Masterchef (2010–…): Season 11, Episode 12 - Niki Nakayama - Kaiseki - full transcript

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Gordon: Previously,
on "MasterChef Legends"...

Welcome back! Top 10!

I can't believe I'm in the
top ten of MasterChef.

Please welcome the godfather
of California cuisine,

Jonathan Waxman.

Roy Choi.

The legendary Dominique Crenn.

The competition got serious...

- Does anyone have any extra prawns?
- Oh, my Lord.

The presentation raised the bar.

- This is a restaurant dish.
- I'm blown away with this.



- This has been one of your best creations.
- Thank you, Chef.

...and three more home cooks
were eliminated.

You mummified the quail.

Gordon: I think this is
your worst dish.

No one would ever
serve this to anybody.

The person leaving
"MasterChef" is...

Tay. Lexy. Joseph.

- Peace, Joe.
- Bye, Joseph.

Suu: Bye.

Tonight...

She has mastered traditional
Japanese cuisine.

Niki Nakayama.

A Japanese multi-course menu...

Grilled, steamed, and fried.



...pushes the home cooks'
technical skills to the limit.

- You've got some incredible Japanese flavors here.
- It's very exciting to see.

You're a little bit
out of your league.

Honestly, I'm mortified.

[bleep]

- Top seven.
- And what a legend we have today.

Yeah, but also just culturally

in terms of what they can learn
from this particular legend.

- Michael: Let's do this.
- Whoo!

Hello!

Kelsey: Now that
we are in the top seven,

it just gives me
so much motivation,

to prove now to my children
that their mom can do

whatever she puts her mind to.

Gordon: Good to see
you all. Welcome back.

We are in the top seven now,

but get ready to change gears
for tonight's challenge.

Now, tonight's legendary guest,

she's one of the only
female chefs in the country

who has mastered the art
of traditional Japanese cuisine,

and along the way earning an
impressive two Michelin stars.

All of you,
please welcome Niki Nakayama.

Autumn: I'm feeling so
excited that Chef Niki is here,

because specifically, in Japan
they don't have a lot of women chefs.

- Thank you. Hi.
- Welcome, Chef.

And last time I was
in a Japanese challenge,

I made it in
the top three, so...

Oh, my goodness me.
Niki, welcome.

Thank you for having me.
I'm excited to be here.

First of all,
I'd like to wish you

a huge congratulations on
those two Michelin stars.

Thank you.

So you opened n/naka here
in Los Angeles in 2011.

The restaurant's
been a phenomenon,

and now you're at the top, but
take me back to the beginning.

Niki: Well,
I started wanting to cook

only after I graduated
from high school.

And I didn't know what
I was gonna do with my life,

but I spent a year
in Japan, actually,

and I spent the summer
working in the kitchen.

Your restaurant
is renowned for the kaiseki.

Give us a proper insight.
What is it?

- We do a 13-course dinner.
- Wow.

It's 13 courses
of individual dishes,

but it's a meal as a whole.

So we think it through from
the beginning to the end,

putting these dishes
in these orders,

and how it balances
each other out.

And that's really important.

Tonight you'll follow
Chef Niki's lead

and do a much simplified kaiseki
version of three stunning courses.

And as with Chef Niki's
kaiseki service,

your dishes must work
as a cohesive menu.

Joe: To give you a better
idea of what we mean,

Chef Niki has
graciously brought in

some example dishes
for you to see.

So I'm feeling
a little nervous because

I don't know what kaiseki is.

I know it's gonna be
Japanese cuisine,

and I'm very
intimidated by that.

And here I've prepared for you

a grilled, a steamed
and a fried dish.

There's a thought process
that we have.

So, for the grilled dish,

I've made grilled branzino.

The branzino is heavily salted,

but not overwhelmingly salted.

And for the steamed dish
I brought a traditional

chawanmishi steamed egg custard.

The chawanmishi
is actually a lot lighter.

It has a little bit
of sweetness to it.

It sort of recalibrates
your palate for the tempura,

which is not seasoned, but a
very traditional Japanese fried dish.

So, the whole of the menu
really, really matters.

It's all about enjoying the
natural flavors of something.

Beautifully done,

and that is how
a true MasterChef

executes a kaiseki menu.

Suu:
I love Japanese food,

so I'm familiar with
all these ingredients,

but three dishes is
going to be really tough.

And those three plates have to
have connection to each other,

so it's going to be
a very challenging task.

Okay, guys, you have 60 minutes

to prepare three
MasterChef-worthy dishes.

And we want you to incorporate
three key elements,

a grilled dish, a steamed dish,
and a fried dish.

You will have access to
the full MasterChef pantry,

along with a special selection
of Japanese ingredients

that might be found in
a traditional kaiseki service.

Now, listen closely.

Whoever cooks the best dishes,

will win
a wonderful dinner for two

at Chef Niki's
restaurant n/naka.

- Whoo!
- Thank you.

But listen carefully.

If your dishes aren't up to
the MasterChef Legends standard,

then this might be your last night
inside the MasterChef kitchen,

because someone will
be eliminated.

- Right, everybody ready?
- All: Yes, Chef.

Good. Three stunning dishes.

Your 60 minutes start...

- Now!
- Go!

- Come on, guys.
- You're good, you're good.

- Snow pea.
- Sushi rice.

Sake.

Turnips, turnips, turnips,
turnips, turnips.

Japanese cuisine,
I enjoy eating,

but it's not something
I'm used to working with.

So, going into this challenge,
I'm nervous,

especially because the last
two weeks I was on the bottom.

So, today, I have to get
this right, no matter what.

And so I want to make
a grilled squid,

and for my steamed, I am
going to core out a turnip.

And then for my fried,

I'm going to make
a prawn-filled gyoza.

Making one dish
in 60 minutes is tough.

Today I got to make three.

- Soy sauce.
- Gordon: Let's go! Five minutes gone.

So, I definitely feel like
with this competition

I might have the upper hand a tiny
bit just because I go to Japan a lot.

For my grilled, I'm going to do

a yakitori meatball
with an egg sauce.

For my steamed, I'm going to do
an onigiri spicy salmon rice ball.

And for my fried, a creamy crab
croquette with a sesame sauce.

Every time I go to Japan,
I love the street food.

So I'm definitely going to try
to highlight that in my dish,

and hopefully...
hopefully Niki is impressed

with what I bring
to the table today.

Let's do it.

Mediterranean's my main thing,

and Japanese cuisine
really is not my cuisine.

Three dishes
in an hour is a lot.

I'm making agedashi tofu,

steamed sushi omelet,
and I'm making grilled cod.

I'm gonna do the best I can
and hopefully it's good enough.

I'm not very versed in Japanese
cuisine, so I'm very nervous for that.

I definitely feel a lot of pressure
to do well in the challenge.

So I'm going to make a
grilled scallop with a marinade.

I'm going to steam a cod
in a soy/sake kombu broth.

And my fried component
is going to be

a Japanese-style fried chicken

cooked all in corn starch
or potato flour

so it keeps it nice
and light and crispy.

- Keep it going.
- Aarón: Let's go.

I gotta start my tempura batter.

Gordon:
A really exciting challenge.

You serve that beautiful
kaiseki in 13 different ways.

Tonight we've asked them
for three ways.

We're hoping for flair, great
imagination, but more importantly,

- they need to respect the ingredients.
- Niki: Yes.

And the three dishes need
to complement each other.

Three different dishes with
three cooking techniques

- is very difficult and very hard.
- Niki: It is.

Joe: Even for me.
I don't know what I would do.

I think it's gonna be
a good challenge for them.

- Yeah, for sure.
- Take us through the most important items to get done.

The first thing that needs
to rest is that batter, right?

- Right.
- Got to make sure it's got

that right consistency before
I drop it into that fryer.

Gordon:
So, take me from the batter.

The next few steps,
what would they be?

Do the batter. Set the oil.

Make sure the temperature
is being held right.

- That's good.
- Then they have to think about the timing

that it takes
to actually impart flavor

into the product
that they're going to grill.

Ah, tempura mix.

Come on, I can do this.
There you go. It's pretty.

Hello, Chef.
How are you today?

Very well, thank you.
How are you?

Very honored to meet you, ma'am.

The honor is mine.
I can't wait to eat your food.

Suu plays to her strengths
and has literally put

Burmese cuisine on the map here
in the MasterChef kitchen.

Never been in the bottom three.

How important would it be,
winning tonight?

Oh, it will mean a lot.

I love Japanese food,

so this is something that
I'm actually familiar with.

I come from a very
strong Asian culture.

I connect to you emotionally,
personally.

I feel your heart.
I feel your heart.

Give us an insight to these
three incredible dishes.

I'm going to start with grilled
shrimp with a little bit of miso.

And for the steamed part, I'm
gonna do gyoza with mushrooms.

- Okay.
- And for the fried part

- it'll be traditional tonkatsu.
- Gordon: Wow.

Just be careful
of those mushrooms.

- You know they need proper cooking.
- Yes, Chef.

We do like to pre-cook it a little
bit so that the flavor comes out.

Then make sure you cool it enough
before you mix it with your meats.

- Yes, ma'am, I will. Thank you very much.
- Sounds amazing.

- Thank you so much.
- Good luck.

- Oh, jeez. Hello, Chef.
- Hi, Anne. How are you?

- We're getting through.
- So, what are you cooking today?

Today we're gonna use prawns
and make fried potstickers.

And I'm going to grill squid.

We're going to steam turnips
with a miso mixture in the inside.

These are parsnips.

I quickly realize my turnip
is not a turnip.

That's not turnips. Parsnips.
And I know that, you guys.

- It's all good.
- And you're gonna steam these?

These are parsnips.

I quickly realize my turnip
is not a turnip.

It's not turnips. Parsnips.
And I know that, you guys.

- It's all good.
- And you're gonna steam these?

- I am going to.
- I've never had stuffed parsnips before.

That would be a new one. Did
you just kind of come up with that?

I want to do something earthy
and something that's going to

cleanse the palate
in between my two dishes.

So, it's a bit irreverent
for traditional Japanese.

You just have to be really good when you
leave the tradition behind a little bit.

Do you think you're that good?

Listen, I don't have a choice.

- We're down to the top seven, right?
- We are.

And so, yes,
I'm gonna risk it today.

Turnips versus parsnips?
They're a lot alike.

All I'm thinking right now is I'm
gonna make these parsnips work,

and so I'm gonna push through.

Oh, my word.

Let's go, let's go, let's go.

- Hi. How are you?
- How you doing?

- Good, Chef, good.
- What are these three courses?

A fried chicken
with a spicy mayo.

For the grilled,
I'm thinking a marinated tomato.

How do we lift that
to the premiere league?

That's where the panko comes in,
with some salt and pepper

with some micro cilantro
just right on top

because I really want
the tomato to speak for itself.

For the steam part,
I'm thinking of making mochi

and then wrap the mochi
around the strawberries.

So, more like a sweet,
I was thinking.

Well, mochi is a good idea.
Very Japanese.

It's a kind of dough
you can use in sweet or savory,

- but desserts is not what we're looking for.
- Right.

Understood.
We can do a savory mochi

and then just put
some shrimp in there, Chef?

Yes. I would keep it savory.

- I would keep it savory, too.
- Okay, Chef.

And then think of a nice sauce
that isn't overwhelming.

- Okay, understood.
- And fingers crossed, you may get into the top six.

- Yes, Chef. Thank you, Chef.
- Both: Good luck.

Thank you.
Thank you, Chef.

Abe: With my
international background,

I know a small bit
of Japanese cuisine.

But I'm feeling
a little bit nervous.

I've never made mochi before.

But I need to make sure to
impress the judges, so here we go.

All right, Alejandro,
you've never cooked

with Asian flavors in
this competition at all.

Absolutely not. You've got
to be versatile in this kitchen

- and I'm willing to prove it.
- Joe: What's the dish?

I'm doing a broth with kombu
and bonito flakes.

That's gonna be finished
with shiitake mushrooms.

A yakitori with scallions.

Then the third dish
is gonna be a tempura dish.

Joe:
Scallions and chicken thighs.

You're gonna put them
on the grill.

- I promise you that.
- Those scallions have to be cooked through.

- They can't be raw.
- Yes.

- That's a problem already.
- Yeah.

I don't know how you're gonna
cook those giant chunks of scallion

and those small pieces
of chicken at the same time.

How he moves it around
the grill is gonna be essential.

- I will get it done.
- I think simplicity is gonna be a big challenge.

We know your history about creating
so much confusion on the plate.

Today you have to really
limit, edit yourself.

Keep the essence
of Japanese simplicity

and give us delicious,
simple flavors.

- Yes, Chef.
- Good luck, Alejandro.

Thank you, sir.

- Kelsey, how are we doing?
- I'm okay.

What's your experience
with Asian flavors?

Not very much. Just
experimenting in my own kitchen,

but I'm not versed
in these flavors.

Talk us through the three
components. Give us an insight.

I'm going to do
a grilled scallop.

It is marinating in a
little yuzu, a little oil.

Just a little bit of red miso
with a bit of soy.

- Okay.
- Then I'm gonna do a steamed cod

- with kombu, mirin, soy.
- Would you glaze the cod?

No, I wouldn't glaze the cod.

What I would do
is adjust the broth

that you're gonna put
on top of it.

Okay, and then fried is just a
very classic karaage fried chicken.

Gordon: Love that. So, Kelsey, a
little bird told me some exciting news.

- Niki: Yes?
- Kelsey's not just cooking for herself.

My husband and I,
we are expecting our third.

- Love that.
- Number three!

- Oh, my gosh! Congratulations!
- Yeah, number three.

- Boy? A girl?
- It's a boy. Another boy.

- So, girl, boy, boy.
- Another boy. Amazing.

Please, please, promise me
you won't call the boy Aarón.

- No. No, I promise.
- No. Thank God for that.

If I win, maybe I'll call
him Gordon, you know?

- Dishes sound amazing. Good luck.
- Thank you.

- Yeah, I gotta get moving.
- Good luck. You got this.

- Thank you!
- Let's go.

Timer. Okay, done.

- Shrimp.
- Gordon: Incredible dishes out there.

- Yes.
- So, Suu is playing to her strengths again.

- I mean, she's not keeping it simple, is she?
- Niki: No, she's not.

She's actually
making some gyoza.

- Then she's doing almost a pounded pork chop.
- Niki: Right.

Gordon:
Then she's going to coat that.

Kelsey's doing
a beautiful grilled scallop.

That's part of her
grilling course.

She's marinating
the scallops as we speak.

They look incredible.

So, Alejandro's doing some
traditional scallions

and chicken thighs
on the skewer grill

which is nice, but, you know,
could be a little bit simple

because it's a very kind of
common dish in that yakitori style.

Anne has parsnips,
and she's carved them out.

And she's putting miso and
tons of aromatics inside there

- as sort of a filling/marinade.
- Joe: And steaming them.

I've never seen parsnips
feature Japanese cuisine.

We don't use it in Japanese
cuisine, so it'll be very interesting.

I think that she made a mistake.

I think that she thought
the parsnips were turnips.

Abe slightly stumbled because he
started steaming mochi with strawberries.

- Have you ever tasted a steamed strawberry?
- Aarón: No.

- It already has tons of water. Why would you add more?
- Oh, my God.

I think it's based on what he's personally
experienced what Japanese food is like,

and he's just pulling
from that vocabulary.

Gordon: It didn't connect,
so he's changing direction now

and gonna steam
the shrimp on the mochi

and serve that
as steamed course.

I think he suffers from his youthful
inexperience in this challenge.

A little bit of a surprise.
I was worried.

But I'm glad
he's changed direction.

- Yeah.
- Yep.

- Guys, we're down to 20 minutes to go.
- Okay, okay.

- We got to hurry up.
- I hope I won't be going home tonight,

but anything's up in the air
at the moment.

I'm looking at the clock
and I'm hoping that

this mochi dough will be done,
so fingers crossed.

Abe: Looking down, the mochi's
definitely not coming together

and this is really concerning.

If I don't have a steamed
portion of the meal,

it's clear that
I'll be going home

because that's part
of the requirements.

I'm cutting it
very close on time

and I don't know what to do.

[bleep] Oh, dear.

Abe: Looking down, the mochi's
definitely not coming together

and this is really concerning.

So, I'm trying to think
what's the best an quickest way

of getting that steamed
component on the tray?

Plan B,
I decide to steam the prawns

and just have those sit by
themselves with the soy sauce.

And I'm just crossing
my fingers in hopes

that it will
come together somehow.

Come on.

Actually, I should grill
them at six minutes.

Okay, Autumn,
what's going on here?

Oh, my God. That's
beautifully cooked salmon.

So, the salmon, I'm gonna put it
inside the rice. I steamed the salmon.

- I steamed the rice.
- I kinda feel like you're in your element.

Is this the kind of night you would
have at home with your roommates?

This is definitely way more
up my alley than usual.

Talk to us a little bit about your
grilled item. What do you have there?

I have a yakitori
chicken meatball

and I'm gonna be doing it
with an egg soy sauce.

- Nice.
- Can I say that you're within the cultural reference,

but you're amping up everything,

intensity, flavor,
and that's who you are.

I'm just gonna try to put as much
flavor as I can without overdoing it.

- I like this strategy, Autumn.
- Thank you.

Let's do this.

Make my potstickers pretty.

- Anne? How are we doing?
- Yes, sir.

You know, Chef Ramsay, I'm here.

- You got this girl, come on.
- I got this.

- I do want to say, such a pleasure to meet you.
- The honor is mine.

- Thank you.
- What is that?

This is the parsnips.
We love parsnips in our family.

What Japanese restaurant did
you see steamed parsnips in?

- It was actually Morimoto's.
- Steamed parsnips?

- It was turnips.
- And you transformed that into a parsnip?

- That's exactly when I did.
- Anne, what's black and sits on the grill?

What's black
and sits on... a wok?

- Your leeks.
- Oh, [bleep].

Jeez, I'm sorry. Eight
minutes to go. Bring it together.

- You've got this, okay? Good luck.
- Thank you.

So, Michael, you come from
Italian-American New Jersey.

Like, I get the kind of food you grew
up eating. This couldn't be further away.

More than being intimidated about
cooking it and getting my flavors right

is remembering everything
that goes into it with three dishes.

- That's being a MasterChef.
- Yes, absolutely. You're 100% correct.

All right, Michael,
what are you cooking today?

I'm gonna do a steamed
sushiyama and I'm gonna do a...

Stop. What's a sushiyama?

Well, basically it's
an ageda... not agedashi.

- Daki... daki...
- Both: Dashi.

- Dashi. These are new ingredients for me.
- Right.

- And you're going to choose to steam it?
- Yes, I'm going to steam it.

- Have you ever done that technique before?
- I have not.

What makes you feel confident
you'll be able to nail that?

I don't know how confident I am.
I'm taking a risk.

- If you nail this, kudos to you.
- Right? Yes.

- What are you gonna fry?
- I'm gonna fry tofu.

- Fried tofu?
- Yep. The tofu's going to go into the agedashi.

- It's the broth with...
- That's good. What are you gonna grill?

- I'm gonna grill my fish, the cod.
- Nice. A little black cod.

- Good luck.
- Appreciate it, guys.

- Okay, got this.
- Guys, we're down to seven minutes remaining.

Make sure you give yourselves
at least three minutes to plate.

- That's a minute per dish.
- Michael comes from Jersey.

Italian-American.
He's also a vegan.

So he's doing three different
dishes. One vegan. He's doing tofu.

He's got some black cod
that he's going to grill.

And then he's going to do
a steamed omelet.

And if you over-steam an egg,

it's going to be something
very off-putting.

- So hopefully he can nail that.
- Oh, [bleep].

- Getting better.
- I am sweating.

Oh, damn it.

That one's salvageable.

Guys, I'm worried about Anne.
Is she gonna finish?

Anne, unfortunately is
all over the place. Oh, boy.

We're down to two minutes
remaining. Last two minutes.

- It should be okay.
- Let's go, guys. Focus, please, yes?

Three stunning portions,
individual dishes, let's go.

- This is not my day.
- Aarón: Presentation.

- Gordon: Finesse.
- Broth.

- Oh, my God.
- Wow.

- Wow, this is intense.
- Really, really exciting.

Three stunning dishes.
Let's go guys. Here we go.

All: Ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five,

- four, three, two, one.
- Gordon: And stop!

Abe, hands in the air!
Well done.

- Wow.
- I'm feeling really great about what I did today.

All these ingredients
have their natural flavors

shine to the utmost perfection.

I'm on the fence of
how I feel about this dish.

I ended up steaming prawns 'cause that
mochi ball really messed me up a little bit.

So, we'll see what happens.

I used the Japanese ingredients
the best I know how.

The agedashi tofu
I think is a knockout.

This sushi egg omelet,
it will be delicious

if it's cooked
all the way through.

Anne:
Today the pressure got to me.

I grabbed a parsnip
instead of a turnip.

Things that I were
watching slipped by,

like my potstickers,

so one of them burnt.

I don't want to go home.

Well done, all of you.
That was a tough 60 minutes.

Tonight, your task was to
prepare three stunning dishes.

Grilled, steamed, and fried,

and all of this in a nod to
Japanese tradition of kaiseki.

Right,
let's kick off with Autumn.

Let me help you, Autumn.

- Thank you.
- Yeah, don't worry.

I'm feeling a little bit nervous

because I didn't go
very traditional kaiseki,

but I know that
my flavors are there,

so I'm hoping that
that's enough to get me

on the balcony
and to give me this win.

Right. Autumn,
describe your dishes, please.

I did my take on a grilled yakitori
chicken meatball with an onsen egg sauce.

For my steamed, I did a spicy
salmon onigiri with a spicy mayo.

And for my fried, I'm doing a creamy
crab croquette with sesame sauce.

It's very exciting to see.

It does look like
Japanese street food.

It's plated up really nicely.
It's simple, but it's colorful.

- Thank you.
- Having that experience in Tokyo and Kyoto,

you know your Japanese flavors,
so I can't want to get in there.

- Shall we?
- Okay.

In terms of your grilled dish,
I thought the chicken was good.

I'm used to it being
a little bit more tender.

I think my favorite
was definitely

the honey cream korokke,
the fried dish.

I think you did good job.
I like the taste of it a lot.

- Thank you.
- When we move on to the steamed dish,

the rice is a little bit more
firmer than I would have chosen.

As far as balance,
it's very "askewed."

You have a creamy sauce,
another creamy sauce,

so there's really nothing
to break it up.

Autumn, your execution oozes
confidence, without a doubt.

Slightly too heavy, but the
salmon's delicious. Really delicious.

And then we come into the
showstopper, for me, was the croquette.

It's a tough one to get right,
but you've absolutely nailed it.

Flavors are there.
Bold. Really bold.

I loved everything about this.

I thought it was really,
really good.

- Gordon: Thank you.
- Thank you so much.

Whoo.

Abe, can you bring down
your dishes?

Abe:
Walking up to the judges,

I'm feeling
a little bit nervous.

I'm not sure what to think
about the prawns.

Young man,
can you describe your dishes?

Abe: We start off
with the steamed prawns,

and I made a ponzu
with hoisin sauce.

The second one
is a grilled tomato

marinated with mirin,
soy sauce, garlic.

And then the final one is a fried
chicken with rice, nori, and a spicy mayo.

Gordon:
I love the presentation.

The colors pop beautifully.

But to have the balls tonight
to marinate a tomato?

That's a brave move because
we want to stick to the traditions.

But if it works, you know,
rules are there to be broken.

Shall we?

For the steamed dish,
the prawns are really great.

They're definitely on
the stronger side,

and to follow that with a
tomato, I think it worked for me.

In terms of your
fried chicken dish,

I thought the chicken flavoring
was really nice.

Very good. Very good in the concept
when I eat these three things together,

it felt like I was
eating a meal. Yeah.

- Thank you.
- Aarón: Yeah, young man, for me, your prawn dish,

just be very careful.
You said a hoisin ponzu sauce.

There's no hoisin in ponzu. You know,
when you make statements like that,

- you're making a promise.
- Abe, your flavors are majestic.

But who would have thought tonight
the star of your dish was the tomato.

But the last thing you should
ever do to a chicken breast is fry it.

There's just no flavor,
there's no fat.

There's nothing to bounce back
and fight that hot oil.

Luckily, your prawns are delicious
and flavorful, even without the mochi.

There's something skillful about
the way you think and compose.

Thank you, Chef.
Appreciate it. Thank you.

Anne, can you please bring
your dishes forward?

- Good luck, Anne.
- Anne: I'm feeling nervous,

but I'm also trying right now
to just focus on the positives.

I'm hoping that the judges recognize
that my dishes show skill level

and that I did a good enough job
to survive today.

I don't want to be
in the bottom.

Anne, can you please
describe your dishes?

Yes. I'm starting out with
baby squid that I marinated,

grilled, and then glazed.

Next I have a steamed parsnip

that has panko bread crumbs
and miso.

And I finished with
a prawn stuffed gyoza.

Anne, you know,
this platter of dishes,

it just lacks the color.

The parsnips I just can't get
over. They're cartoonish for me.

Maybe your intention was right,

but you would never
serve anything like that.

Anne, you know, this platter
of dishes, it just lacks the color.

The parsnips, I just can't get
over. They're cartoonish for me.

Maybe your intention was right,

but you would never serve
anything like that.

Gordon: Let's dig in
and taste shall we?

Let's make one thing
absolutely clear,

it actually tastes
better than it looks.

Gyoza? Beautiful.

Just be careful on that color.

You want them colored,
but not blackened.

You know, the pasta
could have worked

had you sliced that into chunks.

And when you get that delicate
sweetness of those squid,

slice it open, 'cause the
squid's tasty on the outside.

It's just when you get on
the inside, it's undercooked,

and it's sort of slimy
in the middle.

- Yes, Chef. Thank you.
- Niki: I feel like your grilled dish,

the squid marinade
was a little bit flat.

And for the steamed dish,
I thought this is really brave

because in Japan we do
a dish like this of course

with the smaller
baby kabu turnips.

So, I understand where
your mentality was,

but the parsnips were
a little under-seasoned for me.

Yeah, for me, there's a lot of technical
shortcomings on this dish, Anne.

And I think you're smart enough to know
where you could have improved, right?

- Yes, Chef.
- Yeah, there's a bit

of problems in plating,
not enough color.

For me, the parsnip tastes

like a unseasoned
half-cooked parsnip.

- Sorry, Joe.
- Thank you, Anne.

Right, next up, Michael.

Michael:
I'm feeling a little nervous.

Japanese cuisine
is out of my comfort zone,

And my biggest concern is my
omelet may be a little overcooked.

Gordon: Michael, describe
the three dishes, please.

Michael: So I have a
fried vegan agedashi tofu.

Then I have a sushi omelet,

which should be baked in a
water bath, but I steamed it.

And then I have
a grilled black cod.

Honestly, I never thought I'd say this,
but I'm excited to taste that crunchy tofu.

Shall we?

Michael,
tofu beautifully coated.

Those vegetables
are slightly undercooked.

Could have done with
a touch longer in there

so you can actually
taste the vegetables

as opposed to the sort of
rawness of them.

The omelet had
all the aspirations

of something quite
sort of authentic.

Slightly grainy, so it feels like
it's souffléd and overcooked.

Niki:
In terms of your fried dish,

I thought the tofu
really retained

its crunchiness really well

in spite of the fact that it
was seeped in the dashi.

For the steamed dish,
the egg custard is,

for me, overcooked.

A sushi omelet
is supposed to be like,

it's known for its juiciness
and bounciness and that texture.

The black cod
is really delicious.

I like the amount of salt.
It wasn't overwhelming.

And I did like the crispy skin.

I thought
it was really delicious.

The fish, yes,
it was extremely well-seasoned.

I thought it had
a lot of sesame oil

and it kind of of took over
a little bit for me.

- Okay.
- So, Michael, it's probably

not the most beautiful trio
of dishes out there tonight.

- Right.
- I think that each of the preparations

had a bit of problem.

I think that the cod would have
benefitted from the sauce.

I think the omelet
and the eggs were overcooked.

And I think the tofu's
a little bit soggy.

- Thank you, Michael.
- Thank you, guys.

Right, next up, Alejandro,
please make your way down.

Thank you.

As an individual that hasn't
done a lot of Japanese cuisine,

I'm nervous,
for you never know until

it gets to the chefs' mouth
and once they eat it.

So fingers crossed, they say
they like all my components.

Alejandro, please explain
your three dishes.

We are starting with a tempura
dish. We have a spot prawn.

We have sweet potato
baby eggplant and asparagus

with a soy and mirin sauce.

For the second course, we have a
broth made out of kombu, bonito flake,

and steamed shiitake mushroom.

And on the third dish,
we have a yakitori

with a sauce made out of ginger,

garlic, and blood orange.

Alejandro,
visually it looks beautiful,

but I'm a little bit
disappointed

because it's a broth
and you steamed a mushroom.

Big deal. That doesn't
really highlight the dish.

Shall we?

Alejandro, what you presented
has a lot of positive attributes.

Your yakitori is deep,
it's rich, it's sweet.

The scallions
are cooked through.

I didn't have any doubt that
you would cook the chicken well,

but I was concerned
about the scallions.

- It gives some good flavor to it.
- Thank you, Chef.

I thought the tempura
that you did was really great.

It's not greasy. The
texture on it was really nice.

For the steamed dish,
your broth,

it looks more soupy
than it does a steamed dish.

It could benefit from more
seasoning just to brighten it up.

And then, of course,
the yakitori was delicious.

- Thank you Chef.
- The broth didn't have any profoundness of flavor.

It just seemed like a couple
of things thrown in a broth.

I think you covered up something
perfectly done

with a little bit too much
culinary ambition.

Alejandro,
you've got some really good,

incredible
Japanese flavors here.

You've clearly understood.

The yakitori with the drum
is absolutely outstanding.

Had you got a steamed dish
100% steamed,

then I think you could have been
the platter of the night.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Michael:
Good job, Alejandro.

The next dishes we would
like to try are those of Kelsey.

Please come down.

Kelsey: I am very
nervous about this tasting.

I don't know if my plate
has that wow factor.

My dishes almost seem
too simple.

Okay, Kelsey,
please explain to us

what you decided
to make for us tonight.

You're gonna start today with
a marinated grilled scallop.

It was marinated in red miso,
ponzu, and soy sauce.

For my steamed portion,

I did a steamed cod
in a umami broth.

And then you're going to
finish with a karaage,

a classic Japanese
fried chicken.

Visually, this looks very much in
line with what Japanese food looks like.

And I like that you put
the togarashi on the side

because that's how we would do it
in Japan as well when we season.

- Thank you.
- Gordon: Shall we?

I felt that the flavoring that
you did for the grilled scallop

really came through
very clearly.

For your fried chicken karaage,

I'm happy you chose
the thigh meat

because karaage is such
a dry style of deep-fry.

- You did a good job.
- Thank you.

I think that the flavors represent
the aesthetic. Very, very clean.

The black cod was steamed
perfectly. I like the broth.

The biggest miss for me, I think
that the chicken was over-battered

- and not enough chicken.
- Thank you.

Yeah, for me, Kelsey,
I think I love all the elements.

Everything that you're
promising is delivering

from an aesthetic point of view.

Kelsey, you stuck to the
disciplines.

I think that's
the most attractive thing

about your execution
this evening.

But scallops needed
an extra 30 seconds for me.

And the chicken's delicious, but be
generous with that togarashi spice,

because you should be
dusting in that and then frying it.

And let that heat
transfer through.

- Thank you.
- Good job.

- Michael: Good job, Kels.
- Right, Suu.

Suu: I'm very happy
about my platter

because the concept
of kaiseki is to make sure

you're connecting to
the ingredients,

and I think I did that tonight.

Gordon: Suu, describe
your dishes, please.

Suu: Yes, Chef.

I have for you
miso grilled shrimps

with pickled cucumbers.

And for the steamed part,

I have gyoza
and bok choy rosettes.

And for the fried part,
I have tonkatsu

with soy ginger sauce
and pickled carrots.

Visually, it looks beautiful.
I love the colors.

I'm looking at the grilled
shrimp, something I love.

What I'm mortified is

you've left one
of the poop sacks in.

Already, the message
that you're sending

to each and every one of us

is you cannot be bothered
to clean the shrimp.

- We devein shrimp, right? That's basic 101.
- Yes, Chef.

You don't even need to go to
culinary school for that.

[bleep]

I'm looking
at the grilled shrimp,

and what I'm mortified is

you've left one
of the poop sacks in.

- Yes, Chef.
- Already the message that you're sending

to each and every one of us

is you cannot be bothered
to clean the shrimp.

- Suu, let's start with the grilled.
- Yes, Chef.

Beautiful color
on the outside of the shrimp.

But mine's slightly undercooked.

Coming on to the steamed,

you took a risk there
with those open dumplings.

The filling
inside's pretty nice.

And then onto the fried.

It's very hard to fry pork.
It has no fat in there.

It goes dry quickly,

especially when you're
deep frying it the way you did.

You're a little bit out
of your league tonight,

which is a big shock
for me personally.

I liked the subtle flavor
of the dumpling.

I think texturally
it would have been nice

if it were just a little softer.

And then for the cutlet,
the cut is more on the dry side.

Thank you, ma'am.
Thank you very much.

For me, as far as the tonkatsu,
give me more sauce.

The sauce is expertly done.
It just needs more of it.

- Yes, Chef.
- So, for me, it's well-executed.

It's not as good
as you could have done,

especially with Chef Niki here,

because she didn't get to taste

what your food
really tastes like

because it's really
a lot better than this.

Thank you very much.

Walking back, now I'm seeing how
many mistakes that I have made,

and I missed, like,
very basic stuff.

So, right now I'm feeling
very disappointed in myself.

- She's a better cook than this.
- Yeah, absolutely.

- I believe it.
- Gordon: Spot on.

Right, that was
a very tough challenge.

Please, all of you,
excuse us for a moment.

So, tough challenge.
Couple of highlights at the top.

Yeah. For me, Kelsey, she stayed
truest to the principles of kaiseki.

- I think Abe did a great job with his tomato.
- He did.

And I thought Alejandro
did a wonderful job

- with his yakitori as well.
- Yes.

- So the croquette from Autumn was incredible.
- Very good.

In the lower sector,
I think Suu fell short.

- Who saw that coming?
- Yeah.

And Anne,
why not stick to turnips?

She was cooking out
of her range.

She tried to reach for it
and she fell short.

- Gordon: Michael had a tough one tonight.
- Aarón: Yeah.

The overcooking of the,
you know, sushi omelet.

But all the concepts, he just
needed to execute them better.

We have our winner
and certainly a loser.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

Here we go.

Right, all of you, well done.
That was a tough 60 minutes.

That being said,
we have chosen a winner.

The best kaiseki service tonight

and the winner of dinner for two

inside Niki's
two Michelin star restaurant,

that person is...

- Kelsey.
- Whoo!

- How do you feel?
- I'm literally on top of the world.

- Good job.
- Great job. Make your way up to the balcony.

- Thank you.
- Kelsey: As I'm going up to the balcony,

the first thing
I'm thinking about is my family.

They would be so proud.

Winning this challenge
has really validated

the possibility of being a chef.

Right.
Alejandro, Abe, and Autumn,

you three are also safe
from elimination tonight.

All three of you,
congratulations.

Make your way up to the balcony.

- Well done.
- Good job, guys.

Right, Suu, Michael, Anne,

please make your way down
to the front, thank you.

I've never been
in the bottom three.

Yes, there are things
that I missed,

but I am not ready to leave yet.

Right, Suu, you know,

big surprise for all
of us tonight.

You badly executed
with the shrimp.

We were slightly shocked
at that performance.

Michael, you went bold.

You made this
beautiful crisp tofu

and then the vegetables
lacked some more cooking.

Anne, tonight you
overcomplicated your execution.

Visually, it didn't
jump off the plate.

But tonight it was a tough one
for all three of you.

The person that did not warrant
a spot in the top six...

that person is...

Anne.

I'm so sorry.

Please say good-bye
to Michael and Suu.

Michael and Suu,
head upstairs please.

Anne, we loved your attitude.

It's just tonight this challenge
got the better of you.

- But you've done phenomenally well.
- Yeah.

- Top seven. Was it worth it?
- It was so worth it.

It's funny, when I watch this
show, I couldn't stomach you.

- Who?
- Me? Why?

Joe, I just thought
you were so arrogant,

and you quickly became
my favorite.

- I'm getting choked up.
- No, I'm sincere.

Come and say good-bye.
Honestly.

- Whoo! Oh, God.
- Thank you so much.

This experience meant
everything to me,

and I'm sad that this
journey is over.

But I came to "MasterChef"
to prove I'm a Midwestern girl

who has a passion
in her heart for cooking.

This is a dream come true, and
I'm going to get an apron today.

This confidence, I love.
You do have an apron.

From the very beginning, this competition
has been a roller coaster for me.

Onion and garlic.
I mean, seriously, where is it?

Nobody panic. Oh, gosh.

I'm not a baker,
but I'm here to grow and learn.

- Tough and tenacious.
- You come from zero in baking

and you executed, and that makes
you a force to be reckoned with.

- Thank you so much.
- It has highs...

I love you. You're awesome.

...and it definitely
has steep lows.

Ah, gosh. I'm so sorry.

But it takes
a special amount of courage

to present food
in front of legendary chefs.

Anne, let's make one thing
clear, it's cooked beautifully.

And I am so proud of what
I've accomplished.

Because here I am,
a girl from Kalamazoo, Michigan,

that made it to the top seven
of "MasterChef."