Hey-hey. There you go! Take three restaurants...
Welcome to the Shacklewell Arms, everyone. Cheers!
..all experts in culinary creations...
Whoa!
Yeah, perfect.
Look how sexy it looks.
..throw in three fantastic courses...
Ooh, service!
..and get them to score in secret.
Bunny-rabbit ears.
On today's show, romantic revelations...
Women love a man that can cook.
He's just looking for the tip.
That doesn't surprise me. It's men for you.
CROWD ROARS ON PHONE ..football fanatics...
0-0. Six minutes gone, seven minutes gone.
Unbelievable, Victor.
Rude!
..and disappointing desserts...
I didn't like it. It didn't go well.
..as they battle to bag a grand.
They knew exactly where it was going - into the toilets.
This week our professional competition comes from East London,
home to a flood of flavoursome fabulous cultural fare.
And hoping to dish up some shockingly tasty grub
are first hosts, owner and chef Nina
and front of house Chloe - from Jellyfish.
Jellyfish is not technically a restaurant.
Jellyfish is a kitchen operator.
We're in a pub in Dalston called the Shacklewell Arms.
It's a music venue.
It doesn't look like a sophisticated restaurant
but the food really makes up for it.
I take it there'll be no pie and a pint deals in here, then!
Thank you. Your meat manousheh.
We do Lebanese street food
because that's where I'm originally from.
Cheesy and greasy.
Cheesy and delicious. Cheesy and delicious.
And when it comes to each other,
only one of them is cheesy-going. I'm so sorry!
Chloe is the yin to my yang.
She's very calm. I'm the opposite.
How long, Nina, is it going to be?
If they're not happy, they can get some fast food on the high street.
No need for the stress.
SHE GIBBERS
So what's the plan?
Tonight we're going to offer to our guests a taste
of the streets of Beirut. It's going to be organic,
unpretentious and indulgent. And delicious.
And their first attempt at Lebanese loveliness
is a mezze starter featuring hummus with sawdeh and shakshuka.
It could be like...wow. Tomato...
Could be... You never know. Yeah, you never know.
Be like West Ham winning the Premier League.
It's not going to happen.
Hoping for a miracle are our second professional duo,
owner Ben and chef Victor - of Italian restaurant Bombetta.
Well, neither of us are Italian. Good start.
However, we import direct
from regions throughout Italy, direct from farm.
How are you looking, Vic? All good. The menu basically is very simple.
Shall we try it, yeah?
A meat, a sexy olive oil
and a nice cheese - that's your dish.
Amazing, as always, even for an Arsenal fan!
HE LAUGHS
Our working relationship together is...we're really lucky.
I think because we've known each other for 15 years.
Ben? Yes, mate.
Plates are too high.
What happened to that stepladder I got you?
He tells me what to do
and he slags off my football team, so, you know...
So it works. It works.
Back with Nina and Chloe, who are kicking off with their spin on hummus.
Sawdeh is the way we prepare chicken livers in Lebanon.
They are delicious
but we know also that we're taking a risk.
First job, separating livers,
so Nina gives front of house Chloe a crash course.
What am I feeling for?
Just to find the connective tissue and pull.
Grab it. Urgh. Not a fan?
I'd rather be dealing with
a difficult customer than this.
They're not as slimy.
They'll fry the livers and serve on top of home-made hummus later,
so it's on to the spicy tomato shakshuka.
I love spicy food, so for me it's a good starter.
Completing the line-up of pro cooks are Brazilian chef Eduardo
and Italian front of house Valentina -
of swanky City steakhouse Omnino.
Omnino comes from the Latin, and it means everything together.
Good food with a nice ambience and a friendly service.
And if there's one thing Eduardo knows about, it's meat.
A perfect steak can be any cut,
but the whole thing is cooked well,
treated well, treated with respect.
And nothing says respect like chopping something up
and flame-grilling it.
While Eduardo owns the restaurant, they both know who's in charge.
I decide kitchen on the third floor.
Who is the boss? You are the boss.
Yes, thank you!
Back to the shakshuka, and Chloe's on onion duty.
She adds tinned tomatoes and spices...
Cumin?
..and gives it a stir.
What-what...? What's that?
Is that good enough for you, Nina?
Well, we'll see when we try it,
so we are just going to cross our fingers that we don't have, like,
tons of chewy onion in this.
She's telling me off already.
Just two courses of prep and a full evening of hosting to go!
Hang in there.
The shakshuka will be served with an egg tonight.
So it's on to the main, filled Lebanese flatbreads.
I haven't had a lot of Lebanese food.
I now and again pop off for a shawarma in Mayfair.
Ooh, Mayfair shawarma!
For the flatbread filling,
Nina blitzes onion and a selection of spices.
I'm looking for some meat.
Of course you are. Some meat...
What kind of meat do you think it's going to be with?
Have you got any idea?
I would bet on the lamb. I would bet on the lamb.
Well, you'd bet wrong. It's beef.
You see, I don't mind meat like this. This isn't slimy.
No, it's not.
Meat mixed,
Nina blends an industrial quantity of cheese.
I love cheeses very much,
and I think it sounds very interesting,
with a lot of warm cheese coming out of the flatbread.
Fillings prepped, she knocks up a dough.
I love Lebanese kitchen in general - flatbread...
So I'm curious to see if it's a good one.
It'll prove itself later! Ahem! On to dessert.
Knefeh, Lebanese cheesecake.
Knef... Knefeh... Knefeh...
Knefeh. ..which is a Lebanese cake.
Well, why don't we just say that? Lebanese cheesecake?
You will not understand how this can be called a dessert.
I'm always expecting people to love it as much as I do,
but I kind of feel that I live on Planet Knefeh.
The voyage to Planet Knefeh
begins with not one but two types of cheese
which are desalted and blended together.
So many things that can fail with this dessert.
For the second layer,
Nina heats blitzed filo pastry with sugar syrup and ghee.
I'm curious if the flavour would be something different
from what we try usually.
It's certainly different!
It can be surprising to eat
something that is very cheesy and stringy
that tastes super sweet at the same time.
I'm very, very much prepared to get criticism for this.
You're boldly going where no cheesecake has gone before!
The pastry mix is prodded into place,
topped with the cheese, before being cooked on tiny flying saucers -
well, metal plates.
And now we pray. And now we pray, yeah.
And that's the prep done.
We've got this, haven't we? Let's go.
While the hosts get themselves ready,
their guests ponder the menu for the evening ahead. There it is.
I'm imagining stained glass. Yes. Lots of mirrors. Yes.
A family-run Lebanese restaurant.
Hmm, not quite.
First to rock up to the pub are Ben and Victor.
Not what I was expecting
"Secret beer garden. Live music."
Hi. Hello, welcome!
Hi, I'm Nina. Nina, I'm Ben. Nice to meet you.
Victor. Nice to meet you.
I'm Chloe. Chloe. Hi, how are you? Very good.
I've got you a little present here.
It's nothing exciting, I'm afraid. It's till rolls.
LAUGHTER
One for the kitchen and one for front of house,
and a credit-card machine one.
Nina and Chloe suited the venue.
These ladies suit a flamingo with a skull underneath it,
that's what you thought. Yeah. You charmer!
Next in, it's Eduardo and Valentina.
A bit different from what I expected. Yeah.
Hello. How are you? Hi, I'm Nina.
Eduardo. Chloe. Nice to meet you.
Welcome to the Shacklewell Arms, everyone. Here's to a good week.
ALL: Cheers.
Go on, a little further!
There we go.
Coming up, canned confessions...
I just open a can of tuna
and use tuna straight out of the can.
It's caveman stuff.
..and cuddly characters.
He's a...teddy bear. Look at him.
He does look like a teddy bear. Didn't you think that?
No. Eduardo would crush us!
It's night one in East London, where professionals Nina and Chloe
are hoping to impress with their unique Lebanese street food
in a pub.
While the hosts get cracking...
We're feeling quite confident on the starter. Yeah.
..the other guests take in the surroundings.
What did you guys think about the menu when you saw it?
I was expecting more like a restaurant with tablecloths.
We were expecting something more kind of chandeliers
and mirrors, and we were thinking a Lebanese restaurant.
Never a pub.
I'd love to see it when it's busy,
when they're doing a gig or something there
and they're serving here. For the live music.
Upstairs, Nina slithers livers into a pan
while Chloe makes bread towers.
I think they've got enough bread, Nina.
Oh, my God!
Yeah, bread to share?
That is a lot of bread.
Once cooked, the livers are placed on top of the hummus.
I'm really happy with that. I think they look great.
Let's go and serve them.
Here it is,
mezze to share, with shakshuka and chicken liver hummus.
OK.
It smells lovely.
Everyone, enjoy yourselves. Bon appetit. It smells amazing.
I started with shakshuka.
OK. I found it lovely.
I think spot on. You can taste the tomato.
The egg is there, the chickpeas.
This is so creamy, lovely, like really.
That's very special, yeah.
I was very impressed with the foods.
It will be a difficult competition, I think.
Do you know what is in the hummus? Can you, like...?
Did you detect the ingredients? Was it chicken liver? Yeah.
Chicken liver with coriander.
VALENTINA: I was thinking it was onion.
BEN: Normally, I'm not into liver
but I will have some more of yours.
LAUGHTER There we go.
More of my liver. Well, not yours.
I should hope not!
The chicken liver, that was a winner for me.
Everybody liked it. What more could we ask for?
I love the fact that we're eating coriander. I love coriander.
It's my favourite herb. Love it.
So, you know what, there was no coriander on there.
What was that, then? Parsley? It was parsley. It was parsley!
That parsley's amazing. It tastes like coriander.
How do you get parsley to taste like coriander?
I've just got a really bad palate.
Good thing you're not a restaurateur!
I know you liked the chickpea.
Yeah, I thought the coriander was amazing!
So how does it work with you guys? Do you own the pub or...?
I run a food business called Jellyfish
which operates the kitchen of two venues,
so during the day, we're in the cafe, where I work with Chloe
and she manages the cafe,
and then in the evening, I come here and I do Lebanese street food here.
I'm really impressed with the idea of serving
a different type of food in a pub.
How many covers do you think you do that are food-related
on an evening when it's really, really busy?
I think the biggest amount I have done was during the Euros last year
where I served about 100 people by myself. It was hectic.
I think you should do a couple of shifts -
you might lose a few pounds. I'm all right. I'm all right actually.
Slacker!
Starters a hit, Nina gets to work on the bread for the main.
Whoa! Steady on.
The flatbreads are filled with meat and cheese,
and grilled until melted.
Nice and crispy, gooey inside.
Et voila.
OK. we're ready to go.
That's what I do every day,
so I have to be good at it, you know.
They're ready - filled Lebanese flatbreads, dips and salad.
Thank you. Is there any coriander in there?
No, sorry!
LAUGHTER
I'm losing points at each dish.
Dig in.
I really like the freshness of the dish.
I think the yoghurt sauce with the beef and cheese one goes...
100%. ..like, perfectly.
Because I enjoyed the starter so much,
then I was expecting another level up. I feel I didn't get that.
How do you think the main course went, Nina?
I think it didn't go as well as the starter, if I'm honest.
With the main dividing opinion,
Eduardo is curious about the hosts' working relationship.
What's it like working together?
Um, it's interesting.
BOTH LAUGH
We've been together for not even a year.
Nina is a perfectionist and I'm very much more relaxed about things.
Chloe does chill me out a lot.
What about you guys? Have you been working together a long time?
A few years. Eight years. Eight years, wow!
He's...a teddy bear.
Look at him.
He could be a teddy bear. Doesn't he remind you of that?
Oh, yeah, he does look like a teddy bear. Didn't you think that?
No. Eduardo would crush us.
See the size of those arms!
How long it is that you guys worked together?
15 years.
Any clashing?
Yeah, I hate him. LAUGHTER
Can't stand him, honestly.
Ben and Victor, I think they're going to be a funny...
..a funny duo, actually.
What do you think they're making of us, Victor?
I think that they hate you.
You're probably right. And they love me. Yeah, well...
Upstairs, and it's crunch time for the risky dessert.
They don't look too bad.
With a final flourish, it's ready to go.
Is this a winning dessert?
Emphatic response from Chloe there. Better serve it up!
Welcome to Planet Knefeh, everyone. Enjoy your stay.
Thank you.
It's a cheesecake, Victor. It won't bite.
Didn't like it. Oof!
It's just my taste, I think.
It's not one of my favourites, just because it's very, very sweet.
I think it's one of them desserts that you either love it
or you don't. It's Marmite. Yes, yes.
I quite like the idea of the crunchiness
but it was too sweet as well. I think, after a big meal.
It's just too much.
I had three mouthfuls and I thought, "I can't eat no more."
It's too heavy.
It's not gone quite to plan.
It didn't go well.
I mean, we knew it was going to be hit and miss.
More miss than hit, I'm afraid. Best change the subject.
When I do snack on something when I go home,
it's very, very bad, but I get so lazy
and I just do not want to touch anything in the kitchen,
that I just open a can of tuna
and eat tuna straight out of the can.
I think it's uncouth. Tuna out of a can is uncouth.
I mean, you know, at least tip it out
and put the chopped onion and some mayo or something.
Bit of coriander?
How can you be so, so...?
I mean, that's caveman stuff.
Like, I get home and then I'm thinking, "God, I'm so, so hungry."
And then... "What have I eaten today?"
I didn't eat nothing, yeah. Open the fridge.
Yeah, you know what - Pot Noodle. Pot Noodle.
What about you, Chloe? Do you eat at work?
I eat everything at work. LAUGHTER
Let's hope you like leftover knefeh, in that case.
Scores out of 20, please.
We felt that the ladies did really, really well.
There was a couple of dishes that we think may need tweaking.
There was one that Victor didn't particularly like,
and the effort was definitely there, so our score is...
16.
We enjoyed most of it.
We would change a few bits and pieces, like the dessert,
so we decide for this reason to give them...
BOTH: 17.
And that gives Nina and Chloe a total of 33 out of 40,
with two nights to go.
It's day two and the turn of chef Victor and owner Ben
of Italian restaurant Bombetta to host.
I think it's going to be a very different environment.
It's going to be a very different offer.
And what is it you offer?
Ingredients imported direct from Italy.
It's all vibrant and fresh.
And then we just do it with pure love, so it tastes nice.
If you don't cook with love, there's no point.
Italian food... There we go.
..cooked with love. Has to be a winner, right?
I hope they don't cook Italian, but just because I'm going to be
quite fussy about it. D'oh!
With Ben and Victor tonight, I would be expecting comfort food
but well executed good produce.
They're kicking things off with dessert, tiramisu.
SHE LAUGHS
Yeah, it's Italian.
It is one of the hardest desserts to get right
and I think I have had one right tiramisu in my life,
and it was in Roma.
That you're going to be fussy about.
That I'm going to be fussy about!
It is one of my favourite desserts.
So no pressure, then. Victor starts by separating yolks.
Ben, I've got a job for you. Yes, mate.
Can you get us the coffee, please? Yes, mate. Thank you.
I just have to do what I'm told.
Let Victor get on with it.
If I'm quiet, then he'll give me less jobs.
Cunning!
Meanwhile, Victor adds sugar to the egg yolks, ready to mix.
We do need a new KitchenAid
but Ben won't buy me one...
..so I just have to hold it.
What a great use of your time!
I could be doing something else.
You could!
Coffee? Thank you.
I could be doing something else but I have to stand here.
You're not still going on about that KitchenAid, are you?
It's quite therapeutic, just watching it, isn't it?
Not for Victor!
Next, he whisks double cream
and then it's back to the dreaded mixer for the egg whites.
He folds them into the creamy mixture and...
Oh, look, they're working together.
Oh, Victor. Yes?
I hate working with you.
Charming!
The sponge is soaked in Ben's lovingly prepared coffee
before the tiramisu is assembled.
I hope that Valentina loves this the most, because she's Italian.
Tiramisu is... I mean, we could analyse, like, from the way
how it looks to when I eat it.
Sorry. I know too well the dessert.
Let's hope it's a good one!
Dessert prepped, it's on to the main,
a selection of bombettas,
including chicken, veggie, spicy and monkfish.
I am so excited about this. Yum-yum.
Monkfish... Monkfish is literally my favourite fish.
I never heard the word bombettas. I thought you were Italian!
Any clues? Bombettas is just such an interesting thing, right?
It's a bit like a kebab meets pizza, all rolled into one.
They start with the monkfish.
Look how sexy it looks.
Phwoar!
He strips his fish and discards the skin.
I'm going to call my monkfish Alfonso.
You'd better be sexy today, mate,
and win.
You're asking a lot here, fella!
He fillets Alfonso and gives him a good hammering.
I'm so sorry!
Sorry, Alfonso. Had to be done.
Nothing like tough love.
Next he stuffs with cheese, and rolls.
Look sharp, the boss is back.
I'll start slicing some prosciutto for you, shall I? Yeah.
About time you did something.
The monkfish is wrapped in prosciutto
and set aside with the other flavours,
to be cooked over coals later.
So it's on to the starter,
Small plates to share, including burrata
and a deconstructed bagna cauda.
Help us out, Valentina.
Valentina, you are Italian. You must know what bagna cauda is.
I'm afraid I don't. I don't have any idea.
Victor?
Bagna cauda sauce is garlic, anchovies,
oil and butter.
You get that saltiness and then that creaminess
and then that smooth texture of the olive oil coming through.
It is amazing.
While Victor gets the sauce cooking, Ben's been busy with the veggies.
I'm taking a little break. I've done that amount.
Seriously? I thought because you take so long, I'd have a break.
Unbelievable.
The bagna cauda will be dished up alongside the burrata later on,
and that's the prep done.
It's gone really smooth, to be honest.
Even though my sous sometimes left me,
but then he came back and rescued me.
By eating raw veg! Top work, Ben.
Ben and Victor, you've got a real Italian coming in tonight.
That had better be good.
If executed right, this menu could be a winning menu.
First to the party are Eduardo and Valentina.
That's nice. It's nice.
Hello. How are you? Hello, Eduardo. Hello, Valentina.
How are you? Nice to see you.
Nice to see you. So, guys, Italian food tonight - big pressure on.
We're going to give it a go.
We'll do our best to make the food from your country as good as we can.
I look forward to trying.
Salute. Salute.
Next to arrive are last night's hosts, Nina and Chloe.
Hello! Hello. Hello.
Hello, ladies. How are you?
Oh, I sense a comedy gift coming.
We got a little present for you as well.
Oh, really? What's that?
Oh, wow!
We actually use this in the toilets as well.
You have no idea how much of this we go through!
I think they appreciated it.
They knew exactly where it was going - into the toilets.
ALL: Cheers.
Coming up, delivery dramas...
We had a bread supplier
and they abbreviated our name on the bag to Bomb.
LAUGHTER
That's hilarious.
..and perplexing provisions.
Everything I was believing is just turned upside down
with Ben and Victor and this Italian restaurant.
It's night two in East London
and the turn of owner Ben and chef Victor to host a dinner party
for two rival pairs of professionals at their own eatery.
While Victor gets stuck into the starters,
Ben's on hosting duty.
There's lots of bottles, look.
I've never had one stolen, so I'm watching you!
LAUGHTER
Veggies grilled, cheese grated and sauce applied,
the starters are ready.
Service, please.
Small plates, including burrata
and a deconstructed bagna cauda -
vegetables with an anchovy sauce to you and me.
The starters are all for you to share and I hope you enjoy them.
Buon appetito.
Altrettanto.
The deconstructed bagna cauda, it's perfect for me.
Has it got anchovies in it?
So they're Ligurian anchovies
that have been hand stuffed into the jar by a few little old ladies
sitting there in a factory.
They look beautiful and...
What, the anchovies or the women? The anchovies and the women.
LAUGHTER
For me, the deconstructed bagna cauda was amazing -
from the first bite.
And what about the burrata?
The burrata is just melting in the mouth.
You can just dream just looking at it.
The starters to share were lovely.
You can see that everything they do, it's top-quality products.
I think they really appreciated the burrata itself as a product,
which we're pleased about, because obviously we source and import that
direct from the farm.
Victor, what made you want to be a chef?
Many moons ago, let's say, yeah, I was living in a hostel.
I was 16 years old
and I wanted to go out.
Remember, it's a Friday night.
Wanted to go out raving,
and the social worker said to me, "You're not going.
"You need to do a course, a college course."
I said to her, "What do women love?"
And she said, "Women love a man that can cook."
So I said I want to be a chef.
LAUGHTER
My first dish was a lasagne
and it was to a girl and... it worked.
ALL: Aw!
Lovely story. It worked.
He chats up all of the people with tales of it.
He's just looking for the tip, so...
LAUGHTER
I work in a music venue.
I meet kids who play music just for the women all day,
so that doesn't surprise me. It's men for you.
Ooh!
He's very friendly and he's very chatty and he likes to joke,
and imagine that he did that to actually attract a girl!
It's like the cherry on top of the cake, I'm telling you.
Time to see if Victor can win any hearts with his main.
The bombettas are cooked over the fire.
How are you feeling, Vic? Yeah, pretty cool.
You're rocking. Mm-hm.
Think it's a winning main course? Bombetta always is.
And with a final torching -
all right, I think it's had enough now -
it's ready to go - bombettas to share.
Enough!
Wow!
OK, guys, here's your main course.
I've got you some red wine with it.
Bombettas to share. Please enjoy.
For me, the winner is the monkfish.
It's such a delicious kind of meaty fish.
The saltiness of the Parma ham
I think really just, like, elevates it.
The bombettas - I really loved them.
A really powerful mix of flavours
that were really, really thought about.
I enjoyed also the monkfish with the Parma ham.
I think that was my favourite.
I had very high expectation for the monkfish
because it is my favourite fish.
I do think it was overcooked for me.
It was very much a shame, because it's just a glorious fish.
We did blowtorch that last minute,
cos we were worried about it getting cold.
Have you ever eaten bombetta before in Italy?
No, I haven't. So, again, here is the first time.
Oh, good. I love it because I'm discovering a different dish
that comes from my country.
I'm really fussy with my Italian food.
I said it at the beginning. Thank you. Really well done.
I'm glad that Valentina enjoyed it.
Valentina, obviously being the Italian in the group,
it was quite interesting to hear what her perspective was
on the food.
It was a big surprise.
As I expected, Ben and Victor, they really know what they're doing.
Would you like to hear a funny story about bombetta?
Oh, go on, then.
We had a bread supplier deliver the bread every day
and they left it out the front
and they abbreviated our name on the bag to bomb.
LAUGHTER
So it's a bit like...
It was a bit like one of the comic books in...
It was like something out of Batman,
and someone phoned up the police, and then next thing you know,
like, 15 police guys come in.
"Where's the bomb, where's the bomb?"
As if you would write bomb on a bomb! Exactly.
The fact that someone actually called the police on a bag
with written bomb on it is insane. It's hilarious.
I would have loved to be there. I personally...
I would love to be there just watching the whole situation.
After two strong courses,
time for that high-pressure Italian pud.
So, Victor, we need those special desserts that you made.
Yeah, they're working. What do you mean, they're working?
We made them this morning.
All you've got to do is get them out of the fridge. Unbelievable!
That's why you enjoy working with me. Yeah.
Yeah, like a hole in the head.
You'll have dessert on your head at this rate!
I think that last one you put a bit too much chocolate on.
That one's mine.
All right, that'll do!
Service, please.
It's ready, the dish Valentina has been desperate to judge, tiramisu.
Thank you. Enjoy, everybody - tiramisu.
Thank you very much.
So, is it still one of your favourite desserts?
Eight times out of ten I don't like when other people do tiramisu.
That's one of the two times that I do like it. Thank you very much.
I would have put some more biscuits, in my opinion,
but just because I love the texture of the biscuits.
I tell him that all the time.
But the coffee's there, the cream is there,
the chocolate is there.
All of it. Well done, guys, like really well done.
Thank you so much. Thank you.
I love the fact that you've actually put chocolate
into the glass before the tiramisu,
because I love that you still get chocolate on and on and on.
That's the only bit I did.
LAUGHTER
From the culinary school where I come from,
when something's perfect, there's no comments.
No comments. Wow! Very good.
Well done, mate.
Oh. Maybe they do love each other!
Bombetta was...
The bomb...the bomb. THEY LAUGH
Everything I was believing is just turned upside down
with Ben and Victor and this Italian restaurant.
It's a wow. It's not just surprise, it's a wow.
So I've got a napkin trick.
Would you like me to show you? Yes, I'd love to see it.
So it's... You get your napkin and you fold it in half
and you fold it once more
and then you have...
..bunny-rabbit ears.
LAUGHTER
And the kids love it.
Oh, yeah! LAUGHTER DROWNS OUT WORDS
All right, that's enough of that. Scores, please!
We really enjoyed ourselves tonight.
A few things could have been done a bit better.
So tonight we're going to score Ben and Victor
a 17.
It was almost perfect,
even if I was hoping for some mistake here and there.
The final score for tonight for Ben and Victor is...
BOTH: 19.
So, having thoroughly won over their guests,
Ben and Victor score an impressive 36 out of 40,
putting them top of the pile.
It's the final day of the competition
and the turn of Eduardo and Valentina to host
at South American steakhouse Omnino.
Ben and Victor are definitely - I think we both agree -
our stronger competition.
And with a score of 36 to beat, there's no room for error.
This needs to be perfect.
It must be - there is not any other way.
I really hope we win. I think it will show us that we're going
into the right path, basically.
Are you talking about football again or the restaurant?
Football. Arsenal.
I still think it's very much an open game.
Not football chat from you as well!
Right, Eduardo, what's the plan?
Omnino came with the idea of showing the art of grilling.
And what better way to showcase the art of grilling
than tonight's main course, steak sampler!
Steak. Hey-hey! There you go.
Steak sampler - that's what the Brazilians do with their meat,
and I'm very excited about this.
One for you, five for me.
Now, now, there's plenty to go around.
Eduardo starts by preparing the ribeye.
You have all this, this fat and marbling, so when you're cooking,
you allow all this marbling to melt
and make the meat full of flavour.
You can tell that Eduardo likes steak. Just look at the size of him.
Yeah. Protein, you know.
He's built like that.
Next, he moves on to the sirloin.
So, tonight we're going to cook for every couple
about 800g of meat.
How much?!
This will be to share in two.
I hope they're hungry!
We're really hungry. That's excellent.
He butterflies the sirloin
and finishes by trimming the fillet.
He'll grill the meat later.
The ribeye will be mind-blowing.
I mean, you won't have any words to describe it.
I'm going to go for mind-blowing.
Next up, dessert - dulce de leche cheesecake.
Urgh... Good start.
I like dulce de leche but I... I don't like cheesecake.
Dulce de leche is quite something rich to finish on,
and I took the same risk and saw that it did not go so well.
Just hoping that it's better than Chloe's and Nina's cheesecake.
Ouch!
Valentina's taking the reins for this course
and she starts by breaking up biscuits...
..before melting butter.
Three, two, one.
BIG BEN BONGS Happy New Year!
Yay! Did it work?
No.
Well, that's New Year for you - always a bitter disappointment.
Eventually the melted butter is mixed with the biscuits.
Once portioned out and approved by chef, of course...
Yeah. Thick enough? Yeah.
..it's on to the topping of cream cheese and dulce de leche.
Look how dense and tasty!
She folds it all together
and pipes onto the base,
before knocking up some dulce de leche-filled empanadas.
Ooh-hoo.
And that's dessert done.
On to the starter -
more empanadas and choripan,
also known as chorizo sarnie.
I love chorizo.
Nice and warm and hearty - big, strong flavours.
I think it's going to be fabulous.
Eduardo starts by chopping potato, onion, peppers and yet more beef.
For our empanadas, we use the trimming of all the cuts,
ribeye, sirloin, rump and fillet.
He fries all the ingredients together
and Valentina is back for a taste test.
I need to change my job, I need to move to try only food.
The approved mix is stuffed into... WHISPERS: ..pre-made pastry...
..brushed and folded together.
Eduardo is very good.
The beef empanadas will be fried tonight
along with a sweetcorn version and the chorizo sausage.
Now that we know what we're having tonight,
we're very excited about this menu
and we hope it's going to be executed right.
If it's done right, I do believe that this menu could be a winner.
Well, we're cooking today with lots of love.
We're really confident that we're going to win this competition.
That's fighting talk.
First to arrive for the meat feast are Nina and Chloe.
Hello. Hello. Welcome to Omnino.
Thank you. How are you?
May I offer you a sparkling Argentine wine?
Ay! Ay!
Can we go inside? I don't want to get my hair wet.
Ha! Next in, the ones to beat, Ben and Victor.
I'm looking forward to the steaks.
Let's hope we are not going to let you down.
Gentlemen, ladies,
let's toast to a lovely night, hopefully. Cheers to that.
ALL: Cheers. Thank you.
Coming up...
Shall we have a butcher's, Vic? ..liquid larceny...
Stick that in your pocket. Grab one of those one.
They've got a big jeroboam there.
Victor tried to steal everything. I was stopping him.
I was saying, "Look..." Really?
..and the winners are revealed.
ALL CHEER
It's the final night in East London, where Eduardo and Valentina
from Omnino are serving a meaty meal
to their rivals in a bid to win a £1,000 prize.
While Eduardo gets busy in the kitchen,
the boys are perusing the posh plonk.
Shall we have a butcher's, Vic?
Interesting.
Here, look, Primitivo.
We sell that in our restaurant. Stick that in your pocket.
Grab one of those. They've got a big jeroboam there.
We wandered around the wine cellar. It was really impressive.
Victor tried to steal everything. I was stopping him.
I was saying, "Look..." Really?
Get it, get it, get it. Grab it, grab it with two hands.
Oh, it is heavy, actually, It is heavy.
It was a bit heavy. A bit heavy.
I've got two. I've got...
LAUGHTER
Back in the kitchen, Eduardo deep-fries the empanadas.
So it's street food in South America.
I love the choripan.
That reminds my childhood.
After a football match with friends and stuff,
we used to do the choripan together.
Once plated, the starter is ready to go.
BELL DINGS
Service, please.
Empanadas and choripan with a dash of coriander,
Ben's favourite.
VALENTINA: Here we are. Enjoy.
Thank you very much.
Let's dig in. Thank you.
I've really enjoyed it so far. I love the sauce.
It was really nice.
I think the coriander was what I've been missing all week.
LAUGHTER
The starter was really, really good.
The fact that there was coriander on the dish kind of made my day
because I've been looking for coriander...
All week. ..all week. And it was babies -
there wasn't a lot of flavour there,
but, you know, I got a little tiny bit of a gist.
I really loved the chorizo on top of the breads
with the chimichurri in the middle. Did you make the pastry in-house?
No, we don't do. We don't do it in-house.
That was the perfect start -
sausage, a meat empanada,
a bit of cheese to play with.
I think the starter was successful.
I believe that everyone enjoyed it.
Can you tell us a little bit about what you both do
and how the business started?
I open it with Eduardo in 2014.
Going to have a steakhouse, Monday to Friday,
and Saturday night is a Brazilian rodizio.
In Brazil, barbecue is a religion.
Barbecue every Saturday, Sunday, you know,
and then on Monday you use the leftovers from the weekend,
and then the barbecue rice.
And, you know, you go on and on and then it's Friday again. You know.
There was definitely a change in Eduardo tonight.
You could see his passion,
so it was really, really nice to see him in his absolute element.
Eduardo just seems like such a lovely guy.
I think Valentina's description of him as just...
..as a teddy bear is just spot on.
And I bring a warm smile!
I love to smile around. I think it's part of the vibe.
I think, you know... I feel for you, though,
because working with someone from South America
can be quite challenging. Here we go!
LAUGHTER
Here we go. It took a while, right?
LAUGHTER
Valentina and Eduardo,
you know, they have clearly got a really close relationship,
almost like a married couple, a bit like Victor and I.
And as such, you know, they really...
They... I think... They complement each other.
They complement each other very well.
Starters a success, Eduardo's in his happy place.
There we go.
While he monitors the meat, Valentina's on service duties.
Can I please start bringing the plate to the table?
Check plate by plate, if they are polished, nice and clean.
OK, thank you, Eduardo. Don't worry. I do it.
I worry.
HE LAUGHS
The sizzling steaks are placed on little tables
and delivered to the pass.
Valentina. Yes.
There we go... INDISTINCT
..fillet, yeah.
Loosen your belts, it's steak sampler - to share, thankfully.
Wow.
I thought this was just for me
but they told me I've got to share it with you.
You can have that bit there.
I'll have that bit there.
Enjoy, everyone.
Is that it? LAUGHTER
How is it going for you, Chloe?
You've cooked the meat perfectly. It's really, really juicy.
The sirloin is amazing. The steaks are cooked so well.
Thank you. Thank you, Ben.
It's flavourful, it's amazing.
I love the fresh chilli on it. It's perfect.
Spot on, mate. The sirloin's amazing.
It's so tender, it kind of just melts.
It was a meat lover's dream, really.
I defy anyone to come here
and not love a bit of Eduardo's meat.
BOTH LAUGH
We were in one of the most popular steakhouse in New York.
We enjoyed the food, everything,
and Eduardo had the amazing idea
to look at me and said,
"Vale, what do you think? Let's do a tattoo."
So I had a star on my ankle,
he had the fork and knife.
The worst thing I could end up with a tattoo would be, you know.
a little picture of him on my arm or something.
Yeah, or his name on mine. "I love Ben."
HE LAUGHS
CROWD ROARS ON PHONE
Hold on a minute, what's going on here?
Boys, what are you doing?
Are you actually checking the football?
No, we're watching the football. 0-0.
Six minutes, seven minutes gone.
Which match are you following? Arsenal v Liverpool.
Come on, Liverpool.
"Come on, Liverpool"! Unbelievable, Victor, really.
My team was playing.
Rude.
Sounds bad but... And they lost.
There's nothing like a supportive friend, is there?
With the night so far proving a hit,
it's down to Valentina's dessert to seal the deal.
She fries the sweet empanadas,
which are placed on top of the cheesecakes.
This is a winning dessert.
Well, that's for your guests to decide. With a final flourish...
No, that's my turn.
BELL DINGS That's it.
Ooh, service.
Dulce de leche cheesecake with a dulce de leche empanada.
Thank you very much. Ooh, the chef is serving us.
have to say that one of my dreams came true.
I was from the kitchen side
and I rang the bell to call the service.
Enjoy.
Thank you. Thank you.
I would love to know what you think about the dessert.
For me, I was not sure about the empanadas
with cheesecake. I was like, "It's going to be too much,"
but the empanadas were very nice.
The warm runny dulce de leche
and the fried, super-indulgent...
For me, it's very sweet, so maybe a coulis on top,
which would give some sharpness to break the sweet of the dessert.
The empanadas were amazing.
I could eat a whole plate of those.
Respect to her for getting into the kitchen and owning it.
So I think she's got some hidden skills in there.
With her dessert going down a treat,
Valentina has a question for the group.
What is the most weird dish that you actually tried?
The silkworm was the worst thing I've ever eaten.
A bit weird.
Silkworm. And it was just a worm
and it's very floury inside and it's horrible.
Crocodile with sea bass. Was that a meal deal?
Camel brain. We have a winner!
Sounds disgusting.
LAUGHTER
Imagine it on a cheesecake.
I'd rather not!
I think Eduardo and Valentina are most likely to win.
The steak they do is great,
so if they do win, it's well deserved.
We try hard, so...fingers crossed.
Eduardo and Valentina need to score 37 or more
to snatch victory from leaders Ben and Victor.
Our score is based on the fact that we felt that
the cheesecake could have had a bit more oomph,
and if the pastries were cooked in-house, it would be even higher.
Our score tonight is...
BOTH: 18.
Tonight we are scoring Eduardo and Valentina...
Hold it!
ALL CHEER
The hosts are about to reveal the winners.
ALL CHEER
Third, we have...
..Jellyfish!
ALL CHEER
Second is...
Ooh...
Omnino!
ALL CHEER
First, Bombetta! Ole! ALL CHEER
Nina and Chloe scored Eduardo and Valentina 16,
meaning victory for the boys from Bombetta.
They deserve it.
I mean, they literally... Dinner was...spot on.
So, Arsenal lost. LAUGHTER
Come on, now, you've just won a grand!
ALL CHEER
I'd be happy to do it again some time in the far future
when Jellyfish has more variety of food to showcase.
To be honest, we weren't really expecting it, so, you know,
what an affirmation of what we do
and what Victor cooked, so, yeah, we're so pleased.
ALL: Cheers.
Subtitles by Red Bee Media