- 9 hours ago
Taste of Art Season 1 Episode 2
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00:05Taste of art is something the world has never seen before.
00:13We have handpicked some of the best chefs from all over Aotearoa,
00:18putting their skills to the test and their reputations on the line.
00:24Taking ingredients from in front of them
00:26and transforming them into mind-blowing works of art.
00:31Judged by me, Melissa Leong.
00:34I can safely say I have never eaten anything like this in my life
00:38and I'm deeply impressed.
00:40And superstar chef, Vaughan Mabee.
00:44He catapulted Amersfield Restaurant into the world's best list.
00:47He is ranked 44th best chef in the world
00:49and one of the most innovative culinary minds of our generation.
00:53It's so creative.
00:56I'm almost a little bit jealous of her.
01:00The most creative challenges ever seen.
01:04Redefining the lines between food and art.
01:07Wow, that's so cool.
01:08But only one can claim the trophy.
01:10You're the first ever winners of Taste of Art. Congratulations!
01:23Be quiet, they're coming.
01:25Whatever.
01:27Quiet.
01:29No, you be quiet.
01:31I am being quiet.
01:33I can't be quiet.
01:35Yeah, when we're walking in the studio, we're actually surprised.
01:38Especially the sounds.
01:40What are they doing at our place?
01:42I think they're humans.
01:42I don't like them.
01:45Weird.
01:46It was super dim.
01:47Didn't know really what to expect, but I came around the corner and...
01:51Creepy, creepy voices.
01:54But also, like, the lights were looking pretty awesome.
01:58I don't think they've watched for a while.
02:01It was kind of a fun scenario with the little voices and lights and everything.
02:06Yeah, compared to the first challenge.
02:07Yeah, definitely.
02:08It was different.
02:10I wonder if we're going to find our way home.
02:21Welcome, everybody.
02:22How cool is this?
02:24I hope you've all been to Luma Enchanted.
02:28It's a multi-sensory, light and sound sculpture wall.
02:33It's the heartbeat of New Zealand.
02:35It's only opened recently and is quickly becoming an unmissable attraction.
02:40I was fortunate enough to visit as I arrived, and I found it truly remarkable and very, very inspiring.
02:47So inspiring, in fact, that we've come up with a challenge based around it.
02:52This is a cool challenge.
02:55We want you to create a unique character or realm drawn from Aotearoa's myths and landscapes.
03:03Creatures or legends and reimagine them through the glowing lens of Luma Enchanted.
03:10We want you to show how food and story can merge together to become a living edible fantasy.
03:17I want to see visual plating inspired by light and art.
03:23Give us a taste of New Zealand that glows from the inside.
03:27The winning team receives a huge advantage.
03:31They will be safe from elimination in the next challenge.
03:36So there's a lot riding on your Luma Enchanted inspired dishes.
03:41That got your attention, didn't it?
03:45All right.
03:46Your time starts now.
03:48You have six hours.
03:50Let's go.
03:53We really want to win that advantage.
03:55Yeah.
03:56Because that would mean that we are safe and have a fun challenge while everyone else sweats in the kitchen.
04:02Yeah.
04:02What's the plan?
04:04We really need to incorporate forests into it as much as possible.
04:08Moss around and stones and light.
04:11You know Diwali, the festival of lights?
04:14Yeah.
04:15That's so much like Luma.
04:17When you are shopping in India for Diwali, on the streets with the lights, the installations.
04:22So what if we combine it together?
04:24I know it sounds crazy, but it makes sense.
04:28It just, it makes sense to me.
04:30I like a good idea.
04:31Okay.
04:37Okay.
04:40Quail is the bird of choice.
04:42Lovely.
04:43What we're choosing to go with is using the quail, being that it's found in the bush or found in
04:47the forest.
04:48And wanting to get that real forest feel as if you are at Luma Enchanted.
04:52Hopefully blow the judges away.
04:55So...
04:55I do a lever.
04:56Yeah.
04:56Coconut lever.
04:57Nice.
04:59This one as well.
05:01We'll put it in belt.
05:03One, two, three.
05:05I think that should be good enough.
05:06Sweet.
05:07So a couple of quick jobs just making the chilli jam for later.
05:10Because it needs to set.
05:11We're just going to juice some apples with the skin on so you get the colour.
05:15It would actually be cool to win this challenge and be safe for tomorrow.
05:18Today everyone's bringing their A game.
05:20It feels like the calibre has increased.
05:22Everyone's sort of settling into their flow.
05:24We have to give our A game as well.
05:29We're just going to cold smoke this fresh green apple juice.
05:33Tell us, what are you working on today?
05:35So our dish is based around bioluminescence.
05:38Particularly in the ocean.
05:39Yeah.
05:40Which is caused by a phytoplankton.
05:41When you wave your hands through the water and everything glows at night time.
05:45Exactly.
05:46So that's magical.
05:46So we wanted to create like a mythical world by the sea.
05:49Yeah, so we are trying to do a dish with mussels and trying to make a bowl with ice.
05:54Let's see how it goes.
05:55Can I smell fermented chilli?
05:57It's a chilli jam that we are trying to do.
06:00Very savoury, right?
06:01It's going to be a chilled dish.
06:03We're just smoking some green apple juice here.
06:04That'll be the base of our dressing.
06:07That'll be set on a world that will create rocks.
06:09Little lakes and moss and you know.
06:11Wow.
06:12Yeah, it sounds like you got your work cut out for you today.
06:15We love seeing you wanting to dream big.
06:18I mean, this is the kitchen to do it in.
06:20We love that.
06:20We push, you know, always pushing.
06:22Good luck guys.
06:31So Josh, how are you feeling about this challenge?
06:34Uh, it's something different.
06:37Yeah.
06:37I've never used sound or light in any of the food that we do in the restaurant.
06:41No, it will be very interesting I think.
06:44And I think there's more motivation as well.
06:47As we can be saved from the next challenge.
06:50I think that's amazing.
06:51Absolutely.
07:00Those are some lovely looking livers there.
07:02Yeah.
07:03Yeah.
07:03Do you want to tell us about the dish?
07:04So we will make a duck liver and we will make a sugar nest, which is the really traditional
07:12Chinese way to make a bird nest.
07:14And then we're going to put the liver, which is the bird, in the nest.
07:18How will the livers be treated?
07:21How will the livers be treated?
07:21We're going to make a parfait.
07:22Yep.
07:23And we're going to put the cracker under and we have the different flavours on top of the
07:28liver as well.
07:29Okay.
07:29So you'll have a cracker, a liver parfait, and then there'll be different garnishes of different
07:34flavours going on top.
07:35And those will be the birds inside a sugar nest.
07:38Yeah.
07:38And the sugar nest can eat as well.
07:40So it brings sweetness to the dish.
07:42Perfect.
07:43Wonderful.
07:43Well, that reminds me of the mower installation at Luma where there's the giant nest and then
07:50the huge glowing orb of the egg on the insides.
07:53Yeah.
07:54That's where the nest come from.
07:55Oh, awesome.
07:56That's cool, eh?
07:57Yeah.
07:57Well, good luck, guys.
07:58Yeah, sounds great.
08:05This is our coconut manuka tea vinegar for our dressing.
08:09So we're just going to simmer that slow, slow, so it doesn't burn off any of the acidity
08:15of the vinegar.
08:16I have goat cheese filling for our kawakawa roll.
08:28Mushroom is name.
08:29We are very curious as to what you're going to be creating for this challenge.
08:33Yeah.
08:34Yeah.
08:35Super excited.
08:36Using local herbs and different proteins.
08:40At the same point, we want to as well change your perception of how to eat this small snack
08:46and then we're going to do it.
08:48So it's going to be like a lot of UV lights and the food will change color.
08:52Yeah.
08:53Wow.
08:53I love having my perception change.
08:56Yeah, I think when you went to Luma the first time you go in, you don't expect and then
09:00boom.
09:01I see some escargot, or as we would say, snails here, eh?
09:04Yes, sir.
09:05Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:06You guys been outside looking around for those?
09:10I mean, we're going to work with so much local ingredients between mushrooms and herbs.
09:14Just like the kawakawa, eh?
09:16Yeah, we want to really have like different type of flavor for you.
09:21Well, we look forward to it.
09:22Good luck today, guys.
09:23Thank you so much.
09:25Okay.
09:26Okay, next.
09:27I'm going to do the mushroom.
09:29We definitely want to win the immunity.
09:31We're just focusing on what we are doing and try to do the best and try to think out
09:36of the box and do something different.
09:38Yeah.
09:39It gives us more drive, I guess, to push out of there.
09:42It's positive.
09:43Huh?
09:45Wow.
09:46It's quite trippy, actually.
09:48It could be epic or it could go incredibly wrong.
09:53Very impressive dish.
09:55This was flawless.
09:58You are safe from our first elimination.
10:14We're going to do zesting lemons.
10:16After the lemon, I'm going to try to blanch the kawakawa, see how it rolls.
10:20Today's challenge was using Luma Enchanted as the inspiration to our dish.
10:26We got six hours to cook and ten minutes for plating.
10:30And the winner of today's challenge is safe for the next elimination challenge.
10:36We definitely want to win today's challenge.
10:39We definitely, yeah.
10:42My eggs are insane.
10:46Look like we made the ice cream.
10:48Yeah.
10:49Yeah.
10:50It is ice cream, but like Indian style.
10:53So it's not egg based.
10:54It's like rice flour based.
10:55Yeah.
10:58Hello.
11:00Hello, Melissa.
11:01Tell us, Luma, inspiring a dish.
11:05What is the dish?
11:07So Luma reminds both of us about Diwali.
11:10Yeah.
11:11Which is a big Indian festival of lights.
11:13So awesome.
11:14Celebrate lights and it's just like Luma, but on the streets and there are installations everywhere.
11:20Yeah.
11:21What if we recreate that on a plate wherein each little snack is an installation for you.
11:27But flavors from Diwali and Indian street food.
11:31So tell us about these snacks.
11:34There are three different snacks.
11:35The first one is russum, which is a tomato based broth.
11:39It's from down south and that's what all the aromas that you're getting.
11:43I like spice.
11:44Yeah.
11:44Give me the spice.
11:45All right.
11:46So what is this second snack?
11:48We are doing the North Indian version of shat.
11:50Yeah.
11:51Awesome.
11:52And it's going to look like a nest with an egg in it.
11:54So a little bit of sour, a little sweet and crunch.
11:58Yeah.
11:58And the third one would be an ice cream.
12:01It's called kulfi.
12:02I love kulfi.
12:03It's a mango based kulfi.
12:05I love that.
12:05It sounds like a celebration of flavors all through India, but also through the lens
12:11of Luma.
12:12So bringing these two parts of your life together, which is beautiful.
12:17Thank you, sir.
12:18Yeah.
12:20What are we making, Josh?
12:21Like right in this moment.
12:22Every part of the quail.
12:23Every part of the quail as much as possible.
12:25And the truffle, of course, because it's a beautiful ingredient.
12:28This is looking pretty lax.
12:30End of the season, eh?
12:32Yeah, probably the last one.
12:33So shave truffle, under the skin.
12:36Of a quail breast.
12:37Essentially doing like the quail in the bush.
12:39We thought Luma, forest, birds.
12:42Do you want to tell us about the...
12:44Yeah, as a nod to Tanimahuta, the god of the forest.
12:47We really want to create a story around him.
12:49And I think we're really excited, really looking forward to this challenge.
12:53You got the hearts here?
12:54Yeah.
12:55So we're using as much of the bird as I possibly can.
12:57Just got the fat and the bits and bobs rendering there that are going to go through
13:01a nut mash with some of the sautéed hearts going through it.
13:04And then what are you doing to the legs?
13:06Legs, we're going to confit and then reduce it in a sauce.
13:09So you have like a sticky, soft leg.
13:11And then we're going to do some pickled quail legs as well.
13:13So really using the whole thing of the bird here.
13:15Well, hopefully your dish answers the age-old question,
13:18which came first, the quail or the egg?
13:31Just butterfly it a little bit or?
13:32This one?
13:33Yeah.
13:33Yeah, I'm about to try that.
13:34Yeah.
13:38I'm trying to do like a squid made up of fresh coconut.
13:41Coming from Indian heritage, we had abundance of coconut and we thought,
13:46let's turn it into a squid.
13:48We'll go like this.
13:50Yeah.
13:51Walking around and chatting with all the teams,
13:53they've all got a great story around what they're doing.
13:56Absolutely.
13:57I think from small birds to sea creatures,
13:59what we want is light, colour, movement,
14:01and that immersive experience that only women can bring.
14:06100%.
14:06They're talking about sugar birds' nests,
14:09the snails over there with kawakawa.
14:12It could be epic or it could go incredibly raw.
14:16They're all professional chefs.
14:18The calibre and experience, the creativity and the passion.
14:22I'm just excited to see what they do.
14:25This is what you get when you ask professionals
14:28to really push the boat out.
14:35We're going to try now the cotton candy machine.
14:38So we are going to make the sky of our forest.
14:42That's going to be clouds.
14:45What colour are we going to do this?
14:46Blue.
14:48I mean, we don't want to do blue.
14:49We want to do white.
14:50No, we need to do whitish.
14:51We can try with sugar and see how they react.
14:54Good work, huh?
15:01Sizzle.
15:05Some great smells are going on over here.
15:07Yeah, it's the start of the sauce here.
15:09How badly do you want to win this?
15:11I was really disappointed with myself on the first challenge.
15:13Yeah?
15:14Yeah, I really want to win this.
15:15Yeah, I can see your face now.
15:17There's that competitive fighting spirit that is just...
15:21Yeah, absolutely.
15:22I mean, we're all chefs.
15:23We're all going to take criticism personally, even though you're told not to.
15:25But that's what we do.
15:27We put our absolute life and soul into this career.
15:30You're obviously one of the best chefs in the world.
15:31You know how hard you've worked to get there.
15:33Hopefully one day, you know, I'll come close.
15:36Yeah, so it hurts a lot.
15:37You're young and hungry, and what you've been showing us so far, man,
15:40you're on your way, so keep pushing, man.
15:42Thanks, chef.
15:51And look at that texture.
15:55Glossy, velvety, rich.
15:58You got a little bit for us to try?
15:59Yep.
16:05Yep.
16:09Is it finished?
16:12So we're going to pick some beetroot with red wine vinegar and give some...
16:17Nessie.
16:17How are you feeling so far?
16:19Nervous.
16:20Nervous?
16:20Tell us.
16:21I mean, everyone's a really good chef.
16:23Yeah, because you're walking into challenge number two as the victors.
16:26Everybody's looking at you to beat.
16:29Yeah, it's not an easy competition.
16:32Everyone have good experience.
16:33Yeah, everyone was so good.
16:35Everyone deserved to win.
16:36What are you guys going to do to make sure that you stay on top?
16:42Drink.
16:43Oh, shoot.
16:45That's not always the best way to finish.
16:52Just behind, guys.
16:54Yeah.
16:55Hi, Tommy.
16:57This is our new team member, Tommy.
16:59So now, Tommy, if you just crack on with this...
17:01Chef.
17:02Yeah.
17:03Chef.
17:04Switching teams.
17:04Musical cheers.
17:05Yeah.
17:06So I'm just joining the Aosta team for a second to help puff my prawn cracker.
17:10So we have raw prawn cracker.
17:12Blend it to a powder.
17:13Pop that in the fryer.
17:14And then it'll just puff up.
17:18Is it yummy?
17:19Yeah.
17:19Are you sure?
17:20Hopefully.
17:21Yes, Chef.
17:21Make it nice.
17:22Yes, Chef.
17:22Make it nice and make it close.
17:24Sure.
17:24That's right.
17:29What do we got over here?
17:31Rassam.
17:32Do you want to taste the rassam?
17:33Yes, I would love to taste the rassam.
17:35It's from the south of India.
17:36This is for dish number one.
17:38Yeah.
17:39It's the water installation.
17:41What's the tiny little texture in there?
17:43It's really good.
17:44It's from the lentils.
17:45There are two kinds of lentils that we roasted and ground.
17:47Right.
17:48Made our own spice mix and then introduced it into the broth.
17:52Hmm.
17:52Because you said you love spices.
17:54Then I don't have to hold back.
17:56No.
17:56And I can do the authentic way.
17:57No, no, no.
17:58And I made it authentic.
17:58Do what you want to do.
18:00Yeah, I'm keeping it as traditional as we do it back at home.
18:03Awesome.
18:04There's a lot riding on today.
18:06We need to push ourselves.
18:07Not just our creativity, but our technical skills.
18:10And elevate the flavors.
18:12We really want to win that advantage.
18:15So, it has to go perfectly.
18:30Do you think it's good?
18:31Oh, it's perfect.
18:35Do you want to do the muscles?
18:38In today's challenge, we have to create a dish that's inspired by Luma Enchanted.
18:41When it will be safe from elimination.
18:44This challenge will matter a lot on showing our competitors.
18:48We mean business and we are here to win.
18:50Just picking through some ash and salt.
18:52Prawn crackers.
18:53Kind of looks like edible little pebbles.
19:01Well, we had a little bit of a zoom around the different workbenches and there are some cool things going
19:06on.
19:07From a chef perspective in particular, is there anything that's worrying you?
19:11To be honest, when I tasted, the lentils are like, it needs more seasoning.
19:16But the whole dish isn't put together yet.
19:18So, we don't really know now.
19:19You did mention the parfait didn't feel finished to you just yet.
19:24Not really.
19:25But they're talking about other elements around it like pickled beetroot and other things.
19:29So, it might all come together as magic.
19:31It's too early to tell yet.
19:33There's some time.
19:36Sorry guys.
19:37Is it okay if we turn the lights off one second?
19:39Yeah.
19:40Yeah, of course.
19:49Perfect.
19:53Thank you so much.
19:54Some cool colors going on there.
19:57Yeah.
19:57That's really cool.
19:58What is reacting to the black light?
20:00This is Manuha.
20:02It will react to the UV light.
20:04Just Manuha.
20:05And it shows bright green like that?
20:07Under a black light.
20:08Under a black light.
20:09Who knew?
20:09I never knew this.
20:10Food, it's always been in my blood since the young age.
20:14I want to experimenting and do something different.
20:18That's why I study chemistry and I connect that into the food.
20:21I start to travel around, learning new technique, learning new culture, playing with ingredients.
20:28And I try to do something the other chefs don't think about and create something unique.
20:34And as well, like, it's kind of like blowing your mind.
20:46What are you doing?
20:47Just tossing my legs, you know?
20:49Do you want some worms to toss?
20:50Want to try?
20:51I'd love to try.
20:52Yeah.
20:54Sabotage, sabotage.
20:56They're really good.
20:57Can I try?
20:57It sounds like crispy chicken skin.
21:00Yeah, I want to try it too.
21:02I'm just tossing with a kind of bit of curcuma salt.
21:05Oh, nice.
21:06It's yum.
21:07Yeah.
21:07Yeah, that's literally...
21:08Mealworms, right?
21:13Some sculpting going on here and I'm seeing serving boxes.
21:17We're creating like this world that you might find by the ocean, little rocks, little pockets
21:21of moss.
21:22Yep.
21:22What we see when we have a little ice bowl underneath.
21:26Yep.
21:26Wow.
21:27I can't see much of this edible on the bench right now.
21:30Your prep's done.
21:31Almost.
21:32We are waiting for a couple of things to freeze, a couple of things to get marinated and stuff.
21:37A bit confident at this point.
21:38Feeling good?
21:39Love to hear it.
21:41Yeah.
21:44Yeah.
21:4713, 14 pieces.
21:49We want to make some vinegar mixture.
21:51Vinegar, olive oil.
21:54And just some thyme there.
21:58With the bichu, we are cooking it in the red wine vinegar to give more sourness to the
22:03parfait because the parfait is quite rich.
22:05We are cooking it separately in the sous-ray machine.
22:16Nice.
22:17I see mealy worm.
22:18Yes, ma'am.
22:19And you are not just throwing them on as a garnish.
22:23No, no.
22:23You're actually intentionally placing them.
22:26I can see them weaving their way through.
22:28It's going to be one of the little bites.
22:30Yeah.
22:30I get the sense from you and also from everybody else that you've seen what you all can do now.
22:37Everybody's stepping it up.
22:38Yep.
22:39Do you feel the same about what you're doing too?
22:40I'll definitely try to push.
22:42Excellent.
22:42As hard as we can now.
22:43Here we go for the win, huh?
22:44Yes, ma'am.
22:51How is everything going?
22:53Testing time.
22:54Right.
22:55Yes.
22:55The stakes are so high, right?
22:56Yeah.
22:57Nobody wants to be the first team to go, obviously.
22:59No, of course not.
22:59So there's no room for error at all.
23:02No room for error.
23:03We just tried our nut and quail heart mash.
23:05So macadamia, quail hearts, good amount of pepper, salt, really rich, good texture.
23:11Yeah.
23:11This is our nettle puree.
23:13So really fresh, but still earthy, herbal.
23:15You look really organised and you seem really confident, so here's hoping you have it in
23:21the bag.
23:21Nice.
23:22Thanks.
23:22I think everyone's found their feet and it doesn't take us long to get used to our environment
23:27so that we can perform at the best of our abilities.
23:30It is clear that we're surrounded by some really talented chefs, which, yeah, I suppose
23:34makes us more hungry for victory.
23:50Today's challenge is to use Lerma Encharted as inspiration for our dishes.
23:58This challenge is really important to us.
24:00We want to be safe from elimination going into the next round.
24:06So it's just not holding its flame?
24:08No.
24:09Maybe we'll have to use smoking chips as well, is that?
24:11Yeah.
24:12Just so we get enough smoke?
24:14Yeah, that's not a bad idea.
24:15Just like that?
24:16Yeah.
24:17All right, guys, you have 10 minutes to go.
24:19I hope you've been tasting and testing because it's on.
24:23No mistakes today.
24:25This is Taste of Art.
24:35Do you think this size is better?
24:37I think so.
24:38Tell me the second.
24:40We're the only one that asks for carpenter tools.
24:43You've got to be Italian to be crazy like this, I think.
24:49Two at all?
24:50Yeah.
24:50Best thing is to try everything, you know?
24:52Yeah.
24:52You need to be on point with your own palette before you give it up because competition's
24:56tight.
24:56All right.
24:57You're holding?
24:59I think it's beautiful.
25:00That's pretty cool, actually.
25:02Roy, we're going to go a bit like this.
25:04One, one, one, one.
25:05One colour each.
25:06One is in the middle.
25:07Yeah.
25:08One is in the middle.
25:08I just try some papadabu.
25:15These are little edible things that I see.
25:17This is lights.
25:18Oh, it's lights.
25:19Yes, sir.
25:19Wow.
25:20Luma, get ready.
25:21I can't open this.
25:23Do you need a real manager?
25:24No.
25:25Oh.
25:26Ice bowls.
25:27Yes.
25:30Beautiful, brother.
25:31Awesome.
25:32Look at her.
25:35All right, chefs.
25:37Your time is up.
25:38Your Maison Plus looks epic.
25:40You're going to have 10 minutes to plate up these wonderful creations with the inspiration
25:45of Luma.
25:50All right, Julio, Pierre, you have 10 minutes to plate up.
25:54Let's go.
25:55I'm ready.
26:07So, Julio, I already put the cloud on and the stars, so just waiting for skewers of snails.
26:13Are you looking?
26:14Yeah, pretty good.
26:15Pico Pico is done.
26:17Coming up with the middle ones.
26:20If you want to do the Kawakawa, I almost finish here.
26:23Perfect.
26:24And we're ready to go.
26:25Nice.
26:27Bloods.
26:28Ooh.
26:40By the mystical light of the night, we reveal a magical world that will change your food perception.
26:48Roots sink into the soil.
26:50Snails and insects move through the underground.
26:54Wild clouds and stars watch from above.
26:56We tell a Luma journey between earth and sky for you to discover.
27:03Nicely done.
27:05Enjoy.
27:06Okay.
27:07Let's start with the worms, all right?
27:08Let's start with worms.
27:09Yeah.
27:25Let's start with worms.
27:31What do you think?
27:33I mean, to be honest, you meant to breathe.
27:36It's definitely like a little journey through the garden and I felt like a little kid because
27:42it feels kind of enchanted that you could be in Luma.
27:46Yep.
27:46I think it's an impressive creation and you got all these kind of little mesmerising flavours.
27:51A lot of them are endemic flavours of New Zealand.
27:54Yeah.
27:54I think Team Italy has come to Aotearoa for sure, so good job.
28:00Thank you so much.
28:01This is not just a plate of food.
28:04This is a whole experience and that is exactly what we asked for.
28:07I love how the flavours and the textures really echoed the forest beautifully.
28:11You have that beautiful yam cracker with the mealy worms and it's sort of salty and crunchy
28:17and a really great way to whet the appetite.
28:19And I think the goat's cheese really balanced nicely with the kawakawa.
28:22The crunchy elements from the pika pika and the flower, one's salty, one's sweet.
28:28And then you go into the star and the cloud.
28:31You're really taking us on this beautiful journey upwards as you mentioned.
28:34It's exactly delivered as promised, which makes me very happy, very thoughtful, very considerate
28:41and deeply immersive.
28:43Well done.
28:44Thank you so much.
28:45Alright, up next, Ankita and Tan.
28:51You make the dosas.
28:53I'm just working on the nest part now, Tan.
28:56Oh, shape, look at the colour.
28:57Yeah, that looks nice.
28:59So this is a crumble of fattened rice along with turmeric and curry leaves.
29:04It denotes the pap and next is a crumble made out of papadums and carom seeds.
29:12So now this is the egg inside the nest.
29:17This is a coriander and mint chutney.
29:22That's a tomato rasam.
29:25And now the mango kulfi.
29:32Wow.
29:51This is Luma, inspired by the lights of Diwali.
29:56And we want you to have a walk through Indian street food.
29:59Awesome.
30:00How do you feel now that it's up here?
30:02It feels so surreal to be presenting to you guys food from my country.
30:07So we hope that you like it.
30:37Having a good time?
30:39I love it when people would bring their own style into it
30:42and you've definitely done that.
30:44Yeah.
30:44Cool presentation.
30:45It's different and I've definitely gone on a journey
30:48from where you're from.
30:49Yes.
30:49I've enjoyed every little mouthful of it.
30:52Amazing job.
30:53Thank you, Chef.
30:55There is so much sophistication and complexity
30:58and difficulty in balancing spice
31:01and you've done it beautifully.
31:04I thought the rasam was rich and round
31:07and the chaat is so crispy and beautiful,
31:10really nicely balanced with the other elements
31:12and the textures were so beautiful
31:14because you have soft and crunchy.
31:15The kaufee, such a classic thing,
31:18such beautiful flavours as well.
31:20I did find just the centre of it
31:22ever so slightly more icy than it should be
31:25but such a heart-driven dish for challenge number two
31:30and I really thought it was such a welcoming,
31:33well-rounded plate of food.
31:34Great job, guys.
31:37Up next, Josh and Bailey.
31:40Let's go!
31:41Quail's in.
31:43Kissed by a flame.
31:45I am finishing up a living terrarium.
31:48Are the coals hot for the campfire?
31:50Yeah, coals are hot.
31:51So the legs are in the pan,
31:52a little bit of butter,
31:53a little bit of the jus.
31:54Super sticky.
31:56Pickled quail's egg going in the nest.
31:59Chicken skin, truffle, chives
32:01for the breast and the leg.
32:05I'll start torching.
32:05Yeah.
32:06Bye, bye.
32:09We're going to get smoked when we put the plate on.
32:22Long ago, the world lay in darkness.
32:26Ranganui, the sky father,
32:27and Papatuanuku, the earth mother,
32:29clung together tightly.
32:31Tane Mahuta, their son, longed for light.
32:34He braced his feet against his father
32:36and he pushed with all his strength,
32:39forcing earth and sky apart.
32:41Light poured in, forest rose, and life began.
32:45Tane became guardian of the trees.
32:47For New Zealanders,
32:48this story is a reminder of our whakapapa
32:51and the connection between the people,
32:53the earth, and the forest.
32:55I'm not going to eat that **** right now.
32:58This looks absolutely stunning.
33:00Yeah.
33:01I mean, I'm just staring at the quail's skull
33:03with the light as an eyeball.
33:05It's speaking to you.
33:06I mean, I'm just staring at the quail's skull.
33:38I mean, I'm going to be honest.
33:40I mean, it tastes really good.
33:42Everything was cooked really nicely.
33:44I love the offal that kind of grounded the dish for me.
33:47The nettle, the earthiness,
33:49and I love that with any type of bird.
33:52The sauce was silky, smooth.
33:55Seasoning was great.
33:56Everything was pink.
33:57Everything was juicy.
33:59It's a really, really good, good dish,
34:02and I really enjoyed it.
34:05In terms of presentation,
34:07you know, you've chosen quail,
34:08and so small birds foraging through the undergrowth.
34:11We're in the undergrowth here.
34:12Yeah.
34:12And I love that this is a living,
34:14breathing presentation in and of itself,
34:16but then when you look at the composed plate,
34:18every part of the bird is used,
34:20and you've executed everything to perfection.
34:22I mean, presenting a breast of a quail
34:25and to see that beautiful blush when you cut through it
34:28makes me smile.
34:29It's really difficult to do beautifully.
34:31The confid leg had a lovely contrasting texture.
34:34Everything's bound together in that thick, rich, beautiful jus.
34:38And I really liked the nut mash with the heart.
34:40And then the nettle puree brought everything together
34:43in a really silky way.
34:44It gave that nice contrast,
34:46and it was beautiful and velvety and smooth.
34:48This was, if not flawless,
34:52a near-flawless dish
34:54in every aspect,
34:56and I'm deeply impressed.
34:58Thank you so much.
34:59Thank you guys so much.
35:03We nailed it.
35:04Yeah, we did.
35:05We couldn't have done it any better.
35:06Hopefully we secure ourselves immunity.
35:09Oh, no.
35:11Good job, buddy.
35:17All right, next up, Yashan, Roy,
35:21you have 10 minutes to show us
35:23your interpretation of Luma.
35:25Let's go!
35:29So I put the parfait on the crackers now.
35:37I will put the beetroot on top of the parfait.
35:42So I add the sugar.
36:13Yeah, ready.
36:34So we have the moistness,
36:37and inside have a duck librae parfait
36:39with the seeds quaker on there.
36:41We have sourness from pickled beetroot,
36:44and when you eat it, please grab a little bit of sugar next
36:47so it can bring the sweetness to the dish.
37:10Really cool technique.
37:12I love the simplicity of it,
37:15so it's not confusing, it's direct.
37:17It's absolutely delicious.
37:19It just has a few flaws.
37:22I think the cracker, it's not crispy enough.
37:26It's been sitting there too long,
37:28and the parfait's too thick.
37:32It needs more salt.
37:33The sweetness adds to it
37:35by adding some of the dragon's beard or bird's nest.
37:39Pickles are great.
37:40It's just lacking a few simple details to make it exceptional.
37:47I think in terms of it being inspired by Luma,
37:50you did a beautiful job.
37:52So I really loved the look of it.
37:54But I think when you're doing one snack,
37:58it better be the most perfect snack that ever existed
38:01in order for it to be a winner
38:02amongst this sea of incredibly talented chefs,
38:05yourselves included.
38:07I think that it was a tasty bite of food.
38:10The parfait itself is silky, it's rich, it's soft,
38:13it's what you want the texture of a parfait to be.
38:16I love the glaze and the pickles
38:18for really giving a nice contrast of brightness and acidity
38:22because it definitely needs it.
38:24I think the proportions are also just a little bit off as well.
38:27So the potential is there for a spectacular dish.
38:31I think you fell just a little bit short.
38:34Thanks.
38:36All right, up next we have Tommy and Danny.
38:39Let's go!
38:46So we're just picking some fresh herbs.
38:48This will just go under the base of our dish.
38:52Danny's just preparing the young coconut squid.
38:56These mussels have just been lightly steamed
38:58and then we chilled them.
38:59We've got raw tour tour.
39:02Pop a little sweet red chilli jam just on the mussel,
39:05give it a little bit of heat.
39:12Yeah, should we go there?
39:17Nice and flat.
39:19We're just putting a little coconut mousse.
39:23Cool, all right.
39:26Let's mix that.
39:42In Māori culture, bioluminescence is often linked to the supernatural realm,
39:46beings of the water, or the god of the sea, Tangaroa.
39:49It's known as the aurora of the ocean
39:51and is used as a guiding light for the spirits travelling to the afterlife.
40:09Wow.
40:10Really cool.
40:14Very, very cool.
40:16Now, before we crack into things, tell us, is this a winning dish?
40:21Absolutely.
40:22Absolutely.
40:24Okay.
40:39Thank you very much.
40:52I remember all the time that we just told us about the
40:53All right, you want to go first on this one?
40:55I can safely say I have never eaten anything like this in my life
40:59and I'm deeply impressed.
41:01This was a celebration of seafood.
41:04The green-lit mussel and the tuatua itself,
41:07these are ingredients that need very little,
41:10if anything, done to them to be perfect.
41:13And so I think the challenge is in restraint
41:15to be able to really hero the ingredients
41:18without taking anything away.
41:19But what I love about this is what you've paired with it.
41:23The prawn floss is like the snap, crackle and pop
41:26of this charcoal-dusted Rice Krispie.
41:28Then you have the softness of the coconut,
41:30sort of arrow-haired squid,
41:32which has a beautiful tenderness to it.
41:34And then this really punchy, acidic, bright dressing
41:38to bind everything together.
41:40That with the coconut espuma,
41:42which was really cloud-like and soft, was really gorgeous.
41:45In terms of the brief itself,
41:47bringing this glowing phosphorescent-inspired dish
41:50to the table was deeply impressive.
41:52I felt the romance of the story.
41:54This is a truly unique dish and I'm blown away.
41:59That's great.
42:00The best thing for me about this dish is the sauce.
42:04It's like gangster juice, you know?
42:06It's like...
42:07It's so good.
42:08It's so acidic.
42:09It's so fresh.
42:10It's got that little kind of smokiness.
42:12It has all these levels of flavor
42:14and it combined everything together.
42:17Honestly, that's a very impressive dish.
42:20Thank you so much.
42:22Congratulations.
42:24I think we are proud of what we serve.
42:26Yeah, I'm really proud.
42:27If we don't mark this challenge as our top,
42:32there is always the elimination hanging on top of us.
42:39That was simply spectacular.
42:44Every single team embodied the magic of Luma
42:47in your own unique way.
42:50From a walk through the forest
42:52to a festival of light,
42:54you all showed unique character in your dishes.
42:58Josh and Bailey,
43:00Tommy and Danny,
43:02please step forward.
43:05Both dishes were executed perfectly.
43:08Your sauces both lifted and grounded the dish.
43:13But one dish gave us something
43:15we had never experienced before.
43:18And that dish belongs to Tommy and Danny.
43:27I thought we had it in the bag.
43:30Turns out we didn't.
43:33Congratulations, Tommy and Danny.
43:34You are safe from the next challenge,
43:36which is our first elimination.
43:40I'm glad.
43:41All those decisions that we take during the six hours,
43:45they came all together,
43:46everything held up.
43:48Yeah, it's early days in the competition,
43:49but we feel good.
43:56Welcome to Taste of Art's first elimination challenge.
43:59We want you to create a chocolate dish
44:02that is inspired by a heartwarming personal memory.
44:05We've got to nail this.
44:06Yes, we do.
44:07It's got water in it.
44:10You're panicking.
44:11Just breathe.
44:12Bring it.
44:13You're here to win.
44:13I do think it's just a little bit too safe.
44:15And breathe.
44:16It came down to the balance of the dish.
44:19And because of that,
44:20your time with us has come to an end.
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