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00:01Take three restaurants. Let's go. Aiming for culinary class. Look at that.
00:09Beautiful. I'm just getting Dan's balls out. We have had people throw up. Ask each
00:13to cook three fabulous courses. Now this is a bit of a show stopper. And get them
00:17to score in secret. Service! On today's show, scolding shenanigans. We've got the
00:24Nashville extremely. Oh no. I swallowed and I thought oh no. Comic book capers. I
00:31definitely would be Batman. Batman's the worst superhero. He's the logical superhero. I can
00:37definitely picture him wearing his pants on the outside of his trousers. And foodie
00:41forensics. I've never had a creme roulette hop before. I pulled it out as room
00:45temperature and that's how Michelin star chefs have it. It wasn't room temperature.
00:49As they compete for a plush of cold hard cash.
01:03Today's professional competition is in and around Exeter in Devon where the
01:07world-famous pasty was invented. Oh, I can hear the Cornish shouting already.
01:12And hoping to pasty foodie test are our first hosts, owner Dan and chef Luke who run
01:20eat the bird. Eat the bird are like the outlaws, the rebels of the burger trade. We're not
01:27quite a chicken shop and we're not a burger restaurant. We're kind of like outcast from
01:32there. How long for table three?
01:33It's coming. Come on. Everything's coming. From a flavour point of view, we're literally
01:38here to be outrageous, to be filthy, disgraceful. You know, we're the naughty kid in school.
01:44Table three want no bacon, please? No bacon? That's the best part. We would say we're friends,
01:49right? Right? I mean, we spend a lot of time together. Maybe it's Stockholm Syndrome at this
01:57point, but chicken Stockholm Syndrome. That's very good. Service, please. We're just confident
02:06in what we do. To the point of knowing that we will win. We will win. Yeah. We will. Just
02:12100% guaranteed. Time will tell, gents. Here we go. Enjoy. So what's the party plan for tonight?
02:18I think our menu is a celebration of the beautiful ways that people craft fried chicken across
02:25the world. And the first stop in their poultry pilgrimage is the starter, Korean chicken wings
02:31with kimchi. That doesn't jump off the page and make me go, oh, my God, I can't wait to
02:35eat those chicken wings. I mean, Korean food's great, chicken wings great, so I'm assuming the
02:40chef knows exactly what he's doing. Meet executive chef Simon and front of house manager Theo from
02:48the Puffing Billy. We serve pub classics. We try and put a little twist on them.
02:54We love doing local produce. All the suppliers are from local places.
02:58Simon isn't backward in coming forward. I don't suffer fools gladly. I can read people
03:04really well. You know, I can tell in the first five minutes whether they should or shouldn't
03:08be in the kitchen. Okay, chef, do we have any changes to the menus today?
03:12And it's all eyes on the prize. I think we've got what it takes to win the
03:16conversation because the food's great. We are one of the best places in the area. And
03:21I think that...
03:22Wow.
03:24Way to alienate us.
03:27Back at Eat the Bird and Dan's in a flap.
03:30So we're going to brine some wings. Got these absolute behemoths. Some might say turkey
03:36wings, but they're definitely chicken. They're absolutely huge.
03:38He submerges the wings in brine.
03:42Just going to let it sit for probably about six hours.
03:45And gives them a massage for good measure.
03:48You know what? It's really cold. When they come out, they're going to be the
03:51juiciest wings you've ever had in your life.
03:53They're in to chill and will be fried to order.
03:56It's going to be messy. I'm going to need a bib. I'm going to definitely need a bib for that.
04:01On to their Korean wing sauce. After gently frying sesame seeds, Luke adds vinegar and tomato sauce.
04:11We're going a bit slow. We need to catch up. You must have heard that one before.
04:18I don't think Dan's relishing this moment. It's all poured and the sauce will meet the wings later.
04:25So it's on to the main, the double dip burger.
04:29I think it's going to be another chicken dish. Or maybe dark dipper. Chicken dipper. Chicken dippers.
04:36Chicken dippers! That used to be a thing to say.
04:38We're going KFC, aren't we? Other chicken joints are available.
04:42Yeah, yeah, yeah!
04:44Say hello to head chef Rachel and partner front of house manager Darren, proprietors of the Lord Nelson Inn.
04:52Ooh!
04:54The ethos we have here is all about local produce cooked to the best way possible and all about punchy
05:01flavours.
05:02If you believe in your product, it sells perfectly, doesn't it?
05:05How much longer, darling?
05:06In a minute. I'll ring the bell when it's ready. Get out.
05:09I kind of self-barred myself from the kitchen by being very inept.
05:12And it's just massive and just lumbers around you and you're like, get away!
05:18Service! Dazza! Come on, come here.
05:21Kadri. Take it away. Hurry up.
05:24Quickly, Dazza!
05:25We're really looking forward to the competition, actually. It's going to be fun.
05:28Eating other places. We love eating. And in other places. So it's perfect for us.
05:34Back with the boys, Woody's a double dip burger anyway.
05:38We take the chicken, we dip the chicken with cheese and bacon and we dip it in gravy.
05:43And then we serve it to the table with a side of gravy so you can actually either dip it
05:47yourself or pour the gravy over the top.
05:50Where is this place?
05:51Oh, my God. We're probably going to a roadside cafe, I'd say.
05:55What we're going to do, we're going to make a roux. A roux is 50% fat to flour.
06:02That's how you get your bases from those sauces there. You make a bechamel.
06:05You have 10 grams of butter, 10 grams of flour and then 100 mils of milk.
06:09If you want to make a velouté, then you...
06:11Is everybody taking notes?
06:1210 grams of flour.
06:13No, I thought not.
06:14100 mils of stock.
06:15Once the roux's ready, in goes some water and a whole blend of herbs and spices.
06:22This is going to be the best gravy that anyone has ever had.
06:24Job done.
06:25What next?
06:26CHIPS!
06:27So this absolute beauty here is our potato chipper.
06:30We're going to get a whole sack through here in about 60 seconds.
06:36Do you think we've got enough for tonight?
06:38Up to the six people?
06:40Yeah.
06:40Give or take.
06:42They'll get fried for service and it's on to dessert.
06:47American breakfast cereal ice cream sandwich.
06:51Breakfast cereal ice cream sandwich.
06:54I think it's like a slab of ice cream with a wafer over the side, I would say.
06:57Mmm.
06:58Exciting.
06:59It's going to be super rich, super indulgent.
07:01Basically everything that you wanted to eat for breakfast when you were a kid wrapped up in ice cream.
07:05They whip up a cookie dough from flour, eggs and malt powder.
07:10I'm interested to know what cereal they're going to use.
07:12I'm a big fan of Coco Pops.
07:13While they aren't using them, the cereal's folded in.
07:18He's putting biscuits inside of biscuits.
07:21It's the kind of pioneering work we do here.
07:25Although I wouldn't put a pioneer, that would be painful.
07:28Once combined, it's squished into moulds.
07:31Right, shall we get these in the oven?
07:32Let's do it.
07:32Yeah.
07:33Cook it bottom, you go top.
07:34They're banged in to bake.
07:36Homemade ice cream will get sandwiched in between them for Pud Pud.
07:40Right, prep's done.
07:41Let's get ready for our guests.
07:42Amazing.
07:42Let's have a good night.
07:44How's everyone feeling?
07:45I think we've got it in the bag over these guys.
07:49God, he's confident in my cooking.
07:53I mean, a tree died for that.
07:55That is just...
07:56That is so sad that a tree died for that.
08:00The first guests are here, Darren and Rachel, from the Lord Nelson Inn.
08:05It's the bird.
08:06Hey!
08:07How's it going?
08:08You all right?
08:08Nice to meet you.
08:09I'm Dan, how's it going?
08:10Oh, hi Dan.
08:12Hi Dan, you all right?
08:13You good?
08:13You all right?
08:14I got you.
08:15Pain in the ass to start.
08:16Oh, thank you.
08:17You're very welcome.
08:17Must have heard we were coming.
08:19There we go.
08:20Cheers.
08:21What's the pain in the ass?
08:22So, this is a take on a Moscow mule, hence mule ass, you see?
08:26Oh, I like to take it.
08:28Yeah.
08:30Finally, Theo and Simon from the Puffing Billy.
08:33Hi.
08:34How are we doing?
08:35You all right?
08:36Simon.
08:36Dan.
08:37Hi, Luke.
08:37Simon.
08:38How's it going?
08:39Very good, how are you?
08:42Have you two met before?
08:44Do you know each other?
08:45I don't know, but Theo and I and Darren.
08:47I know you two.
08:47Yeah, we go back.
08:48Small world.
08:49Yeah, it's a pub trade.
08:50We know Theo from a pub that's just around the corner from us.
08:55Theo's a lovely guy, really lovely, but I don't think they're competition to us at all.
09:01Theo and Rachel knowing each other, I'm not really too worried about that.
09:04I think that probably leads in our favour because we're the unknown.
09:08We're going to hit them with that element of surprise.
09:10And I think in this situation, it's definitely appropriate to fear the unknown.
09:14He's drinking it.
09:14It's horrible.
09:17Oh, it's delicious.
09:18Beautiful.
09:19And here's a pain in the ass.
09:21Gloves are off now.
09:22Well, thank you all for coming.
09:24It's nice for us to be all together on our first evening.
09:26So let's have a good time and cheers.
09:28Cheers.
09:28Cheers.
09:31Coming up, dipping disagreements.
09:33It's not actually for me.
09:35I think gravy goes on the Sunday roast.
09:37I think Darren was just trying to maybe kick up a bit of fuss.
09:41And chef-y showdowns.
09:43It's very difficult to eat.
09:44Stop being so prudish.
09:46Get yourself in there.
09:47You're a chef.
09:48Yes, I am.
09:48And when Simon kept going, ooh, I was like, oh, shut up.
09:58It's night one in and around Exeter.
10:00Cheers.
10:01Cheers.
10:02Where professionals Dan and Luke of Eat the Bird are hoping not to foul up their chances
10:07of the £1,000 prize with their flavoursome fried chicken food.
10:11We've met the folks now.
10:13We have no idea what they're going to be serving to us.
10:16But we've got a chance to prove who we are.
10:18And I think we're going to set the bar.
10:21Yeah.
10:21While Luke cracks on with the starter, the guests have made a champion discovery.
10:26They've won lots of awards for wings by the looks of things.
10:29It says better than KFC.
10:32It's a good job you're my wingman.
10:34Oh!
10:35And it takes a lot to be able to achieve something like that.
10:38So I'm not really threatened by it because we're a total different dynamic.
10:43Back in the kitchen, Luke's sizzling up his wings in the pressure fryer.
10:47So these are the same wings that we used when we won our awards,
10:50which is absolutely fantastic.
10:52So hopefully we get to recreate that kind of vibe.
10:54This is not something that your nan would normally have in the kitchen.
10:57This is definitely a specialist piece of equipment.
10:59You don't know my nan.
11:00Oh!
11:02Hello.
11:03Beans for breakfast.
11:05Once done, the wings take a spicy bath.
11:07This is definitely a Korean barbecue sauce with salt.
11:11Capital gag there.
11:13They're generously portioned and smothered in spicy mayo.
11:17Let's go.
11:18Let's go.
11:18Let's serve.
11:19Voila!
11:19Korean chicken wings with kimchi.
11:22Here we go.
11:23I like outrageous.
11:24I love outrageous.
11:25Are you a stripper or are you a no-er?
11:29Um, we're about to find that out.
11:32Dig in.
11:36I think delicious.
11:38That's delicious.
11:39I think the kimchi, nice and crunchy, adds that extra flavour.
11:42Um, just a nice little kick to them as well.
11:46And the chicken is really nice and tender as well.
11:48Yeah, really good.
11:49I really love that.
11:51I'd get that all over my beard if I had one.
11:53It was just so juicy and it just came off the bone.
11:56For those wings, I'm definitely a stripper.
11:59Can't you tell?
12:00Noted.
12:01Very tasty.
12:02Very good.
12:03Thank you so much.
12:04Each mouthful's different every time, so it's not the same,
12:07which can be quite boring.
12:09After the third one, I could have eaten another 20, so...
12:12Yeah, they were very tasty.
12:13Yeah, they were very tasty, yeah.
12:14It was well done.
12:15It was very, very well done.
12:16We saw that you won awards for your wings, which is phenomenal,
12:19and I can see why you've won them.
12:21Well done.
12:21When we won, we were actually genuinely blown away by it.
12:24It's our first year going to Wingfest
12:26and, like, there's some of the best chicken slingers in the country there.
12:29Did you get to meet the Colonel?
12:30Oh, Simon.
12:31LAUGHTER
12:33That's a winner.
12:34I think it was absolutely lovely.
12:35I've eaten all around the world, and my favourite experience
12:37was actually sat in Thailand with the Thai women
12:39eating their hottest chilli chicken.
12:43We were all covered in chicken everywhere.
12:45Are you a fan of hot chicken?
12:47I love hot.
12:47Spicy chicken.
12:49Interesting.
12:50Maybe later on we can bring out some hot wings, if you...
12:53Yeah, let's do it.
12:54We can do hot wings.
12:55Fantastic.
12:55I'm up for that.
12:57Excellent.
12:57You might regret that.
13:00I think that was £1,000 starter, definitely.
13:02Main course time, Luke.
13:03Are you ready?
13:04I was born ready.
13:05Is that gravy boiling?
13:06Oh, it's all gravy, mate.
13:07Is the chicken ready?
13:08Oh, the chicken is...
13:09Oh.
13:09It's still in the fridge, actually.
13:10It's probably cooking.
13:11Wonderful.
13:12Cool.
13:12Have a good one.
13:14Luke dredges his breasts in spicy flour, and they get their crunch on.
13:20Hey, Luke.
13:20How are you getting on?
13:21You all right?
13:22Living the dream.
13:23The now crispy chick is dressed with bacon and cheese.
13:26These are the wings for Rachel.
13:28They've been coated in our Nashville extreme powder.
13:32It's just so hot.
13:33We have had people throw up.
13:35Delightful.
13:36I'll bring me brolly.
13:37The burgers are built, and their signature gravy is slathered on.
13:42Fries join the party, and there's that gravy again.
13:45And here's the double dip burger.
13:48Whoa!
13:49And a hot wing for Rachel.
13:51Good cluck to you.
13:52Now, this is a bit of a showstopper.
13:55We've got our gravy-dipped chicken.
13:57We've got our gravy here.
13:58This is for dipping your burger in, hence double dip.
14:01So, we have prepared something a little extra for you today, Rachel.
14:06We've got the Nashville extreme wing.
14:09Right, guys, let's dig in, eh?
14:10You need it all down your face, otherwise you're not doing it properly.
14:13Yeah.
14:14Mmm.
14:16Get stuck in.
14:19It was a very interesting concept, having a double dip burger.
14:22Yeah.
14:23But it did taste nice.
14:24Pleasantly surprised.
14:25Flavour?
14:26Brilliant.
14:27It's not actually for me.
14:29I'm not really a gravy, and I think gravy goes with a Sunday roast.
14:33I won't be heading off for a...
14:36Double dip.
14:37Double dip.
14:38Chicken burger and gravy any time soon.
14:40I think Darren was just trying to maybe kick up a bit of fuss.
14:45Which is fair, I mean, it's a competition.
14:47And things are about to get a whole lot spicier.
14:49Does anyone have any milk on hand before we attempt this?
14:53I don't ever do milk.
14:54How do I eat this, lads?
14:55Quickly.
14:56Without thinking too much.
14:58Don't think about it.
14:58Looks dangerous.
14:59I think just put it all in.
15:02Oh, no.
15:03Oh, no.
15:05That's a scary look.
15:06Yeah, it's hot.
15:08Yeah, it's quite hot.
15:09Can I try it?
15:09I just won't breathe.
15:11I think they just put pure, like, crazy stuff onto the wings.
15:14Then I did the sucky thing.
15:16I swallowed, and then my whole chest went really...
15:20And I thought, oh, no.
15:21Shall we hand the rest over?
15:23Go on, Simon.
15:24Are you going to eat any more of that?
15:25Yeah, I'll spit in it.
15:27Go on, Simon.
15:28Are you mad?
15:29The lot, the lot.
15:31Oh, no.
15:32I could tell from your reaction that I don't think you enjoyed it.
15:34My eyebrows have never sweated before.
15:35That was a new one.
15:37Is it bad?
15:38Hmm.
15:39It was terrible.
15:44I hate you.
15:45I'm really sorry.
15:46We're evil.
15:47Oh, whoopsie.
15:48It's all right.
15:49I'm just breathing.
15:52No sympathy from me, I'm afraid.
15:54We've been trying to work out while we've been cooking
15:57what the relationships are with everybody.
15:59Darren, Rach, what are your relationships in your business?
16:02What do you think?
16:04Mother and son.
16:05I think you might be in trouble later.
16:11I'm not sure it went down well.
16:13It was just a joke.
16:14What an idiot.
16:15It's just you don't ever do that to a woman, do you?
16:17Yeah.
16:18And I think I might just lose my rag by day three.
16:20Are you ready to cool off with dessert?
16:22Yep.
16:23No, you are.
16:24He definitely is.
16:25It's time for put.
16:27Your ice cream, sir.
16:28Thank you so much.
16:29Straight from the freezer.
16:31Luke prods his cookies, applies the ice cream,
16:35and with a flourish of caramel and cereal, it's done.
16:39Breakfast cereal ice cream sandwich.
16:45It's very tasty.
16:47Yep.
16:47It's very difficult to eat.
16:49I think you need another, like, utensil to eat with it.
16:52I think it's very delicious.
16:54I love sweet food.
16:56So, for me, I'm in a little bit of heaven right now.
16:59You can't put your fingers on top because of that.
17:02It's not something that you eat, like...
17:04Stop being so prudish.
17:05Get yourself in there.
17:06Yeah.
17:07You're a chef.
17:08Yes.
17:09Yes, I am.
17:09And when Simon kept going, ooh, I was like, oh, shut up.
17:13Enjoy it.
17:13God.
17:15But...
17:15Someone give Simon a knife.
17:17Yeah.
17:17Just give him a knife.
17:19I'm going to give him four knives tomorrow night.
17:20You wait.
17:21I'm going to go, right, there's all your knives.
17:22Yeah, we're not talking about in the back, darling.
17:24I really, really hope that you've had a good time tonight.
17:26Hey, I think we've had a clucking good night.
17:29Hey!
17:30Hey!
17:31Cheers, guys.
17:33Marvellous.
17:34I think tonight was a winning night.
17:35You know, I think we ticked the boxes that we wanted to tick.
17:38I think we made people happy on the most part.
17:42Scores out of 20, please.
17:44Hosts were great tonight.
17:46Most of the food was really good,
17:48but a couple of the elements didn't really hit home for us.
17:51So, that's why tonight we're scoring Dan and Luke...
17:54A 15.
17:55The host did really well tonight.
17:57And I think the food exceeded my expectations,
18:00and that's why we're going to score them...
18:01A 14.
18:03So, eat the bird a first out of the coop,
18:06starting the competition with a not-so-eggy 29 points.
18:16It's day two in and around Exeter,
18:18and at the Lord Nelson Inn...
18:20Come on, let's get to work.
18:21Yeah, let's get on it.
18:22It's a Rachel and Darren sandwich.
18:25I think being in the middle is actually good,
18:28because you've met everyone now,
18:29and now you can set your game plan a little bit higher.
18:32I think Darren and Rachel are like this power couple.
18:35I think they've got a lot to give,
18:38and I'm really excited to taste her food.
18:41Rachel and Darren, I think they're playing their cards
18:44pretty close to their chest.
18:45I think, you know, they're quietly confident,
18:47which...
18:48Actually, they're not quietly confident,
18:49they're very confident.
18:51So, team, any strategies up your sleeves?
18:54No particular tactics we've got in mind,
18:56we're just going to let the food sing.
18:58We're local, sustainable and bold.
19:01In flavour.
19:03And they're starting with the main course,
19:05famous three-day pork belly ramen.
19:08Famous three-day belly...
19:10..pork belly ramen?
19:11What makes it famous, do you think?
19:13I don't know.
19:13Rachel?
19:14It's famous because people keep coming back for it.
19:17Well, that's fair enough.
19:19Three days?
19:20Three...
19:20Well, it would be the broth, right?
19:23This is our ramen broth,
19:24and what we do is we boil up these beauties.
19:28What on earth are those?
19:29Look, big strotters.
19:30Oh, lovely.
19:32These strotters are lovely to put into a broth
19:34because it gives it oodles and oodles of flavour.
19:37I don't know about you, Luke,
19:38but with ramen, for me,
19:39it's something that broth is so important,
19:42getting that salinity, a bit of umami.
19:44It takes a while, and that flavour has got to hit you
19:47because that's what that dish is all about.
19:49For the pork belly marinade, they start with garlic.
19:54Approximately 55.5ml of honey paste in there.
20:00OK, so where are the scales?
20:02Actually, I can work this out, can't I?
20:03Just give it a good glug in there, sweetie.
20:06In it's glugged.
20:07Ginger is chopped and the belly is bathed till later.
20:13So it's on to the starter.
20:15Hand-dived scallops with hoisin and spring onion,
20:18and for seafood allergic Dan,
20:20and duck bonbons with hoisin and spring onion.
20:22The scallops have got such a subtle flavour
20:25that I think the hoisin might a little overpower it,
20:28but again, you know, I'm open-minded.
20:29You've got to be careful with scallops as well,
20:30cooking them and stuff.
20:31Yeah.
20:32Timing will be everything on that, I think.
20:34Scallops are one of my favourite shellfishes.
20:37They're so, so good, so sweet.
20:39The hoisin as well, interesting.
20:41That's a sweet sauce.
20:42Show us your seafood, then.
20:44These are our hand-dived scallops,
20:47which I've already shucked.
20:49So these are just caught off the coast of Devon?
20:51By a local guy who's...
20:53From a very secret spot.
20:54Yeah.
20:55Yeah, very secret location.
20:57But when he brings them, they're absolutely divine.
21:00Yeah.
21:00They'll be cooked tonight alongside Dan's bonbons.
21:05On to dessert.
21:06Whiskey and Irish cream creme brulee with a Madeleine.
21:11It's funny, I thought they'd go for creme brulee.
21:13They look like creme brulee people.
21:14Whatever that means.
21:16Irish cream is whisky with cream.
21:18So we've got whisky, whisky with cream and then cream.
21:22And when you put it like that...
21:24To the custard base...
21:25We need to make it taste really good.
21:28..she adds booze.
21:30Lots of booze.
21:31I reckon it needs more whisky.
21:32Lots and lots of booze.
21:38That's very boozy.
21:39Could be the booze.
21:40Good.
21:41If you like booze, that is.
21:43She funnels into coffee mugs, nifty idea, and bakes.
21:47They'll serve with the Madeleines later.
21:50And that's prep sorted.
21:51So let's go and get ready for our guests.
21:53Let's go and have a drink, shall we?
21:54Definitely.
21:56Off you trot, then.
21:59I would say this menu would take a lot of effort.
22:02It would take a lot of thought.
22:04And there's a lot of things that could go wrong with it.
22:06I don't feel under pressure.
22:07I'm quite confident in our menu.
22:09Game on.
22:10Fighting talk.
22:13First in, Dan and Luke.
22:15Yeah, this looks nice, doesn't it?
22:17Yeah.
22:18Hey.
22:19How are you doing?
22:21How are you doing?
22:21How are you doing?
22:22Good to see you again.
22:23Nice to see you, man.
22:23Nice to see you.
22:24Nice to see you.
22:26Oh, we can all get in each other's way.
22:28How are we doing?
22:28You all right?
22:29How did you feel about last night?
22:30Oh, massive relief to get that out of the way now.
22:32Now we've got the rest of the week to just enjoy some lovely feet.
22:36Exciting.
22:36Really, don't be a hero.
22:39This must be the place.
22:40Looks nice.
22:41It's only Theo and Simon.
22:43Hello, guys.
22:44Hello.
22:45Just grab your drink, guys.
22:47Can't have you empty-handed.
22:48Thank you very much.
22:49What have we got?
22:50It's a Tuscan mule, so it's an Italian slant on the classic Moscow mule.
22:56We had a great night last night.
22:57Hopefully tonight will be equally as good.
23:00And thanks all for coming.
23:01And I just want to say cheers to everyone.
23:03Cheers.
23:04Cheers.
23:05Coming up, a drippy diner.
23:08I've given up on the chopsticks, though.
23:10I'm going for the fork now, I think.
23:12I don't blame you.
23:12As you can see, I've worn most my ramen broth on my sweatshirt.
23:17And laughable look-alikes.
23:19If Theo was a movie character, it'd be Kevin McCallister from Home Alone.
23:33It's night two of the professionals' competition in and around Exeter.
23:37Cheers.
23:38Where Rachel and Darren of the Lord Nelson Inn are hoping for a taste of HMS victory
23:43to the tune of £1,000.
23:45Last night was a great night at Eat the Bird.
23:48I mean, the boys really shone.
23:50But tonight, hopefully, we will absolutely smash it.
23:53They'll absolutely love our food.
23:56Dan's duck bonbons are fried.
23:58At this point, I'm just getting Dan's balls out.
24:00I hope he's enjoying it.
24:01Steady.
24:02She piles in pancetta.
24:04You get the saltiness of the bacon,
24:06and then it goes lovely with a sweet scallop.
24:09And once the scallops are seared,
24:11she combines the lot with voisin sauce.
24:14Looking good.
24:15Good.
24:16They're placed on fancy plates and it's ready.
24:18Hand-dived scallops with pancetta and hoisin sauce.
24:22And for seafood allergic Dan, duck bonbons.
24:25There you go, Theo.
24:26Lovely, thank you.
24:28Look at this lap.
24:30Bon appetit, everyone.
24:36Looks like you've enjoyed that.
24:37I absolutely adore scallops and these are absolutely fantastic.
24:42Having the pancetta on there with the sweetness of the hoisin
24:44and then the sweetness of the scallops as well.
24:46Having that, like, salinity and that saltiness and that extra chew
24:50brought a little bit of texture and balance to it.
24:52I don't know why you keep looking at me,
24:54because I had the duck bonbons.
24:55And your duck balls.
24:57These duck bonbons, they are absolutely quacking.
25:00LAUGHTER
25:01Oh, love it.
25:02Poison, the bacon and all that, it just worked really, really well.
25:05Very, very good.
25:06Good, thank you.
25:06On the menu that says these were hand-caught, is that true?
25:09Yeah, yeah, it is actually true.
25:11So, a friend of mine goes diving for scallops,
25:13sometimes he gets the odd lobster,
25:15but he actually dives from 9 to 12 metres
25:17to actually get them with his hand
25:19and pulls them straight back to put them in the bag.
25:22That's lovely. I love that.
25:22It's a long, big, deep breath that he has to take,
25:25because it's all by snorkel.
25:27That's one lengthy snorkel.
25:29They were hand-dived.
25:31Usually, chefs tend to use buzzwords
25:32to try and, like, incorporate things like that into their menus
25:36to get customers to get excited about it.
25:39It had a story, and... Yeah, definitely.
25:40I think that was important.
25:42Thank you, guys.
25:44I feel like crying now.
25:46The feedback was amazing.
25:47I'm so proud of you, darling.
25:48You did all the work on that dish, that's for sure.
25:51And it was delicious.
25:52Main course time.
25:54Their pork belly graces the grill.
25:57The three-day stock is strained and Pak Choy is boiled.
26:02Are your noodles done?
26:04Yeah, they're done.
26:05The meat is carved into bite-sized portions.
26:08Red cabbage.
26:09And the ramen comes together.
26:11This ramen can walk the walk and pork the pork.
26:14And here it is, famous three-day pork belly ramen
26:18with red cabbage, Pak Choy, chilli and a poached egg.
26:24Wow.
26:25Just enjoy Bon Appetit.
26:30What makes this a three-day ramen?
26:34So, basically, I cook the bones out for three days,
26:38which gives it, you know, what it's like to make a stock.
26:40Yeah, yeah, yeah.
26:41The longer you cook those bones for, the nice and...
26:45Yeah, you can taste it.
26:45So, it's, like, really intensifying that flavour.
26:48Incredibly rich, like, sticky lip kind of richness.
26:51Yeah, sometimes, where you have broths like that,
26:53they're a bit wishy-washy, but that definitely wasn't.
26:56It is incredible.
26:57It's really, really good.
26:58I've given up on the chopsticks, though.
27:02I'm going for the fork now, I think.
27:04I don't blame you.
27:05As you can see, I've worn most of my ramen broth on my sweatshirt.
27:10Yeah, but it was great.
27:12Like, I really enjoyed the broth.
27:14I think it had a great, sort of, like, marrow-y, fatty viscosity to it.
27:18Having an Asian starter and then an Asian main course
27:21is not something I would have picked personally.
27:23I thought the broth was flavoursome,
27:25but there was an element of, like, a film of grease
27:28that I kept... I could keep tasting it.
27:31Probably would have gone with Pak Choy over red cabbage.
27:33Did you not get a bit of Pak Choy? No, I didn't.
27:35Oh, I'm so sorry.
27:36That's all right, that's all right.
27:37It's like my favourite vegetable.
27:39I was annoyed that everyone got Pak Choy.
27:42I didn't.
27:43We didn't give him a little bit of Bok Choy.
27:45There was one person not to put the Bok Choy in it with Simon,
27:47wasn't it?
27:48We all have Bok Choy apart from Simon.
27:51Yeah, I do.
27:51It's his favourite vegetable.
27:52Oh, dear.
27:53Anyone fancy a game of who's who?
27:56If Theo was a movie character,
27:58it'd be Kevin McCallister from Home Alone.
28:00LAUGHTER
28:04Do the face, do the face, do the face.
28:07LAUGHTER
28:10Oh, yes!
28:11It's uncanny.
28:14And look, there's Joe Pesci.
28:18It's dessert time.
28:19In the kitchen, Rachel's torching the creme brulee.
28:22Burn, baby, burn.
28:24Disco Inferno.
28:25Indeed.
28:25Her madeleines are sauced.
28:28And here we go.
28:28Creme brulee.
28:30Away!
28:31Hooray!
28:32Whisky and Irish cream-infused creme brulee
28:35with a homemade madeleine.
28:37I hope it's boozy enough for you.
28:39I really wanted to get that punch of booze in there for us.
28:49A solidified hot toddy kind of thing, so it was a nice pick-me-up.
28:53Dessert was really well presented.
28:55I think the coffee mug was a great idea for the creme brulee,
28:59point of difference.
29:00Good flavour.
29:01I've never had a creme brulee hot before.
29:04That is a first for me.
29:06Um, usually they're chilled,
29:09which, you know, concentrates the flavour a lot more.
29:13The only problem I have with it,
29:14and it is just a very small problem,
29:16I think it's, because it's hot,
29:18you can almost, the egg is almost scrambled a little bit,
29:21and I think that's one of the reasons why most people
29:23usually eat them chilled, because it's got time to reset.
29:26Well, I read, can I just say...
29:28Oh, yes, of course.
29:28I read that if you use it,
29:31because I pulled it out as room temperature.
29:32Yeah.
29:32And that's how Michelin star chefs have it.
29:34No, I'm not saying it's wrong.
29:36No, no, no.
29:36I'm not saying it's wrong, it's just I've never had it hot.
29:38It wasn't room temperature,
29:39it was a lot hotter than room temperature.
29:41He said it was hot when it wasn't hot,
29:43it was just room temperature.
29:45And it's boozy.
29:45Very boozy.
29:46It is definitely boozy.
29:47This is, like, quite boozy,
29:49but I think there's a guy to my right
29:50that would, like, happily take it up.
29:52Couldn't eat it, so I passed it on to Luke, so...
29:56The hardships of this job
29:58are absolutely insane.
29:59With dessert-dividing opinion,
30:01the pros are looking for a front-of-house fix.
30:05So, guys, we all have them.
30:07What do you reckon is the best way
30:09to get rid of an awkward customer?
30:10To hush them out,
30:11so I just kind of, like, shimmy them.
30:13Let's go, and I'm talking to them
30:14as they're moving backwards.
30:15You know, and then it's like,
30:16oh, there's the door, goodbye.
30:18Ah, lock the door.
30:20I just walk out with a plastic cup,
30:22pour their pint into it,
30:23and say, there's the door.
30:24He goes, right, guys, we're close.
30:27Bye.
30:28And you're like,
30:29Darren, you can't do that.
30:31And he goes, yes, I can.
30:32Watch me.
30:32Last orders.
30:34I'm just happy with myself and happy with Darren.
30:36I just couldn't have asked for a better night.
30:38And your scores.
30:39So, tonight, Darren and Rachel did a wonderful job,
30:42although we thought there was a couple of points
30:44that could do with a little bit of work.
30:46So, we're going to give them a 15.
30:48A 15.
30:48I kind of didn't like the greasiness of the ramen,
30:52and my creme brulee was curdled.
30:55And that's why we're going to score them a 12.
30:58So, the Lord Nelson Inn sails serenely into second place,
31:03scoring 27 out of 40,
31:05putting them just behind Eat the Bird.
31:12It's the final day in and around Exeter,
31:15and on hosting duties are front-of-house manager Theo
31:18and executive chef Simon.
31:20Hey.
31:21Let's get to work.
31:22Let's get ready. Let's do it.
31:23I'm excited about tonight.
31:25I'm excited, yeah.
31:26I mean, it's cooking for, like, six people.
31:28It's not exactly rocket science.
31:30To me, it's just a job.
31:32Right, Theo, could you get me a pound of flour, please?
31:35Yes, mate.
31:36I'm really excited about tonight.
31:38I feel like this could be the night that we just get blown away.
31:41Simon picked up on certain things on other people's dishes,
31:46so we should be expecting a phenomenal meal tonight.
31:50Phenomenal.
31:51Phenomenal.
31:51Phenomenal.
31:52Phenomenal.
31:53That's easy for you to see.
31:54Now, what's on the menu?
31:56We've chosen dishes that are, like, that we do regularly
31:59and, like, they're in season and they're...
32:01Yeah, and they're local.
32:02..literally sings what we're about.
32:03Yeah.
32:04First up is their starter,
32:06Hale's Quail's Black Fudding Scotch Egg
32:08with pickled red cabbage, caraway seeds and homemade brown sauce.
32:13Wow.
32:15That's a lot.
32:15There's a lot there.
32:17Can you give us a minute just to go through this?
32:19Yeah, we'll come back to you.
32:20I mean, it's something we've had on our menu similar to this,
32:24so it'd be interesting to see how it compares to ours.
32:27Pickled red cabbage, partridge in a pear tree.
32:30And a kitchen sink.
32:31Brilliant.
32:31That's the whole lot.
32:33Let's not be silly, lads.
32:35Theo's tasked with shelling the tiny eggs.
32:38Come on, you little beauty.
32:39Look at that.
32:40Beautiful.
32:41Well done, you.
32:42Next, Simon buries them in his meat.
32:45Take all four corners.
32:47Bring her up.
32:49Just going to slightly twist.
32:51You know, I think people think Caitlin's just all glamour, isn't it?
32:54But they don't see this bit.
32:55Let it unravel.
32:59They're looking nice, though, Simon.
33:01Making Scotch eggs every day is an absolute nightmare.
33:03Doing that with quail eggs as well, you have to be so careful
33:06they can be overcooked so easily.
33:07I'm not going to lie to you, it sounds like a mouthful.
33:11Literally one mouthful.
33:12Literally one mouthful, yeah.
33:12I don't know, they're pretty sizeable.
33:14How's that one looking?
33:15Perfect.
33:16Beautiful.
33:18On to their main course.
33:21Slow braised venison in tomato ragu with pancetta,
33:24beef dripping potato rosti, caramelised baby onions,
33:28celeriac puree, pickled blackberries and crispy kale.
33:31Sounds like quite a hearty winter dish.
33:35It was going really well until we got to tomato ragu
33:39and it seems very sort of like...
33:42Is it a stew?
33:42No, it's not.
33:44Simon lightly fries his venison.
33:46See, I don't want it to be too brown.
33:49People who live in Devon love game.
33:51We all love a bit of game.
33:52Yeah.
33:52Big fan of venison though.
33:54I usually don't buy it because it's a little too dear.
33:56But, er...
33:57I'm rather fond of that one.
34:01He lets the steaks rest and strains the ragu.
34:05Beautiful colour, nice glaze.
34:09Delicious.
34:11That is delicious.
34:12Actually, that is actually pretty good, yeah.
34:13I can't even hide that.
34:15That's...
34:15That is delicious.
34:16The venison will be braised in the sauce later.
34:21Dessert time, lemon and elderflower tarts with vanilla ice cream
34:24and crystallised lemon zest.
34:27Sounds delicious.
34:28I love...
34:29You know, I love a pudding.
34:30This feels a little bit classic for me.
34:32Um, this is...
34:33This is a bit...
34:34A bit more old school.
34:36Simon makes a start on his tart filling.
34:40That's why we stand here and look pretty.
34:41Mm-hmm.
34:42We're gonna add some elderflower syrup.
34:45Really difficult to get lemon and elderflower to sit together well
34:49because the elderflower is such a delicate flavour,
34:52you're either gonna have to tone down the lemon
34:53or just go really heavy on the elderflower.
34:55As long as we don't have lemon anywhere else in the dessert.
34:57Oh, crystallised lemon zest.
35:00And things are getting citrusy.
35:02And I like to do this by hand because I don't like machines.
35:05The machine doesn't tell me when it's ready.
35:06My hand does.
35:08I'm not a massive dessert fan, but, um, if I do have a dessert,
35:11it's either a cheese board or a tart.
35:14So, um...
35:15You love a tart.
35:17The pastry case is created with a miniature Theo watching on.
35:23Great technique, Simon.
35:25Once it's blind-baked, the tart is ready for cooking.
35:28Now, the secret of this is to not cook it too fast.
35:31It's all ready for service.
35:34Nice one.
35:36Thoughts?
35:37All week we've been sort of led up a mountain up to a cliff top
35:40and Simon's guiding us up there and tonight we're gonna jump off,
35:43attached to him.
35:44Either the parachute's gonna open and we're gonna glide peacefully
35:47down to the ground or we're just gonna hit the floor.
35:49Quite the image.
35:50If Simon can knock this out of the park and, um...
35:55really deliver on it, I think it's a menu to worry about.
35:58First to arrive are Darren and Rachel.
36:01Nice robe, Darren.
36:02Oh, good evening, guys.
36:05I'm a hugger, mate.
36:06I'm a hugger.
36:06Nice to see you.
36:07Good to see you, bud.
36:08Nice to see you, Theo.
36:09Nice to see you.
36:09How are you?
36:10Oh, it's warm in here.
36:13Finally, it's Dan and Luke.
36:15Hey!
36:16Nice to see you again.
36:17Oh, it's lovely, isn't it?
36:18So, are you ready for tonight?
36:20Yep.
36:21Working hard all day?
36:22All day.
36:22So I'm so hungry.
36:23Good.
36:23All right.
36:24I've been working hard in the kitchen,
36:25and I'm just looking forward to your feedback,
36:27and hopefully you enjoy a good night.
36:28Here's to a good night, guys.
36:29Cheers.
36:30Cheers.
36:31Coming up, spuddy squabbling.
36:34Okay, we have a beef-dripping rusty potato.
36:38Rusty.
36:38We have a beef-dripping rusty potato.
36:41Rusty?
36:42Will you shut up?
36:44I've never heard of a rusty.
36:46And someone lands the lolly.
36:48Okay.
36:49Ooh.
36:56It's the final night of the competition in and around Exeter.
37:00Cheers!
37:01Cheers!
37:02Where Theo and Simon of the Puffing Billy
37:04hope to carry off the £1,000 cash prize.
37:07We're ready to win the £1,000.
37:09Let's go.
37:10Simon's Scotch eggs get browned up.
37:13Perfect colour.
37:14Once fried, it's time to get dressed.
37:16Are you ready for a half in hand, chef?
37:18Certainly.
37:18Would you mind getting the sauce for me?
37:20I can.
37:21It's behind me, my darling.
37:22Lovely.
37:23Theo adds the brown sauce to pickled cabbage,
37:26while Simon slices.
37:28Let's go, chef.
37:29And here it is.
37:31Hale's quail's black pudding Scotch egg
37:33with pickled cabbage and homemade brown sauce.
37:36There you go, sir.
37:38There you go, buddy.
37:39Enjoy.
37:41Dig in, guys.
37:47This is really, really lovely.
37:48The presentation is fantastic.
37:50But trying the brown sauce and then thinking,
37:53oh, this is a bit sweet.
37:54Normally, brown sauce has that pretty big hit of acidity
37:56and, like, you know, vinegariness, that acetic note.
37:59Then you have some with the red cabbage,
38:01and then you're like, there it is.
38:03That's what we're going for there.
38:05It's really, really nice.
38:06My scotch, if you could call it that, on the outside of the egg,
38:10was probably a bit wider and chunky than I'd be used to.
38:13Yeah, much larger scotch egg than I was actually picturing.
38:17Egg to scotch ratio.
38:19Bit out of whack.
38:20Bit larger than usual.
38:21Yeah, it was like my egg was a little bit lost.
38:23It was a little lonely island floating in a sea of sausage meat.
38:26The meat of the scotch egg, really delicious.
38:30I love a scotch egg.
38:32Like, especially when...
38:34I would like to actually cut through it, though,
38:36to see if the egg yolk was...
38:38I agree with you, cos I'm exactly the same,
38:40but for a presentation thing,
38:42it just looks better when you can see the glaze from the yolk.
38:45Yeah.
38:45Well, it was delicious.
38:46It was lovely, actually, to see the quail egg that was runny,
38:52cos it takes effort and skill.
38:55Verdict.
38:56I think it could be a winning starter.
38:57We had lots of empty plates.
38:59We had runny egg yolks for the quail's egg, which was good.
39:03Main course.
39:04The spuds are in.
39:06I'm just keeping the glaze on the venetine,
39:08cos the inside of it will be moist,
39:09but the outside of it looks like an old rubber shoe
39:11if you don't look after it properly.
39:13And nobody wants that.
39:14How long till already, chef?
39:16Two minutes, I reckon, Theo.
39:17Beautiful.
39:18Time to get creative.
39:20Theo paints on celeriac puree and ploncs on potato.
39:24Things get meaty.
39:27And adorned with greenery.
39:30This'll keep us in the game.
39:32Oh, yeah.
39:33And here it is.
39:34Deep breath.
39:36Slow braised venison and tomato ragu with pancetta,
39:39potato, rosti, caramelised baby onion, celeriac,
39:41puree, pickled blackberries and crispy kale.
39:44I think I need to lie down.
39:46There you go, sir.
39:46Thank you so much.
39:48There you are.
39:50Yum.
39:51OK, we have a beef-dripping rusty potato.
39:54Rusty.
39:55We have a beef-dripping rusty potato.
39:58Rusty.
39:59Will you shut up?
40:00Is it rosty?
40:02Rusty.
40:02Rusty.
40:03Rusty as a potato rusty.
40:04Is it a rosty or a rosty?
40:07I don't know what a rosty is.
40:09I saw it's rosty.
40:10And when I went, it's rosty, and you went, it's rosty.
40:12Potato, potato.
40:13I've never heard of a rosty.
40:15It looks amazing.
40:22I'm an absolute fiend for these shallots, mate.
40:26I've always been a fan of shallots when they're cooked and presented this way.
40:31That, alongside the ragout and the puree,
40:34it's like you could just literally just give me a bowl of those and I'd die a happy man.
40:38All of these elements are really, really nice, but I think everything would have been just a little bit better
40:42if maybe we just wound down the amount that we were putting on a plate and just focused on fewer
40:47elements
40:47and just made sure we really got that tight.
40:50I think it's absolutely beautiful.
40:53I love the rosty.
40:55Well done. You got it.
40:56It's fantastic.
40:57There's loads of different tastes and textures and, yeah, really enjoying it.
41:04Really worked well together.
41:05I enjoyed the main course.
41:06Crispy kale, that was nice.
41:08Oh, I love that crispy kale.
41:10Crispy kale was delicious.
41:11I felt like Bugs Bunny.
41:14I think the main course went down quite well.
41:18Everyone seemed to be quite positive about it.
41:20I was very happy with the look and I was very happy with the comments I received.
41:24Hopefully it should be a winning main course.
41:26We're all restaurateurs, as it were.
41:28If you were to be anything else as youngsters, what would you be?
41:33Go!
41:34Batman.
41:34Me too.
41:35I could see you as Batman.
41:37I definitely would be Batman.
41:38Batman's the worst superhero.
41:40He's got no powers of his own.
41:42He's the logical superhero.
41:44I think Simon would make a good Batman because he's got his Robin.
41:48Theo's his Robin.
41:49And I can definitely picture him wearing his pants on the outside of his trousers.
41:52It's a win-win.
41:54Holy dessert time, Batman!
41:56Simon dusts and slices.
41:59He adds ice cream, a drizzle of elderflower syrup, and it's all set to serve.
42:05Lemon and elderflower tart with a raspberry coulee and crystallised lemon zest.
42:18It's really nice.
42:19For me, the elderflower's a little bit lost.
42:22Yeah, I can't do that.
42:24There's elderflower in it and there's an elderflower syrup pulled over the ice cream as well.
42:28Nice, yeah.
42:29Just because of the promise, it will get, it does tend to lose something when you're cooking it in a
42:33tart.
42:34I just didn't taste any, if I'm going to be perfectly honest.
42:36I agree.
42:37Unfortunately, if it was in two different elements and you still didn't get it, then you're just not going to
42:41get it.
42:42It's zesty.
42:43A little bit sweet.
42:44Yeah, it's nice.
42:46Oh, the tart's delicious.
42:49The pastry's my grandfather's recipe.
42:50I'm confused.
42:51I quite like a tart tart, so it was, it came through with that.
42:58I was quite happy with that.
42:59We had lots of clean plates around the table.
43:01Everyone seemed to get stuck in and just wanted to keep eating the tart and I didn't see much tart
43:05left at the end of it.
43:06So it's been a really fantastic week, guys, and may the best business win.
43:10Cheers, guys.
43:12I spent most of my life in a kitchen, so I think we've done enough to win.
43:16Time to find out the Puffing Billy needs 30 points to grab that grand.
43:21Tonight, Simon and Theo are a great company.
43:23I think the menu was maybe a little bit over-complicated and the tart wasn't to my liking.
43:29So tonight, we're giving Simon and Theo a 14.
43:3114.
43:32Tonight, we're scoring Simon and Theo.
43:34Whoa there!
43:35We'll find out who's won together.
43:38Oh, smooth moves.
43:50Okay.
43:51Oh, we've got a joint second place.
43:54Joint second is the Puffing Billy and the Lord Nelson.
44:01Which means in first place is Eat the Bird!
44:05Darren and Rachel scored Simon and Theo 13, making Eat the Bird the winners.
44:10Yeah, happy with that.
44:12Yeah, very happy with that result.
44:13I think the one that won it was the one that was quite perverse from us.
44:17So, yeah, I had a feeling they were going to win.
44:19Jolly good!
44:20Nice one.
44:21I'm really disappointed.
44:22I actually wanted to be ahead of Eat the Bird because we put so much more effort into
44:28our food.
44:29So, yeah, really disappointed.
44:31But can't be a sore loser.
44:35At the risk of sounding cheesy, I mean, this is a little demonstration of what happens
44:39when you're working all the time, every day.
44:43We certainly weren't winging it, but there were a couple of times where I definitely felt
44:47a little bit chicken.
44:47Yeah, well done.
44:50I can fly higher than an eagle
44:57Cause you are the wind beneath my wings
45:06Did you ever know that you're my hero?
45:14And everything I would love to be
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