- 1 year ago
The Food Truck NZ - S02E01 - Soft Drinks
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00:00New Zealanders love their food and they love it fast, but with more than a third of Kiwi
00:07adults tipping the scales, it's time for a tasty new menu.
00:12Last year, award-winning chef Michael van der Elzen showed us a fresh take on takeaways.
00:19And now he's back with his trusty food truck to drive healthy eating to the next level.
00:25This is awesome.
00:26I think it's perfect.
00:27A little gross.
00:28Well, that's the plan anyway.
00:29Tonight, can Michael master the magic of soft drinks with the price, speed and taste Kiwis
00:35want?
00:36Find out in the food truck.
00:44It's no secret, obesity stats are now bulging over the belt of New Zealand, partly thanks
00:50to the liquid diet we're on.
00:53Us Kiwis have had a sweet spot for soft drinks for nearly 150 years.
00:58These days, we guzzle down an average of 75 litres each every year.
01:03With some drinks having up to eight teaspoons of sugar per can, soft drinks really are sweet
01:09airs, bro.
01:10But Michael, well, he wants to change all that.
01:14There's nothing like buying an ice-cold soft drink from your local dairy on a hot summer's
01:19day, cracking it open and just nailing it.
01:23We have to be honest, they are packed full of sugar.
01:26They'd just pick you up and then throw you down an hour later.
01:30But damn, it does taste good.
01:32But will Michael's healthy soft drinks fall flat?
01:36In just three days, he's booked in to wow the crowds at Waiheke Islands on a tangy beach
01:41races.
01:42But first, he's got some research to do.
01:45Michael wants to try the nation's favourite flavours, starting with cola, which comes
01:50in many guises.
01:51This is old-fashioned cola.
01:53I really like this.
01:54But there's one cola that is truly top of the pops.
01:57That sweet sound.
02:00Oh, it's Coke.
02:02I love it.
02:03Wake up in the morning not feeling so good, have a Coke.
02:06Need to clean your jewellery, Coke.
02:08There's 60 grams of sugar in this bottle.
02:11That's about six tablespoons of sugar in that.
02:13But maybe I can make a different version.
02:15Maybe I can do a better Coke than Coke.
02:18Pretty big call.
02:21Michael's drinking binge continues.
02:23This time, he's knocking back orange drinks.
02:27Orange fruit drink.
02:28My ass, orange fruit drink.
02:33It's like a Barocca gone wrong.
02:36Man, it's all about the flavour.
02:38There's more ingredients with numbers behind them than ingredients without.
02:43I need to make my own version, complete with all the vitamins and all the goodness, with
02:47actual oranges in them.
02:50For his final drink, a slightly hyperactive Michael turns his attention to a drink that
02:57needs no introduction.
02:59Here she is.
03:00L&P.
03:01World famous in New Zealand.
03:04It's that real familiar zing.
03:06I can just remember these from my childhood.
03:08I used to nail them.
03:10It's just so sweet.
03:11What I'm finding with all the major brand soft drinks is it's just about the sugar.
03:15That's going to have to be my biggest challenge, is to make a soft drink that tastes sweet,
03:20but I'm using a fraction of the sugar.
03:24And that, I have absolutely no idea how to do it.
03:28To find out, Michael's challenge is to learn the alchemy of the soft drink.
03:33So he's going to mix it up with the big boys.
03:35And it doesn't get much bigger than L&P.
03:38But Pyra has this giant bottle.
03:41The L&P brand has been a true Kiwi icon since a natural spring was found in this paddock
03:47near Pairoa in 1907.
03:50The magic recipe is now mixed and manufactured at the Oasis, the Coca-Cola factory in Auckland.
03:57So what's the secret?
03:58How may I serve?
03:59George Adams.
04:00Good to see you.
04:01Come in.
04:02He's the Willy Wonka of the soft drink world.
04:04And that makes Michael an Oompa Loompa.
04:07Someone had to say it.
04:09Woo-hoo!
04:11In this phenomenal factory, they make family faves Coke, Fanta, Lyft, and even vitamin water.
04:18But today, Michael wants to learn the L&P secret.
04:22What is your most key ingredient?
04:24Oh, I couldn't tell you that. I would genuinely be shocked.
04:27Well, it was worth a shot, and maybe another one.
04:30So the ratio of sugar syrup to water?
04:33I'm not going to give that one away.
04:35Maybe just one more shot.
04:36Bubbles, big, small.
04:38Bubbles, big, small. I'm not going to tell you exactly, but...
04:40Bursting Michael's bubble again...
04:42It's not giving anything away.
04:43No.
04:44George moves Michael onwards and upwards, and downwards, until finally, George caves in, slightly.
04:50I think probably one of the secrets are we recreate the exact mineral quantities that were found in the original Pyro Spring.
04:57So it should be easy for you, really.
04:58That's it, look at that.
04:59There you go.
05:00Citric acid, some bicarbonate.
05:01Quick batch, whip it up.
05:02Okay, so that goes in.
05:04With the P in the L&P being slightly complicated...
05:07I had no idea any of this went into L&P.
05:10Okay, you must inhale a bit of this in a day.
05:13Michael turns his attention to this bit.
05:17Can I have a sniff?
05:18Yeah, absolutely.
05:19But it's not just any bit, this is what he came for.
05:22L&P essence, so it's a natural lemon essence.
05:25It's actually, it's really intense.
05:27It's really intense, yeah.
05:29It's like essential oils, like orange oils.
05:32Yeah, you're getting warmer?
05:34Not that much lemon, I'm just getting more orange than I am getting lemon.
05:37You're probably just going to agree with me anyway.
05:39Probably, probably, I'm not going to make it too easy for you.
05:42I'll take the secret to my grave, actually.
05:44After smelling the bin, definite tones of orange, tones of lemon and ginger.
05:50I may be wrong.
05:51Like roasted orange.
05:53Michael's chances are pretty fair, he's obviously good at what he does, but I honestly don't think he can quite get L&P right.
05:58Then why is that?
05:59Because it's a secret, that's why.
06:01I think I can replicate it.
06:02Why not?
06:03Let's give it a whirl, let's try and make an L&P.
06:07Lemon and van der Elzen.
06:10Well, to try, chef van der Elzen heads straight back to the kitchen to bottle his ideas.
06:15There's no way I can replicate that pyro and mineral water, but I don't think it matters.
06:20I think the base part of L&P is ginger beer.
06:24I think.
06:25The first ingredient is obvious, so Michael grates a whole ginger using a microplane.
06:30A bit of speed, Michael, a bit of speed.
06:32Great job.
06:34Lift with pure ginger essence.
06:38Michael squeezes some lemons and oranges and makes a simple syrup with equal parts water and raw honey.
06:44Liquidised honey water.
06:46And adds that to a jug of water.
06:48I'm going to add two of these.
06:50This is where the science comes in.
06:52One of those.
06:53I'm kind of winging this as I go.
06:56And so if I go another half lemon, more sweetness, more lemon.
07:03A little bit more sweetness and I think we're there.
07:05And after a dash of bitters, the mixture's meeting Michael's high standards.
07:09It's then bottled with champagne yeast to ferment and fizz.
07:13Fingers crossed.
07:15And then pop that into somewhere where the sun don't shine.
07:19Probably just a cupboard will do.
07:21Go yeast, go!
07:22But now I've just got to wait 48 hours.
07:24With the beach races in three days, he's not leaving much room for error.
07:31Chef Michael van der Elzen is taking a hard look at soft drinks.
07:35That's about six tablespoons of sugar in that.
07:38After visiting the L&P factory and rummaging through their bins for any secrets,
07:43Michael sprang into action making his version of L&P.
07:47Naming it L&V.
07:50Lemon and van der Elzen.
07:53Tomorrow, chef Michael van der Elzen plans to sell this and other sensational soft drinks
07:58at the Onatangi beach races on Waiheke Island.
08:02So this morning, he's setting sail to get ready for the big day.
08:07If he can get the food truck on the ferry, that is.
08:1848 hours, here we go.
08:20There's certainly a bit of pressure.
08:22Oh yeah, there's a lot of pressure.
08:24Lots of lemon, lots of orange.
08:26Woohoo!
08:27I can't wait to try that.
08:32Unpleasantly surprised.
08:34So, how does the orange brew compare with true blue L&P?
08:38Michael puts his drink into glass A and L&P into B.
08:43I'm just going to hand them out and see what people think.
08:45Come on in, sir.
08:46Right, here I've got two lemon drinks, A and B.
08:49OK.
08:50Give them a whirl.
08:51Starting with sample A, Michael's L&V, the brave taster,
08:56then moves on to the cleverly disguised L&P.
08:59Has Michael replicated the legendary taste?
09:02Um, they're very different.
09:05Oh, well, that was worth the effort.
09:07And to make matters worse, disguising L&P in a clear plastic cup isn't fooling anyone.
09:13L&P.
09:14Is it L&P?
09:15And try as he might, Michael can't convince anyone that his L&V is anything like L&P.
09:22Are they similar?
09:23No.
09:24But they don't taste anything alike?
09:26No, not at all.
09:27It's obviously not strung with ginger flavour.
09:29Ginger beer.
09:30Have you got ginger in it or something?
09:32Which one do you like the best?
09:34I don't know.
09:35Um, maybe the first one, I think.
09:38Right.
09:39I like A.
09:40It's got a nice ginger beer flavour, then it's got a nice sweet honey flavour.
09:45So you're an A man?
09:46Yep.
09:47A.
09:48You like A?
09:49I do.
09:50I actually love ginger, so A.
09:52This one better.
09:53This one actually has flavour.
09:55Flavour's a wonderful thing.
09:56Flavour's a good thing.
09:57Well, almost straight A's, except for two tasters.
10:00B.
10:01You like B?
10:02L&P's more sweet.
10:03It's sweeter?
10:04This star student still isn't happy.
10:06It worked in one way, I made a great drink that tasted fantastic,
10:09but it failed in the other because it didn't taste like L&P.
10:14It was L&G, that's what it was.
10:15Lemon and ginger.
10:19The Onetangi Beach Race day is tomorrow,
10:21and with nothing but ginger beer to sell,
10:24Michael arrives on Waiheke Island,
10:26just a 30 minute ferry ride from Auckland.
10:28This beautiful little island is home to nearly 8,000 residents.
10:32It's known for its laid-back lifestyle,
10:34stunning beaches and award-winning vineyards.
10:38Speaking of drinks, Michael's got a lot of work to do on his,
10:42so he heads straight up to a batch to get to work on fixing his Allen V.
10:48The same recipe is modified by halving the ginger content
10:51and adding citric acid,
10:53a natural product made from fermented orange rind.
10:56Michael also adds kiwi common seeds.
10:59Straight New Zealand mineral water, and it's already sparkling.
11:03No carbonation needed.
11:05So, is this new method moving the mixture towards genuine L&P?
11:09Pretty damn close.
11:11Michael's take on L&P is in the can.
11:14Next, an even bigger call,
11:16a bright and bubbly orange drink with no sugar at all.
11:20The man does love a challenge.
11:22The sweetness of the carrot and the orange combined,
11:25you won't need to add sugar.
11:28That is a wicked colour.
11:30Michael runs his juice through two layers of cheesecloth.
11:34Straining under pressure,
11:36Michael turns to that old-school, after-school treat, a SodaStream.
11:40Pushing the button and the boundaries of soft drink-making,
11:44Michael's really shown his true colours with this drink.
11:47I think the colour will win people over,
11:49cos I'll look at it and go, wow, that just looks fantastic.
11:52But how does it taste?
11:55Really refreshing.
11:57This is probably a testing drink,
11:59just to take out there and just try people on it.
12:04So, Michael takes his bright orange drink
12:07in his blue and white food truck
12:09to Oniroa Beach for a dry run.
12:12It might be the hot summer sun or his high-end signage.
12:16Beautiful.
12:18Soft drink.
12:20But within minutes, the first thirst has arrived.
12:23Beautiful.
12:26Pretty good.
12:28Does it remind you of anything?
12:30No.
12:31At least he didn't say ginger.
12:33It may not be the same as the orange drinks he sampled earlier,
12:36but at least Michael's made a drink
12:38that won't have kids bouncing off the walls.
12:40It's a soft drink you can actually give to your child
12:42and feel guilt-free about it.
12:46Can't promise they'll like it, though.
12:48Mmm, yeah.
12:51For the islanders, the orange hit the spot.
12:53Not too sweet.
12:55It's nice and fizzy and refreshing, yeah.
12:57You're even doing tears.
12:59Refreshing.
13:01So, healthy soft drink can be done.
13:03Hats off to the battling bottler.
13:05But Michael's next challenge is ginormous and global.
13:08I've been putting this off, but I can't put it off any longer.
13:11If I'm going to take on soft drinks,
13:13I have to take on Coke.
13:15It makes me so nervous
13:17because I have no idea what's in it.
13:19How am I going to recreate
13:21the most recognised drink in the world?
13:23Why do I do this to myself?
13:26Chef Michael van der Elzen
13:28has forgotten the meat and veg
13:30and stepped into the world of the soft drink.
13:32Remind you of anything? No.
13:34He's come to Waiheke Island,
13:36and tomorrow morning he'll be serving his drinks
13:38at the Onetangi beach races.
13:40But for Michael, well, he's been putting off the inevitable.
13:43Coke-Cola. I've got to have a go at it.
13:45What's in Coke-Cola?
13:48Nobody knows.
13:50But, you know, after a lot of creative thought
13:52when it comes to flavours,
13:54I think I've come up with what could be the Coke-Cola recipe.
13:57Well, time's running out for Michael,
13:59so let's hope he's right.
14:01There's a lot of flavours, one of them being lavender.
14:03Who would have thought?
14:05Along with lime zest, Michael's potpourri of flavours
14:07include cinnamon bark, star anise,
14:09vanilla pods, cloves, grated nutmeg
14:12and, finally, that all-powerful ginger.
14:15All the ginger this time, Michael?
14:17While this unlikely combo simmers,
14:19Michael creates the caramel for colour.
14:21Big quantities of brown sugar to water.
14:23It's like a bubbling inferno in there.
14:25Straining the juice and combining with the caramel,
14:28Michael wants to really sweeten the deal
14:30with agave cactus nectar.
14:32This is actually one and a half times sweeter than sugar,
14:35so you end up using less
14:37because you're getting the sweetness out of a lesser amount.
14:39Finally, for an extra hit of colour and flavour...
14:42I've got a little bit of molasses,
14:44which is kind of like licorice, but in liquid form.
14:47Licorice.
14:48It's just to give me a little bit more colour
14:50and a little bit more sweetness.
14:52Oh, yeah, now we're getting that colour.
14:54After adding the licorice...
14:56So I'm going to add 250 of my syrup.
14:58..in goes Michael's new best friend, carbonated water.
15:01It's looking like cake.
15:03For a true comparison,
15:05Michael puts his Coke next to the real thing.
15:08That's his on the right, in case you were wondering.
15:15Not bad.
15:17This tastes better, I think,
15:19because you can taste everything.
15:21This is...
15:23It's like ping, ping, ping.
15:25If I can get my colour closer to Coke's colour,
15:28I think we have a game on our hands.
15:30Booyah!
15:32And that's easier said than done.
15:35As the sky turns darker,
15:37Michael's Franken-Coke gets some serious surgery.
15:40It needs to be twice as dark as this.
15:42Damn, Michael!
15:44It's still not going to give us our colour that we need,
15:47but it's close.
15:49As well as refining his Coke recipe,
15:51Michael's got another big problem.
15:53I've got probably about 200 bottles to get ready tonight
15:56and get them into the fridge
15:58so they're nice and chilled for the morning.
16:00So I've still got so much to do,
16:02because I've only just made my syrups.
16:04It's dark, and I'm going to be working through the night.
16:07Goddamn sodas! I thought it was going to be easy!
16:11But finally, after a long night of sweet dreams...
16:14I went to bed. Syrup, syrup, syrup.
16:16..it's time for Michael to saddle up for the races.
16:19I'm absolutely knackered.
16:20At least he looks good.
16:22And ready or not,
16:24Michael's on his way to the Onatangi beach races.
16:27I've made my Coke syrup, I've made my L&V syrup.
16:29Pretty happy with them.
16:31Look at that. It's a beautiful day.
16:33I think I'm going to get smashed,
16:35because the truck's parked right in the middle
16:37looking out over the beach.
16:39It cannot be any better.
16:41Except that last night, Michael's bottling plant broke down.
16:44I've still got so much bottling to do,
16:46this place is filling up.
16:48It's going to be madness.
16:50I've got to label my drinks,
16:52take my syrups, carbonate them.
16:54Carbonation's brilliant.
16:56I've got to bottle most of my drinks.
16:59Two down, 100 to go.
17:02Booyah! Let's bring it on, people.
17:04OK, ladies and gentlemen, welcome on to the Onatangi beach races.
17:08Thank you, beach racers, for checking us out as well.
17:11The Onatangi beach races have been a calendar compulsory
17:14for more than 100 years,
17:16never failing to pull in big crowds to the little island
17:19for the thrill of the spectacular beach races.
17:22First up on the beach speedway, farm machinery.
17:26OK, the races are unusual,
17:28but that's how the locals like it,
17:30so Michael's barmy beverages should fit right in.
17:34It's time to start the sales pitch.
17:36So I'm going to sell them for four bucks.
17:38I think it's pretty fair. Four dollars for a great soft drink.
17:41See how it's very wakey?
17:43It was nature, recyclable.
17:45Down goes the flag on the race for Michael's healthy soft drinks.
17:48Ladies and gentlemen, the food truck is open.
17:50Who's first?
17:52Orange and a cola.
17:54Eight bucks.
17:56And they're off.
17:58Michael's bottled orange drinks fly out the food truck.
18:00But the cola comes a bit more handcrafted.
18:04No, it's not like any other drink, and it's great.
18:07And the verdict from the professionals?
18:09The cola's really nice. It's got a nice tangy taste to it.
18:12But what about the colour that Michael spent all night trying to get right?
18:15It doesn't matter that it's not black.
18:17Find the way it is.
18:19Everyone agrees.
18:21Even though it doesn't look like cola and it's not black,
18:23it still tastes like cola, and it's really great.
18:25Michael's light brown cola is the surprise winner of the morning.
18:28The colas are just flying out the door.
18:30It's a great day for it.
18:33For Michael and his cola, it's a very good day.
18:36It's got spice.
18:38It's new to me. I think it's great.
18:41So, like these strange boat cars,
18:43Michael's unusual cola is making a splash.
18:46And the word on the street?
18:48It's even better than the real thing.
18:50It's way better than Coke.
18:52Well, it's a strong start for Michael's cola.
18:55Meanwhile, as the next race rolls off to a start...
18:59One orange.
19:01On orange, there's one, two, and three.
19:04..there's a crush at the food truck for orange.
19:07Look at the queue. It's madness.
19:09The local folks are loving the bright colour.
19:11Great colour, and it's got a really sharp flavour,
19:14so it's quite acidy, and I like that, though.
19:16The kids just love the taste.
19:18It's sweet.
19:20They seem to love the natural sweetness of orange and carrot.
19:22Carrot!
19:24That's right, carrot. Sweet, all-natural, and really good for you, too.
19:27Sort of tastes like a vitamin C tablet.
19:29There'll be no colds or flu on the island today, then,
19:32but Michael's LNV needs a resuscitation.
19:35Queue the St John's ambulance lady.
19:37LNV? What's the V for?
19:39Van der Elzen.
19:41Oh, OK.
19:43May I have one of those, please?
19:45Awesome.
19:47They don't understand what it is. Lemon and V.
19:49Well, it is up against some pretty stiff competition.
19:52Can Mike's LNV stand up on its own?
19:55Oh, that's absolutely gorgeous.
19:57But the question on everybody's lips,
20:00does it taste like LNP?
20:02No, it's not an LNP flavour.
20:04It's a very unique flavour.
20:06I guess that's a no, then.
20:08You know, a way different taste to LNP.
20:10It tastes like it's got ginger in it.
20:12Oh, there's that ginger again.
20:14It's a bit like ginger ale, really.
20:16It's really fruity and really fresh.
20:18And this has got a beautiful fizz to it.
20:21It just really hits the palate. It's natural.
20:24Naturally, Michael's pleased with the success
20:26of all his natural soft drinks.
20:31Smashing our drinks. Going awesomely well.
20:34I think the polar's going to sell out pretty soon.
20:37Like a cocktail bar, isn't it?
20:39And as the unatangy beach race day
20:41heads for the final whistle,
20:43Orange makes a last-minute dash.
20:45I think we're almost out of orange.
20:47That's it. One orange.
20:49Orange sold out.
20:50Who would have thought the orange would go first?
20:52So, it's a blue ribbon for the orange drink.
20:54And in second place...
20:56There's one cola left. Sorry.
20:58OK, we'll do the cola. Thank you.
21:00As perfect strangers share the final cola,
21:02that just leaves third place.
21:04One lonely bottle of lemon and van der Elzen
21:06reserved for the man himself.
21:08You know what? I think I should drink this.
21:14It does taste good.
21:17Today was an absolute smash hit.
21:19Far out it was hard.
21:21All that hard work I put into the syrups last night
21:24just paid off.
21:25Maybe my cola wasn't the same as Coca-Cola.
21:27Maybe my LMV wasn't quite the same as LMP.
21:30But they were my takes on them,
21:32and people loved them.
21:33And that's got to be the most important thing.
21:35They had flavour.
21:37Awesome. Absolutely awesome.
21:40You know, if I can take on soft drinks,
21:42man, the sky's the limit.
21:45And I'm so excited to see
21:47how far I can push the boundaries
21:49of what we eat with my little food truck.
21:51Really, we've only just scratched the surface.
21:55And I can't wait to see where we end up.
22:08Next week, the food truck turns trawler
22:10for a taste of the ocean.
22:12Just hold that puppy down.
22:14Michael's updating the traditional Kiwi roadside seafood cart
22:17as he wrestles with fish.
22:19How can they get so slimy in the sea?
22:21And takes aim at oyster shooters.
22:23I have to say, it's damn tasty.
22:25But will his attempt to reinvent seafood takeaways
22:27wind up half-baked?
22:29I couldn't tell Michael to his face, but it wasn't mussel-y.
22:31I mean, it wasn't mussel-y.
22:33Find out next week on the food truck.
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