- 8 hours ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00This program is rated PG and contains mature subject matter. Viewer discretion is advised.
00:12Previously on Top Chef Canada.
00:14Let's go!
00:16Ten of the country's best chefs put it all on the plate in the most prestigious culinary competition in the country.
00:23Come on!
00:24But in the end...
00:25Nick, Charlotte, Anthony, Tracy, Holly, Cheyenne, Chris, Katie...
00:29Please pack your knives and go.
00:31Now, only Alex and Coulson remain.
00:34The whole thing you've trained for comes down to this one day.
00:37This is it. This is game seven.
00:40I take my food very seriously.
00:42Coming in second place wouldn't satisfy me.
00:45And tonight, chefs, this is it.
00:48It's Restaurant Wars.
00:52Did you think we'd forget?
00:55For one night only...
00:57Doors are open!
00:58Alex and Coulson opened the restaurants of their dreams.
01:03Judges are locked in. Now we go.
01:05Very impressive the way he did this.
01:08Home run.
01:09I'm gonna talk.
01:09That one bite could win this whole thing.
01:12One of them will take home the biggest prize in Top Chef Canada history.
01:16$10,000 courtesy of Ninja.
01:20DoorDash delivery for a year.
01:22$10,000 from Premier Protein.
01:25The redesigned Volkswagen Tiguan.
01:28$100,000 courtesy of McCain French Fries.
01:32And the title of Canada's Top Chef.
01:42Chefs, it's Restaurant Wars.
01:45This is the finale, so Restaurant Wars will, of course, be a little different.
01:49Instead of working in a team, you'll each be creating your own dream restaurant as the executive chef.
01:56And we're doing Restaurant Wars, solo mission, me versus Alex.
02:02Everything's on the line, you know?
02:05Restaurant Wars typically suffers from a compromised vision.
02:09This time, it's all you.
02:11From the moment we walk into your dining room, every detail counts.
02:17This restaurant has to be more than just a collection of the best recipes, of the best dishes in your back pocket.
02:24It should be a distillation of who you are as a person, as a chef.
02:28We're giving you a blank canvas to design and build your restaurant.
02:32At the signs, a heritage building and event space.
02:36I've dined at over a thousand restaurants.
02:39And what I love about restaurants is the ability to see a chef's personality.
02:44I can't wait to see what both of you have to offer.
02:47Good luck, chefs.
02:48You've done an extraordinary job up until now.
02:52Let the best chef win.
02:55Me.
03:03See ya.
03:03Today, we're going to be shopping for our five-course tasting menu.
03:06My restaurant, the menu, is inspired by growing up on a farm, gathering vegetables from the garden, and cooking with heart and soul, and not making things too complicated.
03:16We're going to do a little full circle moment, too, with some asparagus for one of the dishes.
03:21My family's growing up.
03:22Wife's pregnant.
03:24There's so much on the line.
03:25Like, winning Top Chef Canada and winning the money, that could be a house over our head.
03:30I need lots of carrot tops.
03:32How much are they per bunch?
03:34I moved to Canada from Seoul, and my food background is Korean.
03:38However, I have opportunity to show the judges and the guests.
03:42I'm also a Canadian chef.
03:43I want my guests to feel they're traveling the five regions of Canada.
03:49Winning Top Chef Canada would mean so much.
03:51It would allow me to show everyone who I am in Canada.
03:55I need the PEI muscles.
03:57I am really proud of being a Canadian chef.
03:59Ten cents for you.
04:00Ten cents?
04:01No, I don't.
04:02Ten cent discount?
04:04Today, we're at Element Event Solutions to design our own restaurant and create a unique dining experience.
04:16So, I want to call my restaurant Sovereign, 1867.
04:201867 is the year that Canada gained its own sovereignty.
04:25I want to give a nice upper upscale fine dining vibe.
04:29Why don't we start by looking at the chairs?
04:31Great.
04:31This, to me, is a little bit too rustic.
04:35Oh, no, never mind.
04:36This gives me an Asian vibe.
04:38Do you have something that is not too gold?
04:45People around me usually describe me as a very detail-oriented person, but small details really matter.
04:52That's great.
04:54For me, this feels really comfortable and just so clean and just like, yeah, this feels right here.
05:00My restaurant is named North of Nowhere.
05:03I want a restaurant that, like, people hear it and they're, like, curious, but it's fun, it's light.
05:07Where is it?
05:08Could be here, but it's north of here.
05:11I love, like, repurposed barnwood, wildflowers.
05:15I want my restaurant to feel open and airy.
05:19It's so important to get my personality through it as well.
05:22This is elevated dining, but in a very chillaxed, fun, casual setting.
05:28Great.
05:33Chefs, to run a restaurant, every executive chef needs a strong and talented team to support them.
05:40We found some top-notch talent that we think will be suitable to support you in restaurant wars.
05:46Do you want to meet them?
05:47Yeah.
05:47Yes, I do.
05:50Please welcome back Katie, Chris, Cheyenne, Holly, Tracy, and Anthony.
05:57What up, Kay?
05:58I became really close friends with all these guys.
06:01I mean, these are all super talented chefs.
06:04Welcome back, chefs.
06:06We've missed you.
06:07Figured we got one more in us, you know?
06:11The order that you pick your team will be determined by a three-round, head-to-head, mise-en-place skills race.
06:19You're going to be preparing a traditional mirepoix.
06:22That's onion, carrots, and celery, all cut to a small dice.
06:27If you're first to finish and Mark approves of your work, you'll get to pick a chef for your team.
06:32And then your opponent will pick next.
06:34If Mark doesn't approve, you'll lose your round, and your opponent will get to pick instead.
06:42The first round, you'll be racing head-to-head to prep two onions.
06:48And your time starts...
06:52Now.
06:52Getting the first pick is a huge advantage.
07:04The chefs, we've been working side-by-side, seeing their flaws, seeing what they're great at.
07:11Check.
07:13Alex.
07:16Hi, Alex.
07:17Hello, chef.
07:17Let's have a look here.
07:21It's a little bit rough.
07:23I'm going to say no to that.
07:27That means, Colson, you win this round, and you get first pick.
07:31Chris.
07:32Chris won his elimination challenge, cooking a raviolo.
07:36I got pasta on my menu.
07:37I need him on my team.
07:39Alex, who's it going to be?
07:41Katie.
07:41Katie is really strong, and she's the perfect person to become my sous chef.
07:49Next, we're moving on to celery.
07:52Round two starts...
07:56Now.
08:02I want Cheyenne on my team.
08:04We've done two challenges together.
08:06She understands me and my style.
08:08I want Cheyenne.
08:10Her last couple cooks, she was really shiny, and she was really at the top, and I trust her.
08:17Check.
08:17Colson, you're done first.
08:19Woo!
08:20Good job.
08:23Yeah.
08:26Dice is excellent.
08:28Well done.
08:29Thank you, chef.
08:31Let's go, Cheyenne.
08:34All right, Alex.
08:35Anthony.
08:36We shift.
08:37Anthony has fine dining experience, which will match with my concept.
08:42For the third and final round, you're going to be working with carrots.
08:48On your marks, get set, go.
08:57Woo!
08:57Anyone else holding their breath?
08:58Check.
09:08Alex.
09:10Okay, Alex.
09:13Your dice looks, uh...
09:15That certainly makes the grade.
09:18All right.
09:18Well done.
09:19Alex, you've won this round.
09:21Who are you going to pick?
09:22Tracy.
09:23Thank you, chef.
09:24Tracy, I won her dessert skills.
09:26All right, Holly, that means you're going to be with Colson.
09:29High school gym class.
09:30All over again.
09:32No, I'm sorry.
09:32You're going to be my pick.
09:35Alex, Colson, before you get to work with your teams, we thought that you should each get
09:39a little pep talk.
09:42Colson, first off, I love you.
09:43I miss you, and I'm proud of you, and I'm so excited to see all of this happen.
09:50I heard you got to do some restaurant showdown or something.
09:53You know, I feel like you got this.
09:56You've opened a couple restaurants, and you're pretty good at it.
10:00At the end of the day, you just got to cook.
10:03Colson, I love you, and good luck, buddy.
10:10That's awesome.
10:11That's nice.
10:12That's nice.
10:42Alex, how did that feel to get a message all the way from Korea?
10:52Yeah, it's so special.
10:54In person, I haven't seen my grandparents in three years.
10:58Now I'm even more fired up, and I have to win.
11:02I want to make them proud.
11:04Chefs, you've got your teams.
11:05We'll let you fill them in on your vision and put them to work.
11:08There isn't much to say.
11:09You know what you need to do.
11:11We'll see you tomorrow.
11:12Good luck, Chef.
11:13Good luck, Chefs.
11:14Thank you, Chef.
11:15Can't wait.
11:17All right.
11:17Hey, guys.
11:18So, name of the restaurant, North of Nowhere.
11:21North of Nowhere is like a farm restaurant set in the Canadian landscape.
11:26Everything's very light, kind of veggie-forward and refreshing.
11:29There's so much nuance to, like, running a team like this.
11:32Chris, you're going to do pasta dough?
11:34I'm assigning them their own dishes.
11:37Who's more comfortable with cleaning fish?
11:40You're good?
11:40I'm good.
11:41Yeah, I can do it.
11:42Each chef, they have their own skill set.
11:44So, you've got to really hone in to, like, what they're really good at.
11:48This is all the prep list.
11:49Majority of it has to be done today.
11:51Instead of each one of us working on one dish,
11:55we're all working on all the components based on each chef's strengths.
11:59Tomorrow, I want Katie to be a sous chef.
12:02Okay.
12:02I'm going to be in and out, in and out.
12:04I need somebody to cover my past.
12:06You guys know the Top Chef Kitchen.
12:08Constantly running around.
12:09Yeah.
12:09The more we run around, the less we run around tomorrow.
12:11Right?
12:12Yeah.
12:12Let's go.
12:13North of Nowhere.
12:14Yeah!
12:15I got that one!
12:17Let's go.
12:22Pushing at our maximum, of course.
12:24Don't forget to have fun, too.
12:26Yes, chef!
12:27There's so much prep.
12:28There's so many little jobs.
12:29There's so many things to do for a five-course menu.
12:32That's no easy feat.
12:34My menu is bright and light.
12:36This is peak summer.
12:37It's all about putting these perfect things that have never been created before in front
12:41of the judges.
12:42It's, you know, the biggest cook of my life right now.
12:45Holly's taking the lead on the second course.
12:47The scallop crudo dish inspired by tomato season.
12:50Holly, how you feeling?
12:51Good.
12:51I'm in the zone.
12:52So Holly's got to take these perfectly ripe tomatoes, take the skin off using the blowtorch,
12:57and she also needs to make tomato water to make the tomato dressing.
13:02Yeah, that's perfect.
13:03That's good.
13:03Yeah.
13:04Grace, you on track?
13:05Yeah, Colson.
13:06I'm so glad you trusted me to sweat over your pasta dough.
13:09I love that.
13:10Chris, for the third course, he's got to make his pork sugo, he's got to make the pasta dough.
13:15Biggest pasta cut of your life.
13:17I need to make sure every single one of these bow ties is the perfect thickness, the perfect
13:22shape.
13:23Yeah, that's really nice.
13:24This is the Top Chef Canada finale, you know?
13:27This pasta needs to be on another level.
13:30The little bow tie there?
13:31Okay.
13:32I'm almost done with this fish.
13:34Thank you, Cheyenne.
13:35Yeah, my pleasure, Chef.
13:36Cheyenne is tackling my fourth course.
13:39Trout, cabbage, and rope.
13:41Cheyenne's pin boning these trout.
13:43I'm just trying to make sure this fish is perfect for you, so that's why I'm taking that extra time to be honest.
13:46Sounds good to me.
13:47She can't miss a single pin bone, you know?
13:50Like, serving one pin bone to a judge, that would be a disaster.
13:54Feel the pressure for you, man.
13:55Yeah, well, there's a lot of pressure, that's for sure.
13:58Over the last five years, I've opened five restaurants with Maddie Matheson.
14:01Now this is my restaurant, and I'm so excited to tell my story.
14:05You start strong, you finish stronger.
14:07That's the name of the game.
14:11Hey, Alex, when you win the $100,000, you share with us?
14:16I will ask my wife.
14:18I'm putting five different regions of Canada onto a one-tasting menu.
14:22For the main course, we're going to the prairie region.
14:25I'm making beautiful Alberta lamb loin with carrot top, salsa verde.
14:30It's going to have a little bit of ginger, mint, but what makes it unique is the carrot top,
14:35which will give nice green color and flavor.
14:38I'm also using sable fish from D.C., foie gras from Quebec, and Nova Scotia lobster.
14:44I'm straining the lobster bisque.
14:46I just blitz all the vegetables and lobster bodies.
14:49It'll be super flavorful.
14:51To dedicate a menu to our love for Canada, it's an honor.
14:59Beautiful cake.
15:00You're beautiful.
15:01Oh, stop it.
15:03For my dessert, I'm going to have Ontario strawberry cake with Quebec foie gras ice cream.
15:09You don't have any more foie gras, right?
15:11No.
15:11Yeah, we have it.
15:12Oh, is it?
15:12Yeah.
15:13The foie gras ice cream is the riskiest item on the menu.
15:16It has to be the perfect balance between the sweet and savory.
15:19Not too strong, very subtle, so it goes well with the strawberry flavor.
15:24Overnight, I'm really hoping that the foie gras flavor comes out maybe 10% more.
15:29I want this dish to be perfect.
15:31The Top Chef Canada Small Appliances are brought to you in part by Ninja.
15:56Oh, wow.
16:01Wow.
16:03I'm flabbergasted.
16:04This is my vision.
16:05From the ground up, every decision was mine.
16:08This is the most personal restaurant I've ever opened.
16:11It's just such a vulnerable thing to do.
16:15Welcome to north of nowhere.
16:17This day's crazy.
16:18Literally, we're opening a restaurant.
16:20Like, I got to meet the front of the house staff.
16:22I got to debrief.
16:23Hey, these are the steps of service.
16:24You know, this is how we're crumbing.
16:26There's $100,000 on the line.
16:28But this is what I do every day, day in, day out.
16:31And we're ready to go.
16:32Okay, here we go.
16:33This is time.
16:34Let's go, guys.
16:35Let's go.
16:35This is north of nowhere.
16:36Let's go.
16:37Yeah.
16:37The menu at north of nowhere is original, thoughtful, and it's seasonally driven.
16:43For my first course, I'm doing bluefin tuna sitting on a red fife lavash in celery broth.
16:49It's our welcome broth.
16:51The celery broth is trout bones and bellies roasted off and made into a fish fumet.
16:55And then I've taken celery juice, added those together, clarified it, and that's my broth.
17:01This restaurant opening could mean $100,000.
17:04Let's bring it home.
17:05North of nowhere is officially open for business.
17:08Let's go.
17:09Let's go.
17:10That's exciting.
17:18How are you doing today?
17:20Good.
17:21Cheers.
17:21Cheers.
17:21Cheers.
17:21Cheers.
17:21Cheers.
17:22Cheers.
17:22Cheers.
17:23Cheers.
17:24Cheers.
17:25Cheers.
17:29Judges 2 was arrived.
17:30Great.
17:33Okay, I'm going out to talk.
17:35All these hours I've worked in restaurants, 20 years of experience, the whole thing you've
17:39trained for comes down to this one day.
17:41This is it.
17:42This is game seven.
17:45How cool is this?
17:47Yeah, it's great.
17:48It's light.
17:48It's warm.
17:49It's welcoming.
17:50There's a lot of wood, which is also very warm.
17:53It's got a vision.
17:54Oh.
17:55Hi, Colson.
17:56Welcome.
17:58To north of nowhere.
18:00Where is north of nowhere?
18:02It could be anywhere in the Canadian landscape.
18:04Farmland restaurant.
18:06This menu tonight is the summer menu.
18:08It's light.
18:09It's balanced.
18:10It's everything that I've been cooking to get to this point.
18:12North of nowhere is Colson Armstrong.
18:14Love it.
18:15Nice.
18:15So welcome.
18:16Love it.
18:17Thank you, Colson.
18:18The first look of the menu, I like how it reads so far.
18:21I really like the ingredient choices, and I'm just really excited to dig into this.
18:25I'm intrigued because his combinations are different.
18:28I think it's wonderful.
18:29Judges are locked in.
18:30Now we go.
18:31Oui, chef.
18:32Just make sure that cracker stays flat.
18:42Oh, wow.
18:44Canadian bluefin tuna, when it comes up the coast, it always has to stay swimming.
18:49And that's very similar to me.
18:50Like, I'm always moving.
18:52I'm always going.
18:53And a lot of energy goes into this dish.
18:55You've got a red fife lavash as a cracker.
18:58And then you have the bluefin tuna.
19:00And that's seasoned with a little bit of celery salt.
19:02The broth, it's celery.
19:03So it should be really light and balanced with the tuna.
19:06Thank you, chef.
19:08I'm just smelling this broth.
19:11Celery, sweet.
19:12There is so much body in this.
19:14Celery is one of my favorite vegetables, and it has such a sophisticated flavor to it.
19:18This is the most sophisticated version of it I think I've ever seen.
19:21There's a lot of richness and the fattiness of the fish and the mayonnaise.
19:25It's a beautiful amuse.
19:26You're wishing for another tuna, but it's good not to have any more.
19:30But that's the mark of an amazing chef.
19:31He leaves you wanting one bite more.
19:33Yeah.
19:34Great.
19:35Nice work.
19:36First course out.
19:37So up next is scallop crudo.
19:39There's some big flavors here.
19:40It needs to be ice gold and everything.
19:41It just needs to be perfect.
19:43Yeah, chef.
19:43Great.
19:44Thank you very much.
19:44The second course on my menu is scallops, sea urchin, and grape.
19:48Sun-gold tomatoes.
19:50So the scallops have been marinated in like a little sesame, lime juice, fish sauce.
19:55Okay, so we're doing five scallops per.
19:57The center is going to be where the sea urchin lands.
19:59Perfect.
20:00My favorite combination is tomato and sea urchin.
20:02I find that they're so similar in sweetness, but they're like so different that it's just
20:07like these two flavors working together to create something new.
20:10This is our tomato water seasoned with katsubushi, kombu, tomato vinegar.
20:16I haven't made this dish before, so like putting these things that have never been created before
20:21in front of the judges is taking a risk.
20:23Beautiful.
20:24Hi, Colson.
20:31Hi.
20:32Favorite season in the garden is tomato.
20:35So it's a kaido, sea urchin on top of a beautiful tomato.
20:40Then you have scallop crudo.
20:42And then it's a tomato water seasoned with kombu, katsubushi, tomato powder, tomato vinegar.
20:47Looks beautiful.
20:48Thank you, Colson.
20:48Thank you, Colson.
20:51Oh, wow.
20:53Come on, Pop.
20:55That one bite could win this whole thing.
20:57That bite has so much texture going on it with the creamy richness of the uni, but like
21:02a clean, juicy burst of acidity from the tomato.
21:05The tomato water was just this perfect, velvety, like cooling umami.
21:10It's like silky.
21:12Yeah.
21:12The scallops had the perfect unctuousness on your tooth.
21:16So good.
21:16I'm going to go back to the name North of Nowhere.
21:19I don't know where I am.
21:20And now I really, the name actually really suits this experience.
21:24You know, he's delivering something really special here.
21:28Okay, Chris, go time now.
21:29Yeah, you want me to drop first round pasta?
21:31Yep.
21:32For my third course, I'm serving pork prosciutto sugo with farfalli pasta.
21:38I just want to make sure that it's cooked nice and it tastes delicious.
21:41The pork and prosciutto are the only meat on my menu because it's a summer menu.
21:45You need a little bit of acid to keep it light.
21:48So, I got lemon juice already in the sauce and the garlic scapes we pickle.
21:52And I'm putting green asparagus into the sugo.
21:55It's adding a little bit of crunch into the soft pasta.
21:58How much time is left on the next pasta?
21:5933 seconds.
22:01To serve pasta to this many people properly, it's all timing, it's all precision, it's such a dance.
22:07Next six.
22:08Keep it up, Chris.
22:08Now we're in the groove.
22:09Yeah, chef.
22:10Next up, this is like a blanco sugo with the pork shoulder and then prosciutto as well.
22:21It's a farfalli noodle seasoned with field spinach.
22:24You have some pickled garlic scapes, green asparagus, powdered parm, basil oil.
22:29Wow.
22:29Nice pulls in.
22:31Just the visual on this is like...
22:33Stunning.
22:34That is so good.
22:36You're getting so much anxiousness and richness in that pork.
22:39It's delicious.
22:40This is airy.
22:41The garlic scapes have that little bit of acidity in there.
22:45It just balances perfectly across your palate.
22:47Totally.
22:48This is melt-in-your-mouth farfalli here.
22:51There is so much flavor in this pasta dish.
22:54My only critique is that for this pasta shake, while the center is al dente, the actual farfalli itself was rolled a little bit thin.
23:01Yeah, a little bit uneven.
23:03But overall, it eats fantastically.
23:05This is unbelievable.
23:09Good job.
23:10Okay.
23:10I'm so proud of you guys.
23:11Next trout coming out right now, chefs.
23:13Next trout, let's go.
23:14Colson as an executive chef, he's calm, he's collective.
23:17We're flowing right now.
23:18We're going into our last savory course before dessert.
23:20And, yeah, it's going good so far, but still two left to go.
23:25Okay, pick it up, please.
23:26Nice work.
23:31This is local trout.
23:33It's been garnished with cabbage.
23:35And then it's a sauce of the trout roe, some tobiko, and then fiend herbs.
23:39Thank you, sir.
23:40Thanks, Colson.
23:41I love the combination of tobiko as well as the cod roe in here.
23:45The little bites of salty flavor.
23:47It's very delicious.
23:48The fish is cooked really nicely.
23:50It's beautiful.
23:51And it's also rich with the butter sauce, but also a balanced dish.
23:54And I love that he kept the crunch in the cabbage.
23:57There's a nice acidity to the cabbage that balances out the butter sauce.
24:01It's a very, very sophisticated plate.
24:04It's a work of art.
24:05It's like saying the most with a whisper.
24:07You know what I mean?
24:08It's just deft.
24:10Did anyone have a bone in their fish?
24:12No.
24:12Nope.
24:13I did.
24:14It's like a little thing, but a thing.
24:17At the end, if this is going to be a, you know, splitting hair competition, you have to look at those details.
24:24Let's go.
24:3810 minutes.
24:39Bring it home.
24:40Okay, maple's on.
24:40Maple's on.
24:41For my dessert course, we're finishing with a warm maple tart with this perfectly ripe deliz de bourgogne cheese.
24:48And you just pour maple syrup on top of that.
24:50People think it's too much cheese when they first see it.
24:53And then they eat it and they're like, yeah, it was just enough cheese.
24:55When you get the maple, you can go right over it.
24:57And it's just like that much.
24:58My dessert is a risk, but it's a perfect end to this restaurant that's anywhere in the landscape of Canada.
25:05Okay, you guys can pick up.
25:06All right, chef.
25:07So, this is why we kept the meal light today.
25:22This is feeling like a different kind of energy.
25:24So, big thing is maple syrup season.
25:27We've made a maple tart with a walnut streusel.
25:30And then you have a big chunk of deliz de bourgogne.
25:33Thanks, Carlson.
25:35Mmm.
25:36Yes.
25:38I mean, this is crazy good.
25:39It's really decadent, rich, and heavy, and I don't mind it at all.
25:42Because he was so light with all the other courses, this menu can afford to go with a very heavy dessert.
25:48I find it incredibly satisfying.
25:50The pastry is nutty.
25:52The cheese is beautifully rich and mild.
25:55It looked like a lot of cheese, but you needed every last bite of that cheese.
25:58Does anyone fault him for taking what feels like a very birthy fall or wintertime dessert?
26:04In his defense, maple syrup is a spring item.
26:08It's not a fall item.
26:09It's just well done.
26:11All the plates are out.
26:12Good job.
26:14Incredible.
26:15Incredible.
26:16I'm really proud of what I did.
26:18That's it.
26:19You know, I just wanted to make my family, my wife, Taryn, and my daughter, Nora, I just wanted
26:24to make them proud, and I did it.
26:29I know I did it, like, for them, so.
26:31This is so nice.
26:44It gives an upscale, fine dining vibe.
26:47Looking around this restaurant, this is a dream come true.
26:51My tasting menu is very unique because I'm covering all five regions of Canada and its
26:56iconic food ingredients.
26:57We should be really proud of being Canadians.
27:00I want my service team to really embody the concept of fine dining.
27:03So, ladies first.
27:05Pull the chairs out.
27:06The first impression is really important.
27:08All these small details will give them the fine dining vibe.
27:11I'm one service away from becoming Canada's top chef.
27:15Chef.
27:15What's up?
27:17As Canadian chef, it is extremely important to showcase Canada and be proud of it.
27:22Yeah, a little more seasoning.
27:23A little more seasoning.
27:23For the Miss Bush course, we're going to start off with Northern Territories.
27:28I'm serving Arctic char two ways.
27:30Second course, we're going to Atlantic region.
27:32We'll have a Nova Scotia lobster bisque.
27:34For the third course, we're going to West Coast.
27:36I'm using Haida Gwaii sable fish.
27:38For the main course, we're going to the Prairie region.
27:41So, beautiful Alberta lamb loin, and we're serving it with about six different components.
27:46Finally, for the dessert, we have Ontario organic strawberry cake.
27:50On top of that, we'll have a Quebec foie gras ice cream.
27:53It's getting there, chef.
27:54It's getting there.
27:55There's zero room for air.
27:57Chef, doors are open.
27:58Doors open.
27:58Yes, chef.
28:06We're going to be going coast to coast across five different regions.
28:10This is really nice in there.
28:12Cheers.
28:13Cheers.
28:14Interesting people.
28:15Oh, wow.
28:15Oh, it looks very cool, huh?
28:17Very glam.
28:19Oh, thank you.
28:21People love a tablecloth at night.
28:23You cannot do fine dining without it.
28:25Hello, judges.
28:26Amazing.
28:26Hi.
28:26Hi, judges.
28:27Welcome to Sovereign 1867.
28:29The last few challenges, I was working really hard to show the Korean side of me as a chef,
28:35but this is a perfect opportunity for me to show you how much I am proud and passionate
28:40for Canadian ingredients.
28:43Thanks for coming to my restaurant.
28:44Amazing.
28:44Thank you, chef.
28:45So much confidence.
28:47Bring it on.
28:48We should be ready for the first course, chefs.
28:50Yes, chef.
28:51We're going to start off with mousse bush and a bread course.
28:53We're going to serve bannock crostinis with smoked arctic char and herb spread.
28:58And then as a mousse bush, I'll have an arctic char barley salad.
29:02It's got a pleasant heat.
29:04It's going to be stuffed in a seaweed roll with some citrus gel.
29:08The flavor is going to be sweet, a little bit spicy because I'm using fermented chili dressing.
29:13The arctic char is super flavorful.
29:15It's going to be nice.
29:16Okay, grab those.
29:17I want the mousse bush and the bread to come out together.
29:19This is the land of indigenous culture, arctic beauty, and adventure.
29:30We're going to Northern Territories.
29:32What we have here is arctic char, two ways.
29:34As a mousse bush, I have an arctic char barley salad in a crispy seaweed roll with my fermented chili dressing.
29:41In the middle is sort of the bread course.
29:43We have bannock crostinis with a smoked arctic char spread.
29:48Please enjoy.
29:48I love how crispy that seaweed roll actually was.
29:54The technique was beautiful and I love the presentation of it.
29:57It was like spicy and sweet but not overly so.
30:00The mousse is fantastic.
30:02It's light, it's airy, it's fatty, but there's also this lovely acidity.
30:06The arctic char spread.
30:07Very impressive the way he did this.
30:09Home run.
30:10Home run.
30:11They were really great starters.
30:13Made me excited for the rest of the meal.
30:15We're going to have to start thinking about the next course, which is the lobster bisque.
30:19Katie, take the lead please.
30:21I can make it really good, lobster bisque.
30:23My lobster bisque has lobster claw salad, croquettes, mussel salad, some egg yolk gel, and lobster tail meat.
30:31What's going to wow the judges is that I'm doing something very classic with my skill set and technique.
30:37I really hope that they enjoy it.
30:39Can I show you guys how much we pour?
30:42Maybe this much.
30:43And the soup will be served French style.
30:46It'll be poured at the table side.
30:48This is a fine dining restaurant and the presentation has to be on the same level.
30:53Soup's ready.
30:53Let's go.
30:54Synchronize please.
30:55Synchronize.
30:57Oh.
30:57Okay.
30:58Round two.
30:59This is stunning.
31:01Yeah.
31:02We're going to the Atlantic region.
31:05We have the Nova Scotia lobster bisque, PEI muscle salad, and Newfoundland salt-cut croquettes.
31:10Please enjoy.
31:11Beautiful.
31:15That is good bisque.
31:16So much flavor and a lightness to it and a depth to it.
31:20It's really beautiful.
31:21And the crunchiness of the croquette was just the textural difference that you needed in this plate.
31:28The texture, I think, is one of the best parts, that it is silky.
31:31There is not a particle to this broth.
31:33There's a lot of work that went into this.
31:34There's basically three different protein servings on here that all could have, on their own, stood up in this dish.
31:41Oh, that's so good.
31:43My favorite dish is hot.
31:44Nice meeting you.
31:45Good evening.
31:46My name is Alex Kim.
31:47I'm the chef here.
31:48Alex has gone to every table.
31:49I think that's pretty incredible.
31:51He's taking, you know, time away from just focusing on our dishes.
31:54He's thinking about everybody in the restaurant, and I can notice that.
31:58I'm from Vancouver right now.
31:59Awesome.
31:59Nice to meet you.
32:00Nice to see you.
32:01It's such an honor working with Alex.
32:04First two hours, chef.
32:05Three quarters left.
32:06So cool to see his precision.
32:08It's head in the game.
32:10Stay focused for Alex, and that's it.
32:13This is where we're from.
32:14West Coast, best coast, yeah?
32:16West Coast, the best coast.
32:17Let's go.
32:21We're going to the West Coast, where I'm from.
32:24So we have the Haida Gwaii sable fish, lightly marinated in my soy, ginger, and a little bit
32:29of garlic.
32:29On the bottom, I have a BC Dungeness crab, asparagus, fragola.
32:33And then around it, I have a little bit of citrus and dashi foam.
32:37Please enjoy.
32:38Thank you, chef.
32:38Thank you, chef.
32:39So much flavor.
32:42So good.
32:43The sable fish is delicious.
32:45This is almost like a Japanese technique on it, the way he marinated it.
32:48The precision on this plate is just immaculate.
32:51Pretty flawless.
32:53Everything Alex touches is very artful.
32:55Yeah.
32:55And it's super precise, and that's the beauty of it.
32:58This dish was executed technically flawlessly.
33:01My only critique is that a version of this exact plate of food is something that I cooked
33:05in my very first restaurant 20 years ago.
33:07So, you know, it's been around the block.
33:09It's not new.
33:19How we're going to serve is the lamb's going to be on this side.
33:23For the main course, I'm doing beautiful Alberta lamb loin, and we're serving it with
33:28about six different components.
33:29I have Saskatchewan chickpea panis, Manitoba wild rice stuffed morel mushrooms,
33:34lamb, and local carrots.
33:36Okay, it's time to grill.
33:37I want this lamb to be cooked just that medium rare.
33:40If we heat too much, it's going to hovercook, and Alex is going to kill me.
33:47The lamb, it's got the nice flavor through the herb crust.
33:50It's so good.
33:51I know a lot of people like mint flavor with lamb, but this carrot top salsa verde,
33:55this is my take on it.
33:57It's a little bit sweeter.
33:58It's got nice freshness and brightness to it.
34:00Lambs on the left-hand side, please.
34:02I want the judges to see the technique on the plate, because every single detail counts.
34:07Make sure that morel stay on top of the panis, please.
34:12All right.
34:14Sharp.
34:15Wow.
34:17For this course, the endless golden fields under the big blue skies, we're going to the prairies.
34:22We have lamb loin, lightly herb crustate, from Alberta.
34:26And we have Saskatchewan chickpea panis, Manitoba wild rice, stuffed morel mushrooms, local carrots.
34:34I have the carrot top in the salsa verde.
34:36Please enjoy it.
34:38Thank you, Alex.
34:38The cook on the lamb is just 100% correct, 100%.
34:44And very deft, like the crust adhered perfectly.
34:47Beautiful dish.
34:48And also credit to him for not making something heavy like a jus.
34:51But to have a salsa verde be that vehicle at the end to tie everything together is just fantastic.
34:56And I like the crispy rice that he brought on.
34:58Sweet, crunchy.
35:00To do this for Restaurant Wars, he is very ambitious.
35:03To serve 40 people this quality, I think he took a lot of risk there.
35:08This experience feels very Michelin level.
35:10He really thought about every little detail.
35:13You know, he's delivering on the full experience.
35:15It feels like the team in the kitchen, like they've done this for years.
35:20On to the last course.
35:21Let's go.
35:22Chef, so you guys have been amazing today and every day.
35:24You are amazing.
35:25You are amazing.
35:26We're going to have a little fun, savory dessert.
35:29Ontario organic strawberry cake.
35:32On top of that, we'll have a Quebec foie gras ice cream.
35:35This one is nice.
35:36Good job, Kweisi.
35:37The last components needs to go on the dessert is the maple twill.
35:41I moved to Canada when I was 15.
35:43I love the nature, the culture, and the people.
35:46And ultimately, I want to be Canada's top chef.
35:49Maple leaves, just like this.
35:50Thank you so much.
35:53This is pretty.
35:53Bustling metropolitans like Toronto and Montreal, we're going to the central to finish.
35:59We have Ontario local strawberries made into a cake.
36:04And then we have Quebec foie gras ice cream, maple chantilly, and maple twill on top.
36:09Please enjoy.
36:12Well, this is beautiful.
36:14Mmm.
36:14I actually wasn't sure if I wanted him to end on, like, a foie gras ice cream, but I like his interpretation of it.
36:20And it's a really tasty, light dessert that could have been really heavy.
36:24I'm just not getting the foie gras.
36:26Just let me down a little bit.
36:27What stands out most are the strawberries.
36:30I would have almost written the menu to be, you know, focused on that.
36:34If he just gave us a little more foie, this would have been a completely different experience.
36:38Yeah.
36:39But it was delicious.
36:40I'm almost done.
36:41So much technique.
36:42So much skill here.
36:44What a pleasure to be at the table.
36:45Yeah.
36:46Yes, chef!
36:48Yeah!
36:49That's fine.
36:51Jessie, come here.
36:51Oh, sorry.
36:52I spaced out.
36:52There's a strong feeling of accomplished.
36:56Just the fact that I got this done.
36:58I'm very happy.
36:59I missed you guys.
37:00I just really enjoy showcasing Canada.
37:04Yeah, I'm just really proud of myself.
37:19This is it.
37:19Two incredible chefs poured their hearts into their restaurants.
37:23Who did it better?
37:25It's crazy how talented both of them are.
37:27And the restaurants we had were literally night and day.
37:29It is so hard to decide when it's really neck and neck.
37:32I think Alex had a complete restaurant experience.
37:36I watched very carefully the way he managed the service stuff.
37:39All the plates were dropped at exactly the same time.
37:42It was really choreographed.
37:43His meal.
37:44Something that came up over and over again while we were eating was technique.
37:48Everything came out beautifully seasoned, cooked.
37:52We thought it was perfection.
37:54His bisque only needed one of those garnishes to blow us away.
37:57And he had three.
37:58And they were all perfect.
38:00What I was missing was Alex.
38:02Colson delivered something that was very personal.
38:05And he told his story.
38:07And it was bold.
38:08And it was loud.
38:08And it was clear.
38:10Colson's menu also had heaps of precision.
38:12Like there's only one dish I can think of where I'm like, this feels a little bit sloppy.
38:18It was the pasta.
38:19When I was finding uneven pieces of farfalle and broken pieces.
38:23But it didn't make the dish any less enjoyable.
38:26I found the piece of bone in my trout.
38:28And I know nobody else did.
38:30But for me, finding a bone in the trout, that's a pretty bad mistake at a finale.
38:35With Alex, I loved his technique.
38:37I loved his precision.
38:38I just didn't love the experience as much as I found Colson's was fresher.
38:44Colson isn't new to throw that dessert on.
38:47Especially in the scope of the menu.
38:48Where he said, I'm giving you light.
38:49I'm giving you seasonal.
38:50I would say that Alex's theme was more cohesive in that respect.
38:54Yeah, but his dessert.
38:55All of us were very underwhelmed by his dessert.
38:58I think he lacked the commitment.
38:59Whereas Colson was like, people are going to think this is too much cheese.
39:02I know it's not too much cheese.
39:04And he gave us a slab.
39:05And he committed to everything he wanted to do.
39:08Because he knew his food.
39:09And he knew the ratios.
39:11Whereas I felt like there's a little bit of hesitation from Alex's side.
39:15Alex, in my mind, I'm like, brother, it is the finale.
39:19Now is no time for caution.
39:23Cheers, Alex.
39:24Yeah, I wish you all the best and luck, you know.
39:27Whatever happens.
39:28Competing against you in the final.
39:29Like, there was no other way I would want to go out.
39:32You know, it's like, put it all on the table.
39:34Like, go against the best.
39:35Not, you guys are all great.
39:38Yeah.
39:39You are not an easy competition.
39:42Because you're super skilled, seasoned, experienced.
39:46And I'd like to say thank you for making my charity so special.
39:50Unforgettable.
39:51Shh.
39:54Well said.
39:55Thank you, Alex.
39:55Alex, Coulson, it's time.
40:02The judges would like to see you now.
40:05Good luck.
40:06Well, one last one.
40:09Brother.
40:11We can all of you guys.
40:12Thank you so much.
40:14Everything is on the line.
40:15$100,000.
40:17I'm sure whatever Alex did is so great.
40:19I just know what I did.
40:21And it was the best food that I've ever cooked in my life.
40:25Now it's up to the judges.
40:26Chefs, this is the finale.
40:51And this was Restaurant Wars.
40:54Coulson, North of Nowhere showcased your creativity, confidence, and personality.
41:02I appreciate your attention to details and how you pick your ingredients.
41:06That's been something we've seen since day one.
41:08Every bite was different and exciting.
41:11It felt like a restaurant that I would really want to go to regularly.
41:16It was truly delightful.
41:20Alex, Sovereign1867, was a masterclass in technique, refinement, and service.
41:29Really felt like a fine dining experience at a Michelin star level.
41:35The amount of work you did on this menu blew us away.
41:39Everything was so perfectly seasoned.
41:41Every flavor, succinct.
41:43Every decision, purposeful.
41:47Thank you, Chef.
41:48Gentlemen, I've eaten Top Chef finales on a few continents now.
41:54And let me just say, what the two of you managed to pull off would have won you every single one.
42:01Probably the best matchup in Top Chef Canada history, to be honest.
42:05No question.
42:07But only one of you can win the title.
42:09You are Canada's Top Chef.
42:24No.
42:34Ha, ha, ha, ha.
42:36Like, what?
42:37It's, you're an amazing chef.
42:40I just won $100,000.
42:43That's life-changing, you know, for a chef.
42:46There's no way in a million lives I thought I was going to beat Alex.
42:51And to come out on top, like, this is surreal.
42:55It's unreal.
42:56Thank you very much.
42:58Alex, we've never had a closer challenge than this, ever.
43:03Just so much technique, so much skill, so much poise in the kitchen.
43:07You're a real pro.
43:09Thank you, everyone.
43:10I really enjoyed the journey.
43:12I can't forget about this experience.
43:14Thank you for having me on Top Chef Canada.
43:17I didn't win the title, but I got to show how passionate I am, how proud I am as a Korean Canadian chef.
43:25My grandparents will still be very proud of me.
43:28Yes, sir!
43:29Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
43:31Good job, buddy.
43:32Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
43:35I'm proud of you, buddy.
43:38Bye.
43:39We forgot about the bubbles.
43:41This is everything that I could imagine and more.
43:45I want to make my family have a better life,
43:48and that's why I pushed so hard,
43:50and I'm so proud that I did.
44:02Good job.
44:04Being on Top Chef Canada, like,
44:06it's worth every second.
44:09To Coulson, Canada's Top Chef.
44:12Cheers, Coulson!
44:14Coulson!
44:15There we go.
Be the first to comment