Knife Edge Chasing Michelin Stars Season 1 Episode 1

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Transcript

00:00You

00:12Think about the best restaurant the best meal you've ever had

00:17Food is so good

00:19You can still remember it today

00:22But what does it take to become one of the world's greatest restaurants?

00:30I've interviewed top chefs all over the world

00:35And they all say the pinnacle for every chef the greatest award a restaurant can get is a star a

00:42Michelin star

00:44To win one you have to impress Michelin inspectors who have never let anyone in on their mysterious methods

00:52Until now working for the mission guide is a bit like working for the CIA

00:57She's taking a lot of photos and it looks like she might be taking notes

01:01It is definitely a vip on table six a star could be the difference between going big

01:06I want three star or going bust

01:09I'm losing about twenty thousand dollars a month. We follow chefs around the world

01:14Pushing themselves to breaking point

01:16Oh

01:17Of course of an entire year we're gonna beat it out of you to get that second star

01:21From London to Los Angeles. Let's go faster faster. Let's go. Let's go the mountains of Italy to Mexico City

01:31All culminating in glitzy award gathers where lives will be transformed

01:37One Michelin star to this is everything

01:51There it is the world's best skyline New York

02:06The most competitive restaurant scene on the planet

02:11There are almost 50,000 restaurants here

02:1550,000 and only 71 have a Michelin star

02:19Question is who will join them when Michelin and now it's this year's winners in just 12 weeks time

02:32Running a restaurant in New York City is the most thrilling thing in the world

02:36Because it's the most difficult thing in the world

02:40So fucking expensive

02:42Simon Kim is a genuine disrupter he's already won me stand stars at two of his restaurants now

02:50He wants a third with a mad idea. He hopes will shake up the Michelin world forever coming off. How are we feeling tonight?

02:58To get a Michelin star we want to take something that's very ordinary and turn that into something. That's extraordinary

03:04We want to be the undisputed champion a Friday chicken

03:08Let's go

03:10Let's go

03:11Go Kodak is one of the hardest reservations to get in New York right now. You can hear it already

03:19This place is pumping

03:21You guys are going to have a lot of fun tonight

03:32It's more like a nightclub than a restaurant

03:34It's more like a nightclub than a restaurant

03:38Cockodak combines gourmet fried chicken with luxury ingredients like caviar, truffles, and the longest champagne list in America

03:48Our nuggets of gold to start

03:49Whoa

03:50Paragard truffle, trout roe, and petrosian daranki caviar

03:53Thank you very much

03:55Cheers

03:56I can smell this truffle one from the Marlon

03:59Do we use chopsticks now or is that ridiculous?

04:01That is ridiculous

04:03They have got that batter

04:07Very crisp

04:09Ooh

04:11You might think

04:13A Michelin star for fried chicken, really?

04:16But there's a street food vendor in Thailand with a Michelin star

04:19There's a noodle bar in Singapore

04:21So there is precedent

04:23If you're going to try and win a Michelin star of fried chicken, that's what it should look like

04:30That's good shit

04:34Chef team, let's go

04:36I need a chicken for two, two, two, three, six

04:38Downstairs in the basement, there's a small army of kitchen staff working away

04:43Fire chicken breast, please

04:45Yes, chef

04:46Led by Cockodak's king of chicken

04:47Brother, please

04:48SK

04:49This is normal

04:53Fried chicken is nostalgic food to everyone, right?

04:56This was a food I will eat when I get good grades as a reward for my parents

05:01You did a good job

05:02Here's your treat

05:03I'm like, thank you

05:06SK left a Michelin star kitchen to come here

05:09Instructed by Simon to do one thing

05:12Create the world's best fried chicken

05:16SK locked himself into our test kitchen

05:18And literally fried chicken every day

05:24We use fresh chicken daily

05:27Put them into our secret marinade

05:30Six days

05:3212 hours a day

05:34Eating fried chicken every single day

05:37Taste, taste, taste

05:39Fast forward 14 months

05:40He developed this most exciting recipe

05:41I'm a chicken now

05:54This is not army anymore, this is my wings

05:56Chef, 46 out!

05:57Thank you, 46 out, hell yeah, let's go

05:59Orders are coming in thick and fast

06:05Tonight, SK's kitchen needs to serve up 800 pieces of chicken an hour

06:10And at this level, every single bite needs to be perfect

06:15What the fuck is going on?

06:16Yeah, we had a couple dishes come back that only had a single bite

06:22Michelin secret inspectors are looking for consistency in every single dish

06:28What's going on, Chef?

06:30Because they always work in secret

06:32For all Simon knows, they could be in tonight

06:36And he fears standards are slipping

06:38The coating was a little, um, chewy

06:41Chewy, okay

06:42It almost felt like when you're holding, moisture got in

06:44And it was not like

06:45Got it, it was not crispy

06:47But then it was like in between, you're saying?

06:49Okay

06:51We just need to continuously improve, right?

06:54Stay on course

06:56Every day, just make incremental gains

06:58Clearly your nuggets are definitely so much better than when we open

07:01So let's keep driving this thing

07:04In this kitchen, the most challenging part is obviously the volume

07:08Without compromising the quality

07:10Have you figured out everything?

07:12Not yet

07:13We're still a work in progress

07:17There's a real buzz around Cockeduck

07:19But when it comes to stars

07:21The only opinion that matters is the Michelin inspector

07:24The trouble is

07:26Restaurants never know when they're coming or who they are

07:29And to make sure it stays like that

07:31We've disguised their identity

07:33So neither will you

07:35So you want to know my name and what I actually do?

07:38Well, I have lots of names

07:40It really is a cruel irony that I have one of the best jobs in the world but I can't tell anybody

07:45Being anonymous is the only fair way to judge a restaurant

07:49We're not trying to catch somebody out, we're just trying to get the same experience as everybody else

07:54We use different names, we change phone numbers, we change emails

08:00My wife knows what I do because I think it would be weird if I were disappearing week after week

08:05The chefs out there have no idea who I am and long may it continue

08:11I really love this area of New York

08:24This is Nelita

08:26Near to East Village, Lower East Side

08:28There's so much good stuff around here

08:30And round the corner where I'm going now is the Musket Room

08:33A really well-loved, well-respected restaurant here in New York

08:36I've heard great things about it, it's already got a Michelin star

08:45The challenge for them is making sure they can hold on to it

08:49But more on that later

08:50I like it here

08:55A lot of Michelin star fine dining restaurants will be white tablecloth, very clean cut

09:01But here it's much more relaxed

09:03There's a busy bar, you can hear the cocktail shakers going off

09:06Feels like a very accessible Michelin star restaurant

09:10Can I stroke your dog?

09:12Yes, this is JJ

09:13Hey JJ

09:15Dog friendly

09:16So this is what you need to know about the Musket Room

09:21Fire, one brassica, one tuna

09:24They serve up a seasonal menu

09:26A mix of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Asian and new American influences

09:32Hands please

09:34In an industry where 94% of Michelin chefs are men

09:37It's run by an all-women team

09:39My best friend Kamari, she makes great cakes

09:43In charge is executive chef, Mary Atiyah

09:46Kamari is the executive pastry chef

09:48And the place is owned and run by twins Jennifer and Nicole

09:52This was a really early dish I put on here, inspired by flavors I grew up with

09:57Look at that

10:02This is our Peckin duck breast

10:04Paired with a Morello cherry spread, lubna, sumac and zaatar

10:09Finished with a licorice jus

10:11Wow, so pretty, thank you very much

10:14Absolutely

10:15As soon as they put it down I could smell Middle Eastern spices

10:18You wouldn't say this is a Middle Eastern dish

10:21It just has a

10:22The duck has a beautiful texture

10:30Yeah, that's good

10:32All right, fire to caviar, VIP

10:37My dad's background was Lebanese and so I was sort of inspired by that

10:42May I have spoons, please?

10:45To me there's no greater joy than watching people eat something I've made and put my time and love into

10:50Every time you come you get a tweak of something

10:54That's what I love about this last time

10:56Seasonal menus are ever-changing

11:00So chef Mary has to reinvent the dishes over and over again

11:04Spring, summer, fall, winter

11:07And always to that impeccably high Michelin standard

11:11I'm loving the new tuna dish

11:15Five spice, cloves, apple dashi

11:17That's really light and beautiful

11:20But then you have like this punch of flavor that comes through and that's really like fall and warming

11:25Yeah, that's great

11:27Thank you very much

11:31Absolutely

11:33The musket room's Michelin star is like a magnet

11:36Just drawing in diners from all over New York and the world

11:39They say with one Michelin star you get about 20% more business

11:45With two Michelin star you're gonna see about 40% more

11:48Three Michelin star, double, 100% more business

11:52So it is really a massive, massive deal

11:55I've very much appreciated and loved that the musket room has a star and that I was able to keep the standards up and keep the star and we're very very proud of that

12:08Holding on to a star is hard enough

12:11But the musket room are rolling the dice

12:13They want an empire of restaurants

12:17See you, Miguel

12:19Bye

12:21As well as the musket room

12:23And a casual place up the street, Raf's

12:25In just a couple of months time

12:27The team are opening a third restaurant in an historic 130 year old building off Union Square

12:33We're gonna be opening soon which is exciting but there's a lot of pressure to uphold our reputation and everything we've built so far

12:44I love the skylight

12:46Right now with everything we're managing and everything we're doing

12:50It's difficult to really focus on this while also taking care of the musket room

12:56Launching a new restaurant is an epic task

12:59They'll need to make sure they don't take that off the ball at the musket room and risk their star

13:1330 blocks north of the musket room, right by the empire state building, there's a new opening tip for a star

13:20And for a high-end restaurant, the location is crazy

13:23Noxu

13:30There's been so much hype around this place

13:33I'm very excited to be finally trying it

13:36It's hidden away, 20 feet underground, in a subway station

13:41It's definitely not the first restaurant to have this speakeasy vibe

13:45Buy me bike here

13:48It's a bit of fun, bit of theatre

13:50I've been sent a code to get in

13:53It feels very exclusive

13:57Noxu

13:59It is in a subway station

14:02Wouldn't the Michelin platte look really good there?

14:05Okay, remember my pin

14:08That is fun, isn't it?

14:09Oh, that is fun, isn't it?

14:19Hi, welcome to Noxu

14:21Thank you very much

14:23It's quite amazing in here

14:24The comparison between this place and Cockadack is nuts

14:31In here things are controlled and delicate and calm

14:36And ultimately they both have the same goal

14:39To win a Michelin star

14:42Noxu's tasting menu is nine courses

14:45Made up mostly of seafood with a French-Korean fusion thing going on

14:49The only seats are around the kitchen counter

14:51Which means you sit in front of the chefs

14:54Watching them while they cook

14:56And the executive chef is that guy, Dae Kim

14:59Who, believe it or not, is just 29 years old

15:02In chef terms, that's basically a child

15:05If they win here, it would make him one of the youngest Michelin star chefs in America, ever

15:11How are you doing? Thank you

15:14Oh, good

15:16So your first bite here is plum vinegar aged sardines with horseradish, gros romaine, dressed in Caesar emulsion, sitting on top of a potato crisp

15:25For this, I do recommend using your hands to eat them, so you can pick it up, have it in two to three bites

15:30Thank you very much

15:32Each flour is being tweeded onto that precisely as a beautiful dish

15:37Mmm

15:45I mean, sardines on a cracker sounds like one thing, but that

15:49That first bite definitely gives you that Michelin edge

15:55That little weird thing that you can't explain that just kicks in the back of your head and is like

16:00That's remarkable

16:04Mmm

16:05It's good

16:07He is young

16:09He's not really looking at anybody else other than just John

16:12I think some would say he's a genius, but I don't think he likes to use that term

16:17But I think a lot of guests that come in would say that

16:20When he's in his kitchen, something comes over him

16:24It's almost like he has these like supernatural powers

16:27Still finding my direction right now, probably my best

16:32A custard with grilled serve clams with a layer of caviar and you have potato on the outside

16:39It's very pretty, thank you

16:42That's really good

16:44Thank you very much

16:46Have a good night

16:47Loved it

16:51Well, that was excellent

16:53But now, Noxu has to do it all over again

16:56Lead on the run

16:58Reset the kitchen

17:00Refresh the restaurant for a second service

17:02In just 20 minutes

17:04The face of the business, Bobby, came from casual dining and nightclubs

17:12The chairs, can you clean the chairs?

17:14Yeah, there's a little bit of dust

17:16He poached Day and second-in-command Jing

17:19From two of Manhattan's hottest restaurants

17:22And so far, he and his business partner have poured almost 2 million dollars into the project

17:28It was a lot more than I ever thought I would put into a thousand square foot space

17:34Even with the big investment, this place is so tough to work in

17:39The subway kitchen is cramped

17:40For safety reasons, they're not allowed to cook on gas

17:44And there's no proper ventilation

17:46It's hay, we're just porching it

17:50We want to use more strong heat, fire

17:53Obviously, it provides more flavor

18:00It costs too much smoke

18:02When we used to grill it during service

18:04Actually, guests are having a hard time breeding

18:07And then they have eye burning

18:09Okay, we gotta move, we gotta move

18:11All the grilling needs to be done against the clock

18:14Before the next round of guests come in

18:16The best analogy is

18:18I want him to hit a home run

18:20But instead of giving him a baseball bat, I gave him a chopstick

18:23Yeah, it's tough

18:25But, you know, what can we do?

18:27This is the life that we choose, you know?

18:29The dungeon life?

18:31Alright, chefs, second seating

18:33I think there are guests here already

18:35Are you ready?

18:38They are hungry

18:40Or hangry

18:42Both

18:43Yeah, they're...

18:45Welcome

18:48Come on, let's go

18:49In a star, Noxu needs to be on their game

18:52Alright, let's go

18:53Every service, every day, every week

18:56Welcome to Noxu

18:58Tonight, they will serve up 270 dishes to 30 diners

19:02Perfect

19:03Not each, obviously

19:05But remember, any one of those diners could be an inspector

19:12In this space, service has to be a well-oiled symphony orchestra

19:19And even if one instrument goes out of tune

19:25It can affect the entire performance

19:27Oh, fucking god

19:29Just show the guests this Saturday, myself

19:31How's the meal been so far?

19:33Excellent, love the concert

19:34It was great

19:35Thank you, thank you

19:37Ah, fucking god

19:39I think he puts himself under a lot of pressure

19:40As well as everybody else that works for him

19:42He holds himself to a very high standard

19:44Let's go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go

19:47How we doing so far? Is everything still okay over here?

19:48For some reason our skins are fluffy

19:50I wonder if there was some issues we did

19:51Oh, um, okay, let me just talk to the chef here

19:52You're walking

19:53Let's go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go.

20:04How are we doing so far? Is everything still okay over here?

20:06For some reason, our skins are...

20:08Clutchy.

20:09We were wondering if there was some issues with that.

20:11Oh, um, okay, let me just talk to the chef here.

20:14You're walking.

20:16At this level, guests will obviously expect a lot,

20:21but dishes being sent back just shouldn't be happening.

20:27So, seats 33 and 34,

20:29they're saying that it's tough to eat the skin of the fish.

20:35We have one guest that, like, doesn't like the skin.

20:38Oh, really? It's fine.

20:43They complain.

20:45So, we're just gonna make a new one, it's fine.

20:47You want me to take skin off or no?

20:49Let's put it on, it's fine.

20:51Let's just cook a little.

20:52Chef, they didn't like the skin.

20:53I mean, they don't like this.

20:54Just make your game better.

20:56Honestly.

20:57So, I want him to try the skin.

21:02Amazing.

21:04You're very welcome.

21:07Oh, man.

21:08I mean, somebody sent the dish back, it hurts your feelings.

21:20It's my responsibility that I didn't do everything properly, which is very hard.

21:25I'm not that good.

21:30Sometimes, I'll be honest with you, it's too much.

21:36It really almost strangled me a lot of times.

21:38You know, we reassure him every night that the guests all enjoyed their experience.

21:55That they loved the food.

21:57Hey, you know what?

21:58He doesn't believe it.

21:59They're happy?

22:00Yeah.

22:01Yeah.

22:02Very happy.

22:03They said it was awesome.

22:04There's something in his head.

22:06He doubts himself.

22:08But, you know, I guess that's what being a young chef is all about.

22:14We just need this star.

22:19For Dane, this is everything.

22:29The Michelin ceremony is creeping closer.

22:34And over at Cockadack, Chef Eskay is sweating over consistency, trying to make sure his fried chicken is star-worthy every single time.

22:43What's going on?

22:44What's going on?

22:45Hey, how are you?

22:46Simon has asked him to make one last push towards perfection.

22:50Looks very flat.

22:51Yeah.

22:53They don't know who the inspectors are, but they do have the next best thing.

22:58One of their investors.

23:00He holds seven Michelin stars.

23:03Chef, how are you?

23:05Thomas Keller.

23:06Arguably the greatest chef in America.

23:09Thank you so much for making the times.

23:10We're out of here.

23:11How old are we now?

23:13We opened January, so we are close to 10 months.

23:16Almost 10 months, yeah.

23:17Now we're doing about 400 covers.

23:19Wow.

23:20Yes.

23:21Every night?

23:22Every night.

23:23Seven nights a week.

23:24Seven nights a week, yes.

23:25Chefs are downstairs, super excited to see you.

23:26They have a couple of food questions.

23:28You know, black truffle, we call it the black gold.

23:31Yeah.

23:32And we've been seeing just amazing response.

23:34But now it's white truffle season.

23:36I know.

23:37We want to kind of incorporate that.

23:38Yeah, okay.

23:39But we're having a little bit of a hard time.

23:40Could be difficult.

23:41Here he is.

23:42Here's your guy right here.

23:44Right.

23:45Oh, there you go.

23:46Oh, there you go.

23:47Wow.

23:48It's triple truffle.

23:49This is the only way to present this.

23:51This has to be shaved on top.

23:52Yes, Chef.

23:53Shaving on top in the kitchen is fine as long as the aromatics are still coming.

23:56And you still have that aroma.

23:58Shall we taste it?

23:59Sure.

24:00Yes, please.

24:01From the white to black, please.

24:02Okay.

24:03Thank you, Chef.

24:13The aroma is captivating.

24:15Right?

24:16I get it.

24:17Right?

24:18I'm feeling it.

24:19The nose.

24:20The palate.

24:21Very good.

24:22Very good.

24:23Thank you, Chef.

24:25You know, for me, getting the quality ingredients that you need, right, that's one of the most

24:29important things.

24:30The second most important thing is execution.

24:32Right?

24:33We don't know when the mission inspector comes.

24:34We don't know how often they come.

24:35We don't know anything about them.

24:36We don't know what they're looking for.

24:37No one knows.

24:38No one knows.

24:39So my point is, ingredients and execution, that is your job.

24:42Yes, Chef.

24:43That's focused every single day.

24:45Because once we think it's perfect, we realize, wow, we could do it even better.

24:49So we're going to continue, right, that search for perfection.

24:55Eight weeks to go until the Michelin ceremony.

25:02The inspectors are out there.

25:05But down in Alita, the musket room are about to take their menu and totally start over.

25:1017 brand new dishes for their full menu, every one of which needs to be Michelin star worthy.

25:17To date, Chef Mary is out with one of the owners, Jennifer, before she presents her new ideas to the team for the very first time.

25:25How many are my knees on right now? What am I going to get to taste today?

25:30I want to try to get all the stuff for the Brass Cooks.

25:32I have a pretty clear vision on that.

25:34You might have to make, like, draft dishes just to get the flavors.

25:36That's fine, as long as I can taste, like, the base flavors.

25:39Oh, fresh ginger.

25:42Every year is a fresh slate for Michelin.

25:44There's no guarantee because you had a star one year that you're going to maintain it or lose it the next year.

25:51You can't get comfortable.

25:53You can't rest on what you did last year.

25:55Musket room.

25:56Musket room.

25:57Good, good memory.

25:59Musket room, there's a ton of menus.

26:01The vegan, omnivore, the tasting menus, the a la carte.

26:05As soon as you develop dishes for one season, you're already thinking about the next.

26:10Are you going to have more variations like Romanesco?

26:13Added into that is the new restaurant at Cafe Zafri.

26:17I've been doing a lot of development, conceptualizing the entirety of that menu.

26:22There's a lot.

26:23A lot of pressure.

26:26Good to see you.

26:27Yeah.

26:28All right, see you soon.

26:29Oh.

26:30Oh, my God.

26:31She doesn't even know why you keep smacking people in the face with this.

26:33Hilarious.

26:35So, I had an idea for a Brassica dish.

26:39Nice, nice.

26:40So, I was just thinking, like, variations of Brassica.

26:42Like, take some cauliflower, Romanesco, little, like, pickled purple cauliflower for color.

26:47Yeah.

26:48And then just some broccoli.

26:50Pine nuts, grapes from the market.

26:56What do I want to do with these?

27:02I think I'm going to blanch and shock these ones, pickle these, and then we'll do a quick roast or fry on that.

27:07Yeah, cool.

27:08This is sort of my process, where I just, like, taste all the ingredients and play around with different ways of cooking them, and then sort of stare at the plate and put it all down.

27:18There's a lot of competition in New York.

27:22There's a lot of pressure to stay relevant, to stay at the top.

27:27You want a nice area just on one side on these guys?

27:31Yeah.

27:32I have a vision.

27:34We'll see if it comes together.

27:37We always want to keep people excited to come in.

27:40I think the pressure to keep ourselves in the mix and keep people wanting to come back is a lot.

27:45All right.

27:48Not bad.

27:49Probably a couple months since I've, like, truly been shut off from work.

27:54And I'm trying to learn.

27:55I'm trying to learn how to give myself that space.

27:58But, you know, the more we do, the more we grow, the more projects we have.

28:02It just feels like there's so many things that need my attention.

28:04So, yeah, I think I'm due for a day off eventually.

28:10All right.

28:11I think I have draft one of brassica.

28:13Nice.

28:14I think it looks pretty.

28:16I don't know.

28:17Hopefully all the flavors come together.

28:18I think they should.

28:20Chef Mary's happy.

28:21Hello.

28:22But to go on the actual menu, it needs the approval of all the owners.

28:26That's gorgeous.

28:27Oh my gosh.

28:28Gorgeous.

28:30Are we calling this a salad?

28:32Variations of brassicas.

28:33Variations of brassicas.

28:34Okay.

28:39It's a really subtle pickle on the purple.

28:42Can I have a spoon, please?

28:43I just added a little more vinaigrette.

28:46I'm getting like a pineapple note here.

28:48It's great.

28:49That's great.

28:50I'm excited for these dishes.

28:53I think this is a great start.

28:55One down, 16 to go.

28:57Each one requiring the same obsession, the same attention to detail.

29:01So timeline-wise, obviously, a lot of attention on you guys.

29:06Like opening and Michelin season, all this kind of thing.

29:09I want to make sure everything that's going out this fall is as refined as it could be.

29:16Mary gets the pressure because 10 years ago, she went through every top chef's worst nightmare.

29:25I worked at a Michelin star restaurant in the West Village.

29:28I was starting to take lead in the kitchen and that year lost Michelin star.

29:35I felt a responsibility for it.

29:38I felt like I let people down.

29:41But nobody really knows why or how that happens, but we missed the mark that year, I guess.

29:56Restaurants earn stars, but they can also have their stars taken away.

30:02No decision is taken lightly, but nothing would disappoint me more than if somebody goes to a star restaurant and has a bad meal.

30:12If we have a restaurant where the level has dropped, this place is no longer worth a star.

30:18It's as simple as that.

30:24Just over two years after losing their star, Chef Mary's old restaurant shut down for good.

30:30To make sure that doesn't happen again, she'll need total focus between now and the Michelin ceremony.

30:44Back in midtown Manhattan, 20 feet under the sidewalk at Dock Suit, Bobby and Chef Day are going all out to win their first star.

30:52But New York City is one of the world's most expensive places to run a restaurant.

30:58And Bobby is still hemorrhaging cash.

31:01Thinking of how much money my business partner and I put into this project, it gets me nauseous.

31:07This is $100.

31:08This is $100.

31:09I have to be super careful with this.

31:12Even something like this, this was custom made in Korea.

31:18I think this is about like $250.

31:20I see the invoices, I'm like, how is one fish, whatever so many hundreds of dollars, is it making profit?

31:30No.

31:37I'm losing about $20,000 a month.

31:40And, you know, for a tiny restaurant, that's a lot of money.

31:47Bobby needs the place to be full just to break even.

31:52But bookings are down.

31:54Noxu has recently been visited by Pete Wells, the famous New York Times restaurant critic.

32:00And his article was savage.

32:04The best tasting menu culture meets the worst.

32:08I can't remember the last New York restaurant that frustrated me as much as Noxu.

32:16It would be easier to dismiss Noxu if it weren't for the cooking of its chef, Dae Kim.

32:26This is the first kitchen he has run, and he's full of talent, a star in the making.

32:31But his ideas need to be shaped and formed.

32:35I never doubted Mr. Kim's skill.

32:38But what is he trying to say?

32:40I'm not quite sure.

32:43Everyone's entitled to their own opinion.

32:46It just so happened that the most influential food critic in America felt that way.

32:54Yeah, I couldn't sleep for a while.

33:04Do you think the criticism that we've gotten helped with pushing the vision forward?

33:09Maybe a little bit.

33:11Do you think so?

33:12I mean, I definitely think it's affected things.

33:14I mean, I think the New York Times article definitely, like, put things in gear.

33:18And I do think that you wanting to prove everybody wrong has been more of a driving force than anything,

33:23whether you want to admit it or not.

33:25That article parallel, actually.

33:29It's the way he described the whole thing.

33:31It definitely bothers me. I'm not gonna lie.

33:35It makes me think, you know?

33:37Maybe people might think that our vision is not clear.

33:56With just over a month to go until the ceremony, day is in at the crack of dawn.

34:00I'm here to prove to people that what I'm doing is fucking right.

34:08He's determined to show off his personality, silence the critics,

34:12and wow the inspectors with a brand new dish.

34:15Chef, how are you?

34:18So we cure the blackfish in kombu that builds layers of umami.

34:24It's gonna completely change the texture and the flavor.

34:27Yeah.

34:28His plan is to prep the filleted fish in a type of seaweed,

34:31packing it with umami, the savory flavor.

34:34But the real innovation comes in the pairing.

34:36We got some beautiful radish next there.

34:38We're gonna carve it and then put the fish inside there.

34:42What's the point of carving the radish?

34:44Two things. Visually, second, texture.

34:48We did a lot of knife cuts here.

34:51It's almost like collapsing textures.

34:54When you bite radish it's like…

34:58But this…

34:59We're putting the blackfish tartar, mixed with the tartar mix.

35:08Then lastly, just to cover it up, we're gonna put a little caviar on a side.

35:13It's a little bit not crazy enough.

35:18And that's the final dish.

35:20That's nice.

35:24Not bad.

35:25You know, it's very nice.

35:27It's gonna show who you are.

35:37Saturday in New York.

35:40Over one million dishes will be served in the city tonight.

35:43But with three weeks to go until the Michelin ceremony,

35:46it's the last chance to impress the inspectors.

35:49Now, for New York's best restaurants,

35:52every service counts.

35:58Two razor on five.

36:01May I just get your attention, everybody, for a moment?

36:04I believe we have a solo diner tonight,

36:07which everybody knows to pay extra attention to.

36:10It could always be somebody of note,

36:12somebody that's scouting us,

36:13somebody that's inspecting us.

36:15A solo diner will make any wannabe Michelin restaurant nervous.

36:19They will never, ever know when an inspector is coming.

36:22But a solo booking, that's a big red flag.

36:26When I dine alone, I do feel as if the level of service is quite, um, is better.

36:36I think there's a heightened sense of, okay, who is this?

36:41Sometimes we walk in and not make a reservation.

36:44We'll go and sit at the bar,

36:46or trying to not draw attention to ourselves.

36:50I have certainly eaten in restaurants,

36:53and they're fawning all over somebody else who's sitting on their own,

36:57and they don't suspect me.

37:00All right, let's go. Let's get ready. Thank you.

37:06Uh, it's truffle season,

37:08and our chefs were able to source some white Tuscan truffles.

37:11All right, order in. First ticket.

37:13Two tastings.

37:14Two duck.

37:15Brassica.

37:16VIP.

37:17Yes.

37:18Tonight, Chef Mary's new Brassica dish

37:21will be served up for the first time.

37:23Are these seared from today or yesterday?

37:25Yes.

37:26And it must hit the Michelin mark.

37:28Like, they're all just too small and too cooked.

37:31So you want, like, a pan fry vibe?

37:33Yeah.

37:34Searing the cauliflower,

37:35it has to be just the right perfect cook.

37:37Any component in it is not up to the finest quality.

37:40It will, you know, fall flat.

37:45Service.

37:49Service is in full swing,

37:51but Mary is juggling more than one restaurant.

37:54Yeah. Are you still the refs?

37:56She's needed elsewhere.

37:59Okay. All right. Thanks.

38:01I need to go check on refs.

38:03Good job.

38:04See you in a minute.

38:05Leaving the team to take control.

38:14But as soon as she's out the door...

38:15Solo diner.

38:17Make sure they have a spot for them.

38:19The solo diner arrives.

38:21Welcome.

38:23So glad you're here tonight.

38:24Order in.

38:25One prefix.

38:26Buyer one canapé.

38:27PPX.

38:28Solo diner.

38:29Guys, let's really lock in on this table.

38:33Is there another solo walk-in at the bar?

38:35Or one?

38:36They were looking at a menu.

38:37Okay.

38:38Followed minutes later by a walk-in.

38:39Another solo diner.

38:41The musket room now has two solo diners in the house.

38:44And either one of them could be an inspector.

38:56Over in Noxu...

38:57Jess, how are you?

38:58Tonight was supposed to be the launch of day's new dish.

39:01Going down like a sack of chips.

39:06Do I say satay sauce or just satay?

39:08Satay, satay.

39:09Satay, satay.

39:10Satay, satay.

39:12But he's having a nightmare.

39:16Kohlrabi's felt wrong.

39:17Oh, kohlrabi.

39:18Kohlrabi.

39:20Radish were not the greatest.

39:22Kohlrabi was better, so we got to do kohlrabi.

39:25But let's see how it goes.

39:27I don't know.

39:28Oh, man.

39:30Man, man, man.

39:31Switching out a radish for a kohlrabi might sound minor.

39:34But in this game, the smallest change can completely unbalance a dish.

39:39Kohlrabi's different.

39:40It's too big.

39:41Hard to eat for a guest's point of view.

39:45Well, let's see how it goes.

39:48How are you?

39:49Welcome here.

39:50May I take your clothes for you?

39:51Good.

39:53So as we begin your prefix, first one is a Hawaiian shrimp toilet.

39:57To add to the pressure, there's a couple seats at the bar.

40:00And Bobby thinks they might be from Michelin.

40:04First time diner.

40:06Perfect.

40:08I have notes on my cellphone.

40:10Looking up information on the guests.

40:12Figuring out, you know, first timers.

40:15They flew in just for this meal.

40:19If Bobby's hunch about these two diners is right, a Michelin inspection could be underway right now.

40:29Okay, your next course here, you have Pacific dourfish with a beef tallow sauce.

40:33Beef tallow.

40:34Tallow, yeah.

40:35So tallow is the fat, like, outside the pancreas.

40:38Oh, yeah.

40:39Enjoy.

40:41That suspicious diners.

40:43Today? Right now?

40:44I think so.

40:45I don't know.

40:46Not a feeling.

40:49Some of them are just asking a lot of, uh, a lot of questions.

40:52I don't know.

40:54Shit.

40:55The suspicious guest?

40:57We're just gonna make sure that theirs look really nice.

40:59Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait a little bit.

41:01Oh.

41:02Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.

41:03A little bit more here in here.

41:05Just a little bit.

41:06Okay, for your next course here, this is albacore tuna, along with husk cherries, as well as Jimmy Nadal pepper.

41:11It's also finished with a pistachio foam.

41:13Please enjoy.

41:15The potential inspectors are already on their second dish.

41:19Yeah.

41:20And day is still carbon kohlrabi.

41:25At Cockadack, the Saturday night party is in full flow.

41:29But downstairs in the kitchen...

41:34Can I get a 2-2-3, please?

41:36The team are battling to cope with the rush.

41:38We need a chicken for 2-2-2-3-6.

41:41Runner, please.

41:43Runner, please.

41:44Runner, please.

41:45Runner, please.

41:46Runner, please.

41:49There's no, uh, work-life balance right now.

41:52And, you know, my family didn't sign up for this.

42:08One day, I hope that they can understand why I'm doing this.

42:11Order in.

42:12One prefix.

42:13Fire.

42:14One canapé.

42:15One wagyu.

42:16PPX.

42:17Solo diner.

42:18Back at the musket room, Chef Mary's team have been managing service without her.

42:33With two suspicious solo diners in.

42:36Chef Mary is accountable for a lot of stuff, and so we just try to make her life easier by

42:41holding the fort down here the best we can.

42:43Both the potential inspectors have ordered the tasting menu, but one of them has sent back

42:48the wagyu beef.

42:49It's a nightmare scenario.

42:52Very sorry about the wagyu.

42:55As Chef Mary arrives back, the kitchen is in crisis.

42:59All right.

43:00How we doing?

43:01Just to clarify on our solo diners, we do have two.

43:04One's currently at bar six.

43:05Okay.

43:06One's at bar one that may order.

43:07I see the ticket just came in.

43:09All right.

43:10Let's get some hands, please.

43:11Yeah.

43:12Something we did want to talk to you about.

43:14We just had, like, somebody complain about temperature of the wagyu.

43:19Do you want to throw it in the oven?

43:20Do you want to throw it in the oven?

43:21Do you want to throw it in the oven?

43:22Do you want to throw it in the oven?

43:23Do you want to throw it in the oven?

43:24So it's, like, caramelizing and...

43:25Yeah, yeah, yeah.

43:26We have, uh, yeah, we have a few VIPs in-house, including the solo diners.

43:32Okay.

43:33All right.

43:34Fire!

43:35VIP!

43:36Solo diner!

43:37Pork jowl!

43:38Yes!

43:39Let's get those plated.

43:40Just make sure they're hot.

43:41Having Michelin star, like, there are expectations.

43:47Did Table 7 get their first course?

43:50It just has to be a buttoned-up, tight service across the board.

43:54Can you check for me?

43:55I swear I just...

43:57We're running, effectively, four restaurants in New York City.

44:00Yeah, come back!

44:01Come back!

44:02Hey, guys, back, back, back!

44:03It's the wagyu.

44:04I need the wagyu.

44:05I think the pressure feels a lot heavier this year.

44:07Four duck, two wagyu, into four jowl, one spot.

44:10Cabbage, wagyu, Table 10, paddle position one.

44:13Order in!

44:14Yes!

44:15It's a lot.

44:17At Noxu, Chef Day is trying to reimagine his new dish from scratch in the middle of service,

44:30as the team are dealing with suspicious guests of their own.

44:34Do they have any reaction when you eat?

44:37No, I stole cold poker face.

44:40Shit.

44:42They were very observant.

44:44Oh, man.

44:47Next up, course number three, the kohlrabi.

44:51Yeah.

44:52Day's last-minute makeshift dish, the one he's pinned all his Michelin hopes on,

44:56is about to be served to the potential inspector.

45:00For your next bite, this is kohlrabi.

45:03Please enjoy.

45:11This dish, I created it.

45:13It doesn't look the same as how I think in my head.

45:16I feel like there's another eye watching me right now.

45:21Maybe I'll initially inspect it.

45:25I do get angry.

45:26Angry to myself.

45:33Where the hell is it?

45:34Down.

45:35It's fucking annoying.

45:37When someone is missing from service, it becomes almost like we're handicapped.

45:45He's been pushing hard.

45:47Very, very hard.

45:49If this is radish, we're better, but kohlrabi, I never did it that way.

45:54For people like him, perfection isn't even enough.

45:59For Day, this star is everything.

46:02What happened?

46:03What's up?

46:04Day.

46:05What happened?

46:06Yeah, chill.

46:07Day!

46:08Where is she?

46:09Day!

46:10Where is she?

46:11Day!

46:12What?

46:13Fuck!

46:17Next time, shown who's one starts.

46:22Hello, hello.

46:23Hello!

46:24Hi.

46:25Hello!

46:26Hello, hi, hi!

46:27Trying to be with us…

46:28What happened?

46:29What happened?

46:30For Day.

46:31What happened?

46:33Next time, Michelin reveal who's won stars.

46:41Hello, hello.

46:43Oh, God, this is tense.

46:45On the most exciting, nerve-wracking night of the year.

46:48One Michelin star, two.

46:52Oh, man.

46:53And we move on to Chicago,

46:55where two chefs are trying to open their first restaurants.

46:58What are you doing?

46:59You're not focused.

47:01Both need a star to survive.

47:04I wish it wasn't this hard.

47:30I wish it wasn't this hard.

47:34We're not focused.

47:35We will be right back after a while.

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