Five Star Chef (2023–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Episode #1.6 - full transcript

This is the final.

A chance to win a life-changing prize.

One of London's
most exclusive five-star restaurants,

the Palm Court at The Langham Hotel.

We have scoured the culinary world

for some of the best chefs
of a generation,

each with an original concept,
and we've narrowed it down...

We're gonna part company.

We can't take you on. No.

...to the best three.

[all exclaiming]



[Michel] Dom is elevating Caribbean food
into the five-star arena...

You absolutely smashed it.

Aw, thank you, chef.

...but still needs work leading a team.

I feel like we made decisions

and then we kind of, like...
You can't do everything.

I need you to get it together.

Go big or go home.

Adria has absolutely nailed her concept
of more plant-based style cooking.

[Ravneet] I like how fresh the dish is.

The vegetables
really are the star of the show.

[Mike] If her time management
can match her vision,

she will be unstoppable.

This is when we're supposed
to be serving. Come on, Adria!



Yes!

Jordan has shown
he can cook his three-flavour concept.

This is clever cooking from Jordan.

[Michel] But he's not always consistent.

And it's the attention to detail
that's let him down.

Jordan. We just had hake with bones in it.

I was told it was prepped
by the fishmonger, chef.

Mate, five star, you check it yourself.

This final challenge will be
the hardest of their professional career.

The five-star chef that will have
the keys to the Palm Court is...

So, to be in the final
is a mix of excitement, stress, anxiety.

I am definitely afraid if I can
get everything done on time.

I just hope I can rise to the challenge.

[Dom] I can't believe
I'm in the final. It was hard to get here.

In a couple of challenges,

I could have showed
leadership skills and I didn't.

I've really got an opportunity now

to show Chef Roux
that I can manage a team.

I think my biggest things
I've struggled with

was a little bit of consistency.

Every dish has got to be perfect.

Every dish has got to be five-star.

Today is the biggest day of my life.

[tense music playing]

Welcome, chefs.

So this is it. The final.

Over three nights, each of you will run
this restaurant as if it were your own.

You will be head chef for one night,

showcasing your concept, your food.

-This is for real.
-[exclaims]

Imagine this really is your restaurant,
because for one of you, it's gonna be.

We want to see five-star cooking,
but we also want to see a leader.

Cook your hearts out and enjoy it.

'Cause for two of you,
it will be the last time.

Make sure it's not you.

This is the most important service
of your lifetime.

Your last chance
to put your name on the door.

[narrator] The chefs
will each have the opportunity

to run the Palm Court for one night.

Helping them are The Langham's A-team,
the kitchen brigade.

Good morning, I'm Chef Adria.

I'm so excited to work with you.

My name's Jordan
and I'm your head chef for today.

My name is Dom.

We're gonna deliver
some amazing five-star food.

In the final, we're looking to see
their concept, clear and defined.

The quality of their food
should be at the absolute highest level.

We're looking for a head chef
who can lead this team from day one.

So, Adria. Menu, clearly written
and it's called "Verdure."

It means greenery,

reinforcing that concept
of veg as the star,

meat as the side.

When we do traditional cooking,

it's quite meat-focused, so...

We're not vegetarian or vegan,

but we're gonna be
making vegetables the star.

[Michel] Three starters
and what have we got?

The gazpacho.

I loved that gazpacho,

I haven't stopped
thinking about it since I tried it.

[Michel] The main courses,
handmade saffron cavatelli...

This sounds delicious.

If she gets it right,

the fresh pasta is a beautiful touch.

Overall, I think
Adria's menu is so appetising.

My worry is Adria lets the time
get away from her.

It's happened a few times.

She can't do that today.
Not when you're running service.

It is her biggest challenge today.

Dom. "The Good Front Room."

I think this is true on his concept.
It tells a story of his childhood.

It screams British-Caribbean.

Let me give you all a list.

I believe that I've given you
the pastry section.

I've got nice clear recipes

and we'll go through them,
and I think it should be cool.

[Mike] Dom's got a lot to prove
with this jerk chicken.

What did you want that was different?

I needed more flavour.

So I want this chicken to have a punch.

I want to eat it and go,
"Whoa. I was not expecting that."

And then every single table

is getting sides
whether they order it or not.

[Ravneet] That's a lot.

-[Michel] That's five extra dishes.
-[Mike] Five!

He has to bring that all together
at the pass at the same time.

There's a lot of cooking here.

And we've seen Dom
struggle a couple of times

in leadership challenges.

So he needs to prove today
that he can lead this team.

For the service,
you're gonna handle the desserts.

Cut the bun,

erm, and we're gonna trim the edges
to keep it nice and square.

[Michel] Jordan.

All through this competition,

we have been banging on
about this concept of three flavours.

You've proved to us it's worthy.
And there it is.

My concept is "Three."

So we're working
with three flavours today.

So I want us all to work together.
I'm looking forward to it.

[Michel] "Pig's cheek, lobster, prawn."
Okay, surf and turf.

It feels opulent.
It's pork, it's lobster, it's prawn.

Three gorgeous things together.
Bit of a crowd pleaser.

[Michel] "Wagyu, onion, thyme."

It is too open for interpretation,
this one.

Wagyu's a breed. What is it? What cut?

[Michel] Yeah.

[Mike] What I would love to see
from Jordan today is consistency.

Whether he can maintain
five-star quality throughout,

I'm not sure.

Let's get cracking.

[narrator] Each chef will have
four hours' prep before service begins.

I think it's gonna be fun,
but it is going to be a lot of work

and the food is going to be great.

Every good head chef
understands that mise en place is vital.

"Mise en place"
is getting everything ready for service.

Communication is key.

Get everybody on board
to work as a team, as a brigade.

[Adria] Checking how much pasta we have.

We need to make 20 portions.

We have about seven, eight portions.

So we're gonna be
making a little bit more pasta.

[narrator] One of Adria's main courses
is a pasta dish.

[Adria] She's showing Loredana
how to make each piece by hand.

And after you've rolled it...

and just like this.

[Michel] How's it going?

I am definitely nervous
about [softly] running the pass.

But I don't want them
to think that I'm nervous.

[Michel] I love the way
you've got the recipes out.

They're clear, concise.

Mainly it's gonna be rolling the pasta.

[Michel] And I think that's gonna
be popular. Pasta is always popular.

-Get yourself super organised...
-Yeah.

-...make sure they are confident in you.
-Yes.

[narrator] As her team
continue to prepare for service,

Adria has been called
to the Palm Court for a final interview.

So we're here, the final.

Tell me, why should you
be running this restaurant?

I quit my career
as an engineer to do this.

I sacrificed so much,
but I never had this chance.

I really believe that
making plants the star will really work.

And I know I can deliver that.

Why do you want to win this?

I've never been known to be
the best at anything in my life.

My parents never tell me they...

"I love you." And "You're the best."

So I think this would finally say,
"Adria, you're the best."

Okay, Lori, your prep before service,
you're going to do the quail eggs.

You've done scotch eggs before? Perfect.

Chef Roux said to me,
"Dom, I haven't seen you lead a team".

"Both times you were in a position
where you could have,

and you should have, you didn't deliver."

I think Chef Roux
wants to see that from me today.

Chef, would like to you come with me

to check the thickness
of the plantain for the dauphinoise?

[Dom] Yes.

I've managed to outsource
some really great jobs.

Lore is a pro at scotch eggs.

And then I've got Francesca,
who's a superstar pastry chef,

so she's giving me
all of her skills over there.

[Michel] The skillset of the chefs
I've given them

should be enough for them
to pull off a great service.

However, they need guidance.

They've not worked
with a lot of these ingredients before

so they need to be told what to do.

What are you prepping here?

The sea bream is going to be marinated,

and then wrapped into the banana leaves.

Have you ever done this before,
like, cook in banana leaf?

Erm, not really, chef. First time.

You've got a lot to do.

So, guys,
we are two-and-a-half hours gone.

But let's push now, get the job done.

[all] Yes, chef.

You know, when I first arrived,
I had impostor syndrome.

I couldn't see how my food
was gonna fit here.

There's a lot of stereotypes
and stigma around Caribbean food.

A jerk chicken leg and thigh
in a metal tray

with some kind of rice and peas.

I wanted to run away from that.

You know,
I wasn't proud to cook Caribbean food

and it's only in the last five years
that dream got reignited again.

I cook from the soul and that is
what I'm gonna give the diners.

I think that you're gonna
just wanna see, "Is it five-star?"

And I think that you're gonna say yes.

As you can imagine,
today is the biggest shift of my life,

and I want you guys to help me win this.

[Mike] Jordan's a head chef.

Jordan runs a kitchen every day,

but this is a whole different level,
a whole different ballgame.

So to see if he can step up
to cook at this level is a huge challenge.

This dauphinoise is going
with the beef dish, the Wagyu.

It's layered potatoes
cooked in garlic and cream.

The cuts of meat I've used are flat iron.

It takes a little bit more work
to break down the marbling in there.

-Have you taken the vein out?
-Yeah.

Can you tell us
why you deserve to win this?

I left school when I was 11.

I was told I wouldn't be anything in life.

I was homeless, I'd sleep in...
In some woods at night.

This just proves
that if you've got the right work ethic,

and you believe in yourself,
that you can do it.

What is it about you, above the others,
that makes you think that you should win?

I do feel like I can command a kitchen
a little bit better.

I'd say, I don't think
I'm a better chef than anybody,

but I feel I have the right
characteristics to make a great chef.

So cook your heart out.

-I can't wait to taste your food again.
-Thank you, chef.

[narrator] There'll be 50 guests seated
in the Palm Court each evening

and the chefs will have
two-and-a-half hours

to complete their service.

Adria, front-of-house here.

[narrator] In charge
of the guest dining experience

this evening, maître d' André Ferreira.

Have the guests arrived?

-They've started to sit down.
-We probably need another five minutes

-to make sure we're set up for starters.
-[Michel] Seriously?

The three starters
are going to be a gazpacho

and then we're going to have
a wild mushroom and bok choy salad,

and the third thing
is barbecued tempeh biscuit sliders.

Please can we get
the wild mushroom for a starter?

Can I please have the gazpacho?

Check on, chefs. Two more sliders.

Yep.

And two mushrooms.

One of the roles of the head chef
is to call out the orders

and to coordinate
all of the food coming to the pass...

-[buzzing]
-...where the food is dressed, finished,

and sent out to the guests.

It's so important
you get the timings right.

-Compliment them. Yeah?
-Well done, chef.

Thank you, chef.

[indistinct chattering]

The soup is really good.

You feel the citrus
coming from the bok choy

complementing the fragrance
of the mushrooms incredibly well.

This looks very vibrant.

-It's super colourful.
-It is exactly that.

[Ravneet] The gazpacho,
absolutely incredible.

-[Mike] Incredible.
-I just wanted more.

Like, it is up there
with one of her best dishes.

On the menu,
Adria's written "biscuit slider."

In my head,
I was hoping for it to be luxurious.

[Mike] Yeah.

[Ravneet] Whereas it's thin.

-It's almost like a tuile in a sense.
-Yes. Exactly.

-But just dry.
-[Ravneet] Yes.

[Mike] The morel and bok choy dish,

which was just... It was her seasoning,

which was beautiful
and really well-executed.

Two more sliders, I'll come round.

[Michel] You've got more starters here
to call out as well.

Being a head chef in a busy kitchen
like The Langham,

you need to run your brigade
like clockwork.

You've only got a limited amount of time,

so you need to control
the flow of service.

[André] You said to table three, chef,
but they've had starters there.

I probably just forgot
to knock that off. Sorry.

[Michel] What happened?

I forgot to cross one off,
so they had their starter again.

[Michel] Two sliders and a gazpacho.
The guests are saying it's been too long.

[Adria] Two sliders and a gazpacho.

I can see the sliders coming.
The gazpacho is made.

Adria's finding it a bit tough.

Honestly, I think it's new for her.
It's totally new.

[Adria] Main away.
We're ready on the mains? Er...

Stop the mains for a minute.
Get the starters out, quick. Come on.

Three... Four sliders all day

and two mushroom and one gazpacho, please.

The service is crazy.
The tickets come in all together.

This is the problem.

We miss a lot of table.
Maybe she was confused for this.

[Michel] Adria, you look lost. Come on.

[Adria] I am, a little bit.

Push, push, push, push.

[Michel] Service has just ground
to a halt.

And there's like four
or five tables' starters wanting to go.

And now the main courses are being called.

And we've just got a bottleneck.

And table four, literally,
will be leaving without any food.

[dramatic music playing]

This is your kitchen,
I don't want to jump in

-unless it's really necessary.
-Yes.

Keep the intensity up.
Keep on reminding them.

-Keep an eye on the clock.
-Absolutely.

[narrator]
Dom's service is about to begin.

And amongst the 50 diners
in the Palm Court is his mum.

You sit down and think to yourself,
it's marvellous.

It was very glam.

[Dom] The first starter
is a jerk chicken dish.

And then we have ackee and saltfish cakes.

And then gungo pea daal hummus.

Can I do the jerk chicken?

Can I get the daal hummus to start?

Okay.

Okay, guys. Check on.

We've got one jerk chicken,
one fish cakes, two hummus.

-Oui, chef.
-Yeah?

Check on. Table of two.
One fish cakes, one jerk chicken.

Service, please.

So this is table three.

So we got one chicken,
two hummus and a fish cakes, please.

Jesus Christ, I mean.

[Michel] Coming in thick and fast, huh?

[Dom] Service, please. Table four.

[Mike] This is another level, wow.

[Ravneet] That jerk chicken is a chicken

that I would bring my mum
to come and have.

It's that good.

The all-round spice
that he's got in there,

and I'm not just talking hot and heat,
like, it's aromatic.

This is cooking at the highest level.

The ackee and saltfish,
with that rich sauce, is amazing.

The daal hummus is beautiful.

[Ravneet] I adore that. Tangy but spicy,
it's rich and it's comforting...

It's rich and comforting.

I am impressed.

It doesn't look like Caribbean food,
but it tastes like Caribbean food.

Lovely.

Right, chef. Feedback for you.

Starters, loving it.

Really going down well.
Jerk chicken phenomenal.

-They're enjoying that.
-Thanks.

-Thanks very much.
-[André] You're welcome.

Guys, I just want to say that
maître d' has just been in.

You guys have really smashed it.

We've got a long way to go.
I don't want to start clapping yet.

-[Michel] Oh, yeah.
-But let's keep up this tempo.

Fifteen minutes,
we start plating on the pass.

-Oui, chef.
-Yes, chef.

You seem to be incredibly in charge
of your kitchen here, and confident.

I want the guys to feel confident, chef.

I think if I start flapping

or be unsure,

it's gonna push off on the team,
I don't want that.

The first dish is mackerel,
rhubarb and fennel.

The next dish is beetroot,
dill and buttermilk.

Then we have a pig's cheek,
lobster and a prawn.

Could I have the mackerel,
rhubarb and fennel to start, please?

[waiter] Perfect.

Pig's cheek, lobster and prawn.

I'll also go for the pig's cheek, please.

Okay, check on.

Three pig's cheeks.

-Oui, chef.
-Oui, chef.

[Jordan] Check on.

One mackerel, one pig's cheek.

[all] Oui, chef.

Three pig's cheeks.
You're going to table six, please.

[waiter] Table six. Yes, chef.

Prawn head, number 12.

-Yes.
-Thank you.

And have we got 30 seconds
on one pig's cheek, one mackerel, oui?

-Oui, chef.
-[Jordan] Thank you.

So Jordan has cooked this for me before,

the pig's cheek,
but it's definitely nicer this time.

Some of the dishes
that Jordan's plated in this competition,

they've been quite messy and quite rustic.

To bring this level of elegance
in the final is quite a feat for the man.

He's done a cracking job.

The mackerel is exactly what I expected.

-Yeah.
-The beetroot surpassed my expectations.

[Mike] The puree is delicious
and I do really enjoy the roasted beets.

The pig's cheek was soft,
succulent, juicy.

This is a very strong start.

One mackerel.
You're going to table ten, please.

Keep going.
This is perfect. Let's keep going.

How's your evening going?
Enjoying the food?

The food was okay.
The sauce was really nice.

Sauce was really nice.

But they've left the tract.

-[André] They didn't de-vein it properly.
-That was disappointing.

As a head chef, it's your responsibility

to check every dish
that leaves the kitchen

is of the highest standard.

You can't blame the brigade for mistakes

as it's ultimately your menu
and your reputation that's on the line.

Hi, chef. Sorry.

A guest at the table said
it wasn't de-veined properly.

It ruined the flavour of the dish.

Can we just give her a prawn
and something to complete the dish?

-Yep. No problem.
-[André] Thank you very much.

Can I have just one prawn, please?
One prawn.

-Vein!
-[Jordan] Yes.

-That shouldn't happen.
-My bad, chef.

How is everyone feeling? Okay?

Yeah? I think we can
start crushing through the mains.

[narrator] An hour and 15 minutes
into her service,

and Adria has just
finished serving starters.

So, we're going to... Let's reset.

For my mains,
we have a hen of the woods mushroom dish,

chickpea panisse
and finally, saffron cavatelli pasta.

I know we are short on the pasta,

but everything else
should be there and ready.

On pasta,
we're gonna have about 15 portions.

-Fifteen portions?
-Instead of the 25.

[Michel] So if they can push
the other two?

Yeah, if you can.

The saffron cavatelli, please.

Handmade saffron cavatelli.

[Adria] Check on, chefs.

-Can we get three pasta, one mushroom?
-[Loredana] Yeah.

Followed by five more pastas,
one mushroom.

Two more cavatellis, pasta. Oh. [chuckles]

We have already sold out of pasta.

Already 15 portions cooked.
There should've been a lot more made.

We're just missing one of the pasta.

-I think we'll have to apologise.
-That's fine.

I'll push them to the mushroom.

-Delicious.
-Thanks. I'll buy 'em a drink.

[Michel] Adria,
that pasta is getting cold.

You've already not got enough pasta.

If we don't send that soon,
it's gonna go in the bin.

All right. Number two, yes, number two.

They're a bit angry, so big smiles.

I'm late. Thank you very much.

The panisse,
I actually enjoyed how light it was.

The pasta, hard.

[Mike] Yeah.

I still love the hen of the woods.

That, I loved it.
I love the little parfait.

I think the sauce is delicious with it.

[Jordan] Mains away. Two lamb, one Wagyu.

[chef] Oui, chef.

-[Michel] First mains away?
-[Jordan] Oui.

Wow! First main courses are just going.

Normally this is bottleneck,
this is a pinch point.

One lamb, one Wagyu. Table seven, please.

The main course we have
hake, vichyssoise and caviar.

We have Wagyu, onion and thyme.

Then we have lamb,
samphire and red pepper.

Main courses are being pumped out.

Pushing. 'Cause there's only three things

to put on a plate,
which is great. Fantastic.

But the attention to detail is slipping.

The gratin dauphinoise
seems to be coming up more and more dry.

The ones on the pass
have got burnt bottoms.

Those gratin dauphinoise
do not look five-star.

You can't blame the other guys.

You're the one sending it.

[Jason] This beef...

I've had some beautiful beef before
but this...

Who would've thought
that Jordan would be serving his food

in The Langham Hotel?

[Jason] It's not bad
after living in the woods.

-[Lisa] Yeah.
-[chuckles]

I need one...

One... Erm...

One scotch egg, please.

The mains will be curried goat chops,

banana-leaf-baked sea bream
and roast baby cauliflower.

[narrator] Along with his mains,

Dom is serving each table
with a selection of five sides,

including plantain and okra slaw.

-[Michel] Is there a table that's ready?
-[Dom] No, chef.

[Dom speaks indistinctly]

What's missing?

Okay, let's go table four, please, chef.

No, we can't go
with the goat or the sea bream.

You're waiting
on scotch eggs for everything.

Yes. Please, plantain, please.

To be able to manage a service well,
you've got to literally be an octopus.

To manage the tickets,

to organise what the chefs are doing
and when they're doing it,

to take away
some of the pressure from them.

[Michel] They're waiting.
They're waiting for you.

-I know, but...
-[Mike] Is he in control?

[hesitating]
It's starting to get a bit frayed.

The starters were lovely and smooth.

They knew what they were doing.
Now, they're...

[Mike] He's trying to achieve a lot
with these mains.

-[Michel] This should not happen.
-No.

-The pass should be constantly sending.
-Constantly.

It should be a consistent flow of food.

I need plantain. I need rice.

You've got plantain and rice here.

Dom, you're losing it. Come on.

I know, chef.

[Teo] Service was not smooth.

Four people doing one dish,
which isn't normal.

Normally, one chef takes care of one dish.

Like this was much more disorganised.

-Hi, chef.
-[Dom] Hey.

Guests are waiting for some mains.
What's happening?

It's coming. I... I apologise.

We need to send it. Come on.

This is getting bad.

This feels so embarrassing, man.

-Dom, we really need to crack on.
-Yes, yes, yes.

Push these first main courses out.

Some restaurants,
you wouldn't mind if it was a long time,

but this kind of restaurant,
you want it to be smoother.

[Michel] Nobody knows
what they're doing other than you.

Come on, we need to get these out.

No, mix the salad for me

and bring it to me
mixed with a bit of olive oil.

If the kitchen brigade
aren't managed properly,

then service will grind to a halt.

-Okay, chef.
-[Michel] Bulk it up. Let's go.

Still have a lot of tables
waiting for plates.

I'd love to say there's something
different I could do, but there isn't.

I'm not gonna let myself get stressed out
about something I can't control.

I'll get it to you as quickly as I can.
I apologise.

Thank you, chef. I'll them know.

[Dom] Two more chops,
a sea bream, and a cauliflower.

Are you sending
three tables in one go now?

-Yes, I've been trying to do that.
-Good. That's the way.

It's coming. We'll get there.

It's colourful, it's vibrant.

I think it looks really good.

[Ravneet] That goat curry. Wow.

[Mike] Beautiful sauce.

The chops were so tender.

Literally pulling off the bone.

One of the dishes that surprised me
the most was the cauliflower.

My God, has he delivered with flavour.

-[Ravneet] The fish was delicate.
-It was beautiful.

[Ravneet] There were so many sides.

Everything is mixing together
and you can't focus

on what you're eating.
One element needs to go.

[Mike] He's taken on a lot
by producing the sides

and I think that's what
slowed things down in the kitchen.

Dom, the goat is tender. It's delicious.

-Thank you, chef.
-Can I taste the chili?

Yeah, it is spicy though.

This, you're going with
to table 15, please.

[chuckles] Yeah, it's spicy.

If you're a hot pepper sauce person,
you need to blow your socks off.

That's blown everything off.

I bet you Rav says she loves it
and that's it.

That sauce... [sniffles]

is everything I wanted from a hot sauce.

It's blowing my head off, but I want that.

This sauce is a grower.

-[laughs]
-My face is suddenly boiling.

We'll just blast out these mains

and we're all hands on deck
to bang out the desserts.

[narrator] Jordan is the only chef
whose service is running to time.

How are you doing, chefs? Good?

[all] Yes, chef.

[Jordan] Just keep pushing, chefs.
This is good.

[chef] Oui.

It's going very well.

Chef is very clear
with what he wants us to do.

And we are very confident
with what we are doing.

[André] I have some feedback for you.

It's a bit negative. A bit of dauphinoise
slightly burned at the bottom.

[Jordan] Okay.

-Thank you.
-[André] Thanks, chef.

[Mike] Oh, here we go. Main course.

[Ravneet] For someone
who doesn't like lamb,

this is a dish that could convert
any lamb hater.

It's succulent. It's well-balanced.

I love the juiciness from the red pepper

and then the samphire
kind of pops in your mouth.

It's lovely. I have to say
my favourite though was the fish.

The flavour of the Wagyu is incredible,

but I think this dish is really
quite heavy, very indulgent,

and has lacked a lot of finesse.

It just doesn't have
anything that special.

I feel like I've had this
20 times before in my life.

[woman] Exactly.

I can't fault the way
he's running service.

He's on top of it.
He is on top of his game.

There's not a single ticket
that's been missed.

Yes, there have been errors.

Prawns not de-veined.

Little things like that
make a huge difference.

[André] Table's made, chef.

All done? Well done, chefs.

That's starters and mains done,
just desserts now.

-[all] Oui, chef.
-Come on. Smashing it, guys.

[narrator] Adria is in a bottleneck
of crossing courses

and her desserts
are still not on the pass.

They're just waiting now
for you to call out orders.

[Adria] Okay, first dessert coming on

will be three ginger loaf,
two chocolate tarts.

Can I get some plates?

[woman] Oh, sorry...

I actually think one or two guests
might have left already.

I'm not sure what's happened,
but I'm slightly worried.

[André] Table six are cancelling dessert.

Okay, so, people are leaving

without dessert.

The desserts should've been served
40 minutes ago.

[Adria] I know.
Let's warm the cake, peaches,

and the butterscotch.

To finish, I've got poached rhubarb,

ginger loaf
and a dark chocolate ganache tart.

-Can we get the food on the plates?
-[Adria] Yes.

[Michel] What else is going on this?

[Adria] And then it's gonna be the tart.

I feel really sorry for her

because she is a good chef
and she's so stressed.

[Adria] Can you put the one verveine in,
chef, please,

and then a crisp, then a cream.

-Yeah. Like that, perfect, thank you.
-[order machine trilling]

Okay, we're rocking and rolling now.

[Ravneet] This dish with the rhubarb,
I loved that sauce.

It was beautifully perfumed
and cardamom-y,

but then the rhubarb was undercooked.

When I see ginger loaf on the menu,

I expect something soft, generous.

It doesn't have that softness
and that generous quality

you want from a ginger loaf.

My favourite was probably the tart.

[Mike] The pastry was stunning.

-[Ravneet] I loved that pastry.
-Gorgeous.

-I want the recipe for the pastry.
-I want the recipe. It's outstanding.

Table 12, yeah?

[Michel] Dom's taken the decision
to send all the main courses out

because they were waiting so long.

But that means that the first people
that have had their mains

are now waiting very long
for their dessert.

It really is that domino effect.

[narrator] With desserts due to go out,

sous-chef Francesca
is awaiting instructions from Dom.

We are not in a really good situation
with the dessert.

He basically didn't tell me
how he wants me to cook the tart.

We're still missing parts
of the mise en place.

Chef. I'm so sorry to interrupt,

-but I need you right now.
-Mmm-hmm.

I need you really to tell me
where is all this stuff.

-For this dish?
-Yeah.

-Yeah, so...
-I don't know about it.

[Dom] No, ignore the title.

That's why
I've written out the components.

Okay.

-I'm gonna show you the dish.
-Okay.

Are some of the desserts not ready then?

Some aspects of the desserts aren't ready.
That's correct.

Sorry, Francesca, I feel bad.

Don't worry. It's fine.

Which is obviously my fault
and my responsibility.

Yep.

Francesca is a sous-chef.
She knows what she's doing.

Yeah.

If you tell her,
"a cheese fruit bun," it's not clear.

And it is really winding her up.

As so many times in this competition,

the desserts are an afterthought.

Hi, everyone. I can only apologise.

I went and spoke to the chef.

They're a little bit overwhelmed.

It's gonna be a bit longer.
About ten minutes.

[Dom] For the desserts,
we have a Bakewell tart,

but instead of raspberry jam,
we're using sorrel jam.

And the second dessert
is a Guinness punch panna cotta.

Third dish is bun and cheese.

Erm, bun is like a fruit bun.

We're using some Cashel Blue
which is a beautiful, soft blue cheese.

Yes, we're gonna do a little rocher,
which is going on top of the tart.

You haven't got time to explain.

Dress the frigging plates

-and they will follow you.
-Yes, chef.

And then we're gonna do
a little rocher of the ice cream.

[Michel] Ooh la la.

-This is a little bit...
-Ooh ya ya ya.

That ice cream is not nice.

You're never gonna make
a smooth quenelle out of that.

Think on your feet.

-Yes, chef.
-Break it up.

[narrator] Dom repurposes
his vegan ice cream

into an ice sprinkle.

I know we're on desserts,

but table seven's waiting
for two goat chops.

Can I get two goat for me, please?

What's happening
with the ice cream there, chef?

[Dom] I'm not really sure, to be honest.

It's just not smooth, but it's also vegan.

I just need a moment, please.

I'm doing the best I can.

I'm not gonna get stressed
and start losing my head.

This is for table eight, please.

I think that the Bakewell tart pastry
was spot-on today.

It was thin, crisp, perfectly baked.

And the ice cream was not an ice cream.

[Mike] The ice cream was a real shame.

I absolutely adored the panna cotta.

The booziness
of the panna cotta is amazing.

The bun and cheese,
I don't think the plantain was needed.

This is for table eight, please.

Table three's missing four desserts.

Two tickets went through for table three
as they were joined later.

That's what I thought.

Five. We've already got desserts
for table five.

We've already got desserts for table five.
This is an unmitigated disaster.

You don't know
what you're sending any more.

So, can we go for table nine?

Two bun and cheese, a Bakewell tart
and the gluten-free dessert, please.

Table three, the other check,
have you found it?

-This is the other check, chef.
-This one is?

The service that should've taken
two-and-a-half hours

is now over that two-and-a-half hours.

To be honest, I'm embarrassed.

My mum is here
and I feel like I put my best foot forward

to deliver a great service today.

I take these things personally.

I look like I can't serve 50 customers.

It does break my heart a little bit.
My heart's somewhat broken.

Dominic has made Afro-Caribbean food
come to the table.

-[woman] That's it. Yeah.
-[Moreline] Beautiful tasting.

That makes me very proud.

[Jordan] On to desserts now.

A few hiccups in service
that I wish we didn't have,

but we're back on it.

Puddings.

We have rum baba, with barbecued pineapple

and a lime clotted cream.

And then a chocolate genoise sponge,

chocolate ganache,
cherry and anise sorbet,

a little bit of cherry gel.

And then strawberry Eton mess
with basil and pink peppercorn.

We get one time today to go.

The chocolate kinda
looks very heavy and tight.

I don't think Rav's gonna be pleased
with that.

These are some of the most
elegant and beautiful desserts

that we have been presented with
in the competition,

but the chocolate one,
the sponge is too hard,

way too hard,

but I love the crema on top,
silky, delicious.

[Mike] The rum baba,

the flavours were there,
but it was bready, it was dry.

It wasn't moist and juicy and moreish.

My favourite was,
out of all three, the strawberry dish.

I liked the contrast
of the sharp basil sorbet...

[Mike] Very fresh.

Yeah, but you want that
from a basil sorbet.

Just to double check
that table 12 is going now.

And that is everybody done?

[André] That is everyone done, chef.

Thank you, chef.

[Jordan] Today was amazing.
Really smooth service.

The buzz of service
is like no other drug there is.

The adrenalin, the happiness, the anxiety.

I feel on top of the world.

You need to be proud of what you've done.

Yeah, I am. Yeah, today was...

-I'm gonna cry.
-[Jordan chuckles]

Thank you so much.
You guys were stars too.

Although it's one
of the hardest things I've done,

it's one of the best things I've done.

[Hussein] I'm so proud of you.
You were incredible.

[Adria] I'm very competitive.
I do like winning. I like being the best.

Your wife is a super woman.

Thank you, guys. You are a super woman.

The point in service where I kind of felt
a bit heartbroken

and a little bit deflated,

it's hard to pacify yourself

when you feel like your best
wasn't good enough.

-Hello, guys.
-[Dom] Hi, Mum.

How you doing?

Well, I'm not sure
it's clapping-worthy, but...

[all chuckling]

-You all right?
-[Moreline chuckles] I loved it.

[exclaims] It was absolutely fabulous.

-Are you lot lying, potentially, like...
-[both] Why?

-Everyone loved it, it was amazing.
-Okay.

-So proud of you. I love you.
-Thank you. [sighs] Thank you.

[muffled speaking]

Now's the wait, yeah,
to find out if I've done enough.

-Yeah.
-Easily.

I hope so.

[chuckling]

-Hey, mate.
-How was it?

Tough, mate.

Mine was far from smooth.

Really? Why?

It was... I mean, it wasn't far from smooth,
but it wasn't smooth.

How was it?

-Insane.
-It was actually insane.

At some point,
I didn't laugh, but I was almost laughing,

because I just couldn't believe
what was happening.

[narrator] With all three services
complete,

it's down to Chef Roux to choose a winner.

Wow, that was intense, eh?

What a final, though.

Absolutely.
Three chefs cooking their hearts out.

Couldn't ask for more.

The calibre of some of the dishes
were outstanding.

Out of the three of them,

there was only one
that managed the pass beautifully.

Like a seasoned pro. And that was Jordan.

You put him in a kitchen,

five or 600 people,
he'd shout the orders out.

He would command respect
and he could run that pass.

He's got it.

It was a really well-paced service.

He can command a kitchen, yes.

It was the most flawless service,

but do I believe his concept would work

and he's the right person for this?
I don't know.

I think that Adria's concept
of making plants the star of the show

is fantastic

and it's the type of concept

that could seamlessly fit
into this environment.

But Adria can't command a kitchen.

I loved her finishings to the restaurant.

The menu design was great,

but you felt the energy
being sucked out of the room,

the longer the service went on.

Adria does need help, yes,
but her food is so unique and different

and I think
that Adria is willing to learn.

She's willing to get stuck in.

She said herself,
she wants to be the best.

It will drive her forward
in order to command a kitchen,

those are skills she can learn.

Yeah, but you can also refine
Jordan's concept.

He could get there with some help,
with some mentorship as well.

Do I want to spend my time mentoring?

I want a chef that can deliver.

Dom didn't have
a fantastic service either.

He started off okay.

But it went a bit pear-shaped
during service.

But he delivered flavour in abundance
with his menu.

The concept of British-Caribbean
at five-star level?

We have not seen a restaurant
of this type yet in this country.

People would flock to it

and as a restaurateur,
that's what we always want.

I have got, probably, the most difficult
decision to make in my career.

I need to pick the right chef

that's gonna be a huge success,
that's gonna represent me.

And represent this five-star luxury hotel.

If you two had to come back
to one of these restaurants,

which one would it be?

Because that's the question.

I know which one I'd go to.

-[exclaims] Good luck.
-Good luck.

I'm so proud of you.

Good luck, man.

-Good luck, chef.
-[Jordan] Yeah.

[sighs and exhales]

It all comes down to this.

Wow.

Absolutely incredible.

Thank you.

Seriously.

Hats off.

I think each one of you has,
at one stage in this competition,

shed a little tear.

We're all in agreement.
We did pick la crème de la crème.

You three should be very proud
of yourselves

Adria, we absolutely loved your concept.

A bit flaky during service.

That was your lack
of working in a professional kitchen.

[Adria] Yes, chef.

But you know what?

That resilience,
that strength of character,

even when the checks were raining in...

[chuckles softly]
They were raining in, chef.

...you never gave up.

Dom.

The depth of flavour
that you manage to get in your food.

It's incredible.

Your desserts...

You need a bit of work on that.

But you didn't let the pressure
of service get the better of you.

Yes, chef.

Jordan.

-Chef.
-What an incredible journey.

And what a chef.

A natural leader.

Somebody able to drop into a kitchen
with four chefs that he doesn't know

and bang, nail service like that.

Wow.

Seriously.

That's special.

[softly] Thank you.

And what a grafter you are.

Your concept...

we liked it.

Still needs some polishing, though.

Oui, chef.

This is tough. Really, really tough.

But we have made a decision.

And the five-star chef

that will have the keys
to the Palm Court is...

[dramatic music playing]

Dom.

[all cheering]

Oh, my...

Jesus Christ.

-No, chef. [exclaiming] Oh, my God.
-[Michel] Well done.

Well done, chef.

I'm so sorry.

Hi.

-[Dom laughs]
-Well done. Congrats, brother.

Oh, man. No way!

-[Ravneet giggles]
-[Dom exclaims]

[Dom] I didn't know
I was gonna be standing there.

But I did say I was lucky and here I am.
[chuckles]

It's amazing.

My mum was there. The pride on her face.

[laughing]

[Moreline] Absolutely fabulous.

I mean, what else can you say?

I was just beside myself.

Thank you all so much.

-[Jason] Honestly...
-Well done.

...what a lad.

Seriously, well done.

[Jordan] To hear Chef Roux
and the other judges

say such great comments about me,

it just validates
that I'm doing the right thing.

Er, I am a quality chef.

[Adria] He really deserves this.

-You must be so proud.
-Oh, thank you.

[Moreline] Oh, I am, I am.

[Adria] It was unreal to be in that room

and get that feedback from the judges,
especially from Chef Roux.

And I think having
my family and friends witness it,

it just meant so much to me.

-[all cheering]
-[applauding]

[whooping]

We set out to find a hidden gem
with an original vision to revolutionise

five-star dining.

Dom's concept is personal,
it's what makes his restaurant unique.

He might have struggled during service,
but he's refined his food,

and it tells a story
that I want to be part of.

Hard work from now on in.

Oh, indeed, chef.

[Dom] What'll I do with the Palm Court?

I'm definitely making it sexy.

We're gonna be serving
great Caribbean food.

Guests are gonna travel far and wide

to come and taste
this new Caribbean cuisine.

I'm gonna make it amazing. I really am.

[music playing]