.
It was almost like a dinner party.
And everybody was helping
each other out. Felt really warm.
All of our guests would love him.
The pastry is a little bit thick,
a little bit rough.
I'm really liking the ice creams,
the flavours are quite something.
Yes, the pastry's too thick,
but it's delicious.
It's like a dessert
I've never tasted before.
Dom has made us all smile
and made us very happy, I must say.
Well, thank you for joining us
for a spectacular dinner.
[Bob] Thank you for having us.
You've got some
really tough decisions to make.
Not gonna be easy.
Not at all.
Not after this round of cooking.
Yep.
We've got one that bowled us over.
Shall we say their name after three?
One, two, three.
-Dom.
-Dom.
The other four...
I was underwhelmed by Adria.
Her food is always not quite there.
Igor.
Beautiful plate of food,
stunning to look at.
There was almost
a little bit of arrogance,
of "I am Picasso"
and I didn't find it endearing.
What about Lara?
The performance was too much.
And the fact that the food, then,
didn't back it up?
It was raw.
-How can you serve that up?
-[Mike] Yeah.
I think she needs more years in a kitchen
to deliver the same level of food
as she does entertainment.
-Yeah.
-[groans] Jordan.
I felt the carving of the suckling pig
was a little bit clunky.
[Mike] Messy.
But it was spot on
when it comes to flavour.
We can't forget about
just how bad that afternoon tea was.
It's a genuine concern. Absolutely.
It's not an easy decision.
I'm very happy
I don't have to make it, chef.
Cheers, guys.
-[Mike] Good luck.
-Thanks.
[smacks lips] Mmm.
Well, that certainly
turned everything on its head.
[puffs] Dom.
Yes, chef.
You made us all feel
at ease within a minute.
Afternoon tea, you blew us away
with some great flavours.
-Well done.
-Thank you, Chef.
Igor, afternoon tea.
Not up to your usual standard.
Today, lovely plate of food.
Adria. Some of that
afternoon tea wasn't great, was it?
Concept was there.
Today, all of the table
were suitably impressed with the buns.
Loved the fact
that they were fresh, light.
The emulsion could have been done better.
Jordan.
You had a 'mare
on the afternoon tea, didn't you?
Yes, chef.
You seem to have reined it back.
Cooked us a very good pig.
Thank you, chef.
Lara.
It was theatrical,
which is what we expected from you.
Is it style over substance?
Hope not.
And the lobster wasn't cooked.
Did you realise that?
No, I didn't wanna overcook it
because with the fire...
You'd have needed a flamethrower
to cook that lobster.
Yes, chef.
-It really is a tough decision.
-[dramatic music plays]
But I have to think
about who, out of you guys,
would I feel most confident
to give my restaurant to.
So the chef leaving us is...
Lara. I'm afraid it's the end of the road.
Yes, chef.
Dishing up raw lobsters,
I'm afraid we can't do that.
Thank you for a beautiful experience.
Smash it, guys.
Create some magic.
Of course, any chef would be gutted.
I'm there with you, guys.
At the same time,
I've been grateful for this experience.
I want a hug.
I want a hug too.
-Keep it up!
-[Lara] I will.
Mistakes are great.
They're a powerful tool.
So I'll come back
and give you a good cooked lobster.
Being able to cook for Michel Roux,
that's already a win.
-An amazing chef.
-Thank you.
-Amazing personality.
-Thank you.
-And you will succeed.
-[Lara] Thank you, chef.
Well done, Lara.
-Love you.
-Thank you, guys.
[Jordan] I'm still here. Like, wow.
It's shown I've got the mentality
to get knocked down and come back up.
That's kind of been the story of my life.
I'm just gonna keep pushing.
[Michel] You four live to cook
another day.
So please, deliver.
[Dom] I think I arrived here
not really sure
that I belonged in this space.
And today I'm feeling like I could win.
[Igor] I'm not ready to go home yet.
I will come back, fight to the top.
No matter what.
[exhales]
Thank you, Langham. It's been a pleasure.
[theme music playing]