Shall we do this, Chef? Missed!
Take three restaurants... Ah ah, don't touch...
..all experts in culinary creations...
Yes, baby. All that butter, wow.
..ask each to throw a three course feast...
I think it looks all right.
..and get them to score each other in secret.
Today, a chef-y showdown...
My crackling's a little bit overcooked.
I would have kept the crackling on the top. It will come with the pork.
The questions came thick and fast about the food.
Typical chef. Typical chef, yeah. ..a marital mix-up...
Did you say you'd been together 30 years? 20 years.
You really thought I got married when I was 6? No, sorry.
And a royal revelation...
I served the Queen of England when she came to India.
He's cooked for the Queen. Could have been Queen Latifah for all...
..as six professionals tussle for £1,000.
GASPING
It's really hot. Hot and sexy. Like you and me.
Today's competition comes from in and around Manchester,
a city known for its cuisine, its curries and its caviar.
Well, OK, that's clearly mushy peas. Still, delicious.
Hoping to raise the standard this week are our first hosts,
husband and wife duo David and Rachael...
Beautiful.
..owners of Haydens Kitchen at the Gallows,
a posh pub in the village of Milnrow just outside the city.
We try to be the best in the area.
Bringing new things in that a little local rural village has never seen.
I've worked all over the world, I've been to Australia,
Thailand, New Zealand, I worked in the Caribbean,
in Barbados as a private chef.
You're getting top-standard Manchester food
in a little local pub in Milnrow.
So how did this dream team come together?
We met online five and a half years ago,
and David's chat-up line was actually, "I'm a chef."
I was just like, "Oh, really? That's a bit cheesy."
Here I am now. Ah, the power of cheese.
Everybody says Rachael's the boss, but I think
the main man in the kitchen is the boss.
I'm the boss. I'm the boss. Come on, let's go.
We're really looking forward to this week,
but we are only in it for one thing and that is...
To win it. Best crack on, then.
They're putting on their most popular dishes today,
kicking off with their starter...
I'm not a big fan of black pudding,
and I'm not a big fan of soft poached egg.
Black pudding is the blood of a pig.
Now I really don't want to eat it.
Meet our second duo, owners of Amma's Canteen, Saju and Ganga.
Amma means Mum, and the whole idea of having the name is
because we've got recipes from our mums.
This is not a traditional British Indian restaurant.
It is a traditional South Indian home-cooking restaurant.
Like, if you were to come to our house, we give you the same thing.
There's no poppadum at all, like, no naan bread,
no chicken tikka masala, no Balti, no korma.
Our food is just us.
And this married pair have more than just a business to manage.
We've been married for 20 years, and it's a proper arranged marriage.
It's arranged marriage, not a forced one.
People get confused with forced and arranged.
Forced, yeah. But my mum still forced me in the beginning.
You make me feel bad.
Right... Back at the Gallows,
front-of-house Rachael is giving chef David a hand today.
While he chops black pudding, she scoops out spuds
into a funny-looking sieve thing.
This is called a moulin, and it makes all the potato nice and smooth.
No lumpy mash. No, no, lumpy mash.
You chefs and your gadgets. In goes the black pudding.
Eureka. Yeah, all right!
Next in, chives. Little bit of salt.
You've never lived if you haven't tried black pudding.
I can have a little bit of it, but I'm not overly keen. You like it.
I like black pudding. It's the best part of a breakfast, isn't it?
That's a big call! Our final competitors
are from the Waterside in Eccles -
general manager Mike and owner Jo.
We're a local gastropub. When you walk into the Waterside, it's got such a wow factor.
The new bar that we've all designed, the food we serve,
we honestly believe that there's nothing like this...
Absolutely not. This side of Manchester. No.
We've got the staple dishes that we can't not have -
fish and chips, steak and ale pie.
We do a fabulous cocktail list now, which is amazing.
Nice mixology, Mike. A man of many talents, are we?
Mike started with us five years ago as a glass collector.
He then developed into a waiter, a barman and cleaner, and DIY guy.
A list as long as your arm what he does.
He's the general manager now. He is like my adopted son.
Can't get rid of me. No, absolutely not.
We love working together. Sometimes.
Hello! Come on Mike, spill the beans.
She's like a lioness. You wouldn't cross her.
No just do that one that way, that way.
Really really firm, and it's your way or the highway.
I think you missed fair out. Firm but fair.
Better late than never. Meanwhile, back with David and Rachael...
So I'll roll it and you pack it. Team work is dream work.
The black pud potato cakes are coated in flour,
egg and breadcrumbs for baking later.
Next, David knocks up a tarragon butter sauce before poaching eggs.
Ah-ah, don't touch.
You'll get sent out. Might be a relief.
Once done, they're set aside for later.
Onto the main...
I don't think it's a safe option, because it can overcook...monkfish as well.
Yeah, you can... There's a lot that can go wrong.
I like my beef cooked pink, medium rare.
Ganga, like... earlier she used to like...fall down, come back...
Shut up. But not any more.
Now she likes medium, so we...we are just educating...
I have moved on, why won't you leave me alone?
This beef will be nice and pink inside, medium,
and then if anybody wants it well cooked,
Rachael, might as well have a burger.
David will cook his beef HIS way later,
so for now he gets busy with the fish.
It's good-quality, beautiful fish.
This takes me back to working in Barbados.
Oh!
If we win, we're definitely going to Barbados.
Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves.
They'll poach the monkfish just before serving.
On to the fondant potatoes.
Do you not know what fondant potato is? I do. I've seen it...
Uh...
He hasn't got a clue.
Fondant potatoes, I'd say, are one of your faves with the guests. Yes.
The potatoes are cooked in a shedload of butter.
I really hope none of the guests are on a diet. All that butter, wow.
Rosemary and stock are added before a spell in the oven.
Look at them beauties. Last to prep is dessert.
I love key lime. They're going to have to be good with the cheesecake, though.
That's it, a bit of competition there. We have a signature cheesecake.
I did that in Key West itself, so, like...
OK.
Maybe David and Rachael had it in Florida too.
Key lime cheesecake, it takes us right back to Barbados.
Barbados, eh? Well, there's a shock.
Rachael grates limes while David preps his biscuit base.
In goes melted butter before whizzing.
Take this to the texture of a wet sand. Oh, Barbados.
Barbados. Ah!
Into the pan go the crushed biscuits.
For the topping, David blends double cream with cream cheese, before adding lime zest.
And?
Bloody lovely, that.
As they say in Barbados.
With the cheesecake left to set, David knocks up
a lime syrup, and that's the prep done.
Today's gone really good. I can feel the Caribbean breeze in my hair already, Dave.
Let's do it. Come on. Pesky extractor fans.
While they get ready, the guests ponder where they're off to tonight.
Somewhere smaller than us, I would think.
I've got like a picture of a little, like, countryside pub...
kind of... -esque thing. Yeah, maybe.
The chef, he is very...he or she is very proud.
Not Indian.
Definitely not Indian.
First to pitch up to the pub are Mike and Jo.
Exciting.
Nice to meet you. I'm David. Hello, I'm Jo. Pleased to meet you.
Hi, Jo. Mike. Hi, I'm Rachael.
They were just so welcoming. I just see Rachael smiling.
I felt immediately comfortable, to be fair.
Next to arrive at the Gallows are Saju and Ganga.
Nice to meet you. Ganga. I'm Rachael. This is...
BARKS
So he's your maitre d', is he? He is.
Yeah, and he's my extra chef as well.
The pub was brilliant but the name, I thought, the Gallows...
I expected a noose hanging in the ceiling.
Luckily, they didn't hang us, so it was OK.
Always a good start.
Yeah, feeling confident. Let's smash it, Rach. Yeah, we can do this.
ALL: Cheers.
Coming up, famous faces...
These are clients - Tricia Penrose, Jim McDonald.
No clue who they are.
And dancing diners. The old put your cig out!
It's our first night in and around Manchester,
and David and Rachael from the Gallows
are hoping some posh pub grub will bag them the grand.
While they get busy with the starter,
the rest of the group have spotted something.
You see these up here? Do you recognise anyone? I don't recognise...
I recognise one in all of them.
Yeah, yeah, we all do.
I don't know anyone. I thought these are the people who are barred from the pub,
so you just take a selfie, and put it on like, you know,
so staff can see that this is the person that's not supposed to come in.
Oh, Saju.
In the kitchen, David finishes the poached eggs
and plates up the black pudding potato cakes.
Top runny eggs. We shall see.
After a drizzle of tarragon butter sauce, here it is,
Lancashire black pudding potato cake with a poached egg.
That looks lovely.
I'm not a big fan of black pudding and poached egg.
Runny egg is not my thing, but I'm happy to try it.
Poached egg cooked really well.
I was a little wary about how they are going to get the right shape of the poached egg.
There is a chef-y term for that. I can't say - you'll bleep it - so I'm not saying that.
Go on, it can't be that bad.
It looks like the same shape of a dog's (BLEEP).
Then again...
And it looks perfect like that. It's a perfect poached egg.
Nice. Yeah.
Yeah. Very, very good.
It was absolutely lovely. Yeah.
The only thing for me, we expected a potato cake as opposed to...
It was nearly like mashed potato, wasn't it? Yeah, underneath it.
How is it, the boss?
Yeah, the boss says it's OK, very good, very good.
Just OK? Very good.
That's usually your nickname. Boss.
We don't have the questioning. I know I'm the boss already.
Everybody knows.
Empty plates. Embrace it. Let the success carry on. Well done.
Thank you, boss.
So we recently got married. So we met online.
And our first conversation with Rachael was, "I'm a chef",
and obviously it went down well, because here I am now.
Mike uses that chat-up line, actually. Yeah. I've heard him.
Get your jacket, love.
And get my chef whites as well. Get my chef whites!
So what about you guys? We're not a couple, by the way.
We're not. We're absolutely not a couple. She wishes. He wishes.
Awkward...
Are you guys married? Yes, we are married.
Do you work together? Yes, at the moment.
Like me and Rachael? Yeah. We work together, yeah.
Right, OK. It's tough, mate. It's actually easy.
Honestly, for me it's really easy.
It's not that bad as we thought. Yeah, I am enjoying it.
Because I am the boss there.
In business relationship, when we have a fall-out, it's very short-lived.
Yeah, absolutely. But personally, at home, it's not.
Sometimes I even forget what happened.
What happened. I have to remind you.
I won't forget.
What an absolute character, laugh a minute.
Oh, my gosh, he's hilarious. She's so lovely.
So are you the chef? He's the chef, yes.
Are you front of house? I am the front of the house.
I think it's a carbon copy.
Them two are exactly the same as me and Rach. Yeah.
Time for the main. After searing the beef...
Getting a bit of colourisation on there,
keeping all the flavour locked in.
..David griddles till medium, just how he likes it,
and with everything assembled, it's ready.
Fillet of beef, garlic monkfish tail,
rosemary fondant potato, and a red wine jus.
Thank you very much, thank you.
So how's the meal, guys? It's simple, I like it.
Thank you very much.
Nothing extraordinary, but it's a really good meal.
Will I eat it again? Yes.
So what do you think to the monkfish, and complementing it with the beef?
The tastes that are going on between both - perfection.
I would have liked to have been asked how I would have liked my steak cooked.
Had I had been in a restaurant somewhere,
I would have asked for that to be cooked a little bit more.
My chef always says the cow has already died. Don't kill the soul.
That's a great compliment. Yeah, definitely.
Can I get a copyright?
If I'd have gone into a Michelin starred restaurant and ate that, I'd have been, wow.
Would you? Yeah, absolutely.
That's near to Raymond's, that, isn't it?
Moving on...Saju wants to know about David's photo collection.
So I see loads of pictures up there, but I don't understand who is who, other than you.
So these are clients - Tricia Penrose from Heartbeat,
Antony Cotton from Coronation Street.
Anyone else?
From Coronation Street, Steve McDonald's dad, Jim McDonald.
So you are the celebrated chef here, then?
Not really, no.
I just do what I do best and cook.
He cooked for loads of celebrities,
but the only problem is I don't know anybody.
No clue who they are.
I cooked a lot of celebrities.
Bet you can't top Tricia Penrose.
So I served the Queen of England when she came to India, like, I cooked for her.
Oh, you can.
He's cooked for the Queen! I don't think we've won it now, Rach.
Chin up, David. You'll always have Jim McDonald.
No one can take that away from you.
They may have just told him that's who they are, and he wouldn't have had a clue who they are!
It could have been Queen Latifah!
Time for dessert. After slicing and plating the cheesecake...
This is going to knock them for six.
..here it is - Key lime cheesecake with ice-cream.
Ooh, and a pretty little flower.
I love the lime. That lime syrup...
Yeah, that for me sets the whole thing off.
I can't find any fault. Believe me, I'm a guy who finds a lot of fault.
But I couldn't find any fault, and the dish itself is very nice.
Presentation was good, especially with the flower. I loved the flower.
Edible flowers are about a fiver a pop, so, you know...
Stick a slice of lime on, and save yourself some dough.
Ssh. Trade secrets!
With the night drawing to an end, time to show how the Gallows comes alive.
OK, let's have some entertainment now here at the Gallows.
Oh, I love an awkward boogie.
Come on.
# What you drinking
# Rum and whiskey... #
Tonight we're creating an atmosphere that
you would usually experience at a weekend in the pub.
Cheers.
It was a nice vibe, and I think certainly on the first night
it kind of give us that little bit of loosen up a bit,
and let's get loosey goosey.
Not with your moves. The old put your cig out!
I think that was excellent, that was really good.
We all had fun.
We all danced, and Saju usually is not the best dancer, but he did dance today.
He belly danced today.
I can't dance. Absolute rubbish.
CHEERING
Tonight just went A1, perfect.
20 out of 20. Just give us the envelope with the money.
Scores out of 20.
Tonight's food is really good. The atmosphere is really good.
Being the first night, it's all very well.
There's no innovation in the food.
For that we would like to give a score of...
17.
David and Rachael gave us a great night, great food.
There was a couple of little points we thought
could have been improved on, and that's why...
We're going to score...17.
And with that, David and Rachael from the Gallows
post an impressive score of 34 out of 40.
It's the second day in Manchester, and Saju and Ganga
have a special treat for their guests.
The basic idea of our restaurant is to
change the mind-set of people about Indian food.
Our food in South India is extremely different than North Indian food.
It is a big challenge, and we will win it.
Saju is really like a laugh a minute,
but we'll see if he's laughing tonight when he's in the kitchen.
I think it will be very simple food, but executed really well.
Well, he's cooked for the Queen.
I know he's cooked for the Queen, cooked for Liz.
I don't think it'll be a straight Indian, how we would... No.
..have a vision of Indian. No, maybe not just the chicken tikka masala, but...
Yeah, I think he'll definitely put a twist to it.
I think you might be right. For starters, they're doing...
There's quite a bit of mix there, isn't there?
There's cauliflower, beef and prawns, so you've got a bit of everything there.
It's like a surf and turf, isn't it? Yeah.
It'll be interesting to see the presentation on that as well. Yeah.
Cauliflower bezule is the most famous dish on our menu.
Our customers come and tell me I'm dreaming of cauliflower yesterday, so that's the dish.
Under the watchful gaze of Saju, Ganga prepares the cauliflower.
It's too small, Ganga. You need to make bigger florets.
Thanks for not trusting me. I trust my life with you.
Not with the cauliflower, yes, that's true.
Into boiling water go ginger, garlic paste,
turmeric, salt and chilli, followed by the cauliflower.
Next, Saju prepares a chilli and garlic batter.
We will go with medium spice, because Saju believes
that's how everybody will enjoy the flavours.
Sensible strategy. Cauliflower marinating,
he makes a chilli and yoghurt dressing.
Really nice, yeah.
It'll be deep fried before serving.
Beef sukka? Really? That's interesting.
Can you explain that one to me, please?
So tonight I will be... Who's sucking the beef tonight?
He's taking us for a sucker. Beef sukka? Yeah, don't know.
No. Again, quite interesting.
This is for the beef sukka. I already marinated it last night.
Beef with homemade garam masala.
This is my medium sized pressure cooker.
Don't fall in.
In goes the pulled beef. Ganga, don't fall in.
I don't want to be cooked with the beef.
Water added, the pressure cooker's left to do its thing,
and it's onto the prawns.
So beef and seafood - a bit like last night?
We are doing the surf and turf war,
because ours is spiced up, it's really hot.
Hot and sexy. Like you and me.
For the dressings, Saju chops and fries fresh coconut
with curry leaves and chilli paste.
The prawns will be mixed in later tonight.
On to the main...
I would always opt for a fish tikka when I'm in a curry house so, yeah,
that sounds like it could be my choice, that.
There's no pakoras. No pakoras.
And there's no poppadums on there.
We might be calling at a kebab house on the way home. I think so.
Kappa means cassava.
Kappa is a Malayalam word, we call it in our language,
and meenum means fish, so obviously it's a fish curry,
so the cassava is served with the fish curry.
That's why it's called kappayum meenum.
This sea bass is perfect. It's smiling at me, I think.
He's going to be happy, because he's going to go in a good curry.
The clearly euphoric fish will be poached in
a ginger garlic mixed spice stock and coconut concoction.
How is it tasting?
Nice.
It turned out better than last time I made it.
Bonus. Onto the veg.
I don't know what cassava is. No idea. Not too sure.
Cassava. Cassava. It might be something like...
..avocado-y type thing.
Very good chefs know what cassava is, because cassava,
it's a staple food for nearly one third of the world's population.
Never mind, David.
The root veg is chopped and boiled with turmeric and salt.
Next, Saju heats mustard seeds, garlic,
cumin and curry leaves, before adding the cooked cassava.
It will be served with the fish later tonight.
Last up, dessert...
I know what that is. Do you? Golden plantain.
Go on then. It's like bananas, isn't it? It is, it is.
Well done, you.
This is what my mum used to make me for breakfast,
so I just turned that into a pudding, that's it, easy peasy.
I think it's a bit boring. I'm a bit, mm.
It's not jumping out at me, that. No.
Ganga begins by crushing cardamom.
This is Saju's head. Who says romance is dead?
Saju heats ghee, palm sugar and coconut milk for the sauce.
He'll serve with plantain later tonight.
We are really, really, really confident, yes, we are going to win.
We will win it. Only time will tell.
I think it's going to be quite trendy,
I think there's going to be a bit of a Bhangra feel.
Saju's going to love hosting tonight. Saju's going to thrive tonight.
First to arrive - last night's hosts, Rachael and David.
Amma's Canteen. Who's Amma?
Let's find out.
Hello, welcome. Nice to see you.
Nice to meet you again. How are you? I'm good, how are you?
LAUGHTER
Twins! Yeah. I can see the connection there.
Must be a chef thing. Mike and Jo are next to rock up.
Amma's Canteen.
Hello, how are you? Hi.
Welcome to Amma's Canteen. It's a street food South Indian restaurant.
we are in the middle of the street, and this is what we created here,
like you know - street vibe, you know.
The food sounds nice. Yeah, we're excited, really excited.
Tonight you are going to get the true taste of Chennai from South India, so cheers.
ALL: Cheers.
Coming up, intriguing ingredients...
Is this potato? No that's cassava.
It's like stroking a cow.
And controversial comparisons.
I'd probably describe Rachael as sauteed prawns.
So are you comparing me to a prawn?
It's night two of the Professionals competition in Manchester,
where Saju and Ganga of Amma's Canteen are hoping
their South Indian fare will bag them a grand.
I have to make it right. First time they are eating,
and I can't do injustice to my food and my culture.
I think Saju looks a bit stressed, like I was yesterday.
There's a distinct lack of prosecco in his glass, so, yeah.
A distinct lack of jokes since we arrived.
More serious tonight, yeah.
Things certainly seem serious in the kitchen.
How long? One second. Hello?
My prawns. Oh, dear.
Steffie, Stef was doing it. Yeah. Do you hear me?
They put it somewhere else. I don't know where they put it.
In the fridge? Yeah, thought so.
Saju fries the prawns with his spicy coconut mix,
before turning his attention to the beef.
It's looking really quite good. I'm really happy.
So much easier when you have the ingredients.
How long now? Three more minutes.
The cauliflower is deep fried, and mixed into the sauce.
Ganga, service.
I'm very, very happy with how it looks. Well done, Saju.
Thank you, thank you. For a change.
Charming.
Tonight's starter is Cauliflower bezule,
beef sukka and sauteed prawns.
Thank you very much. Sauteed prawns. Enjoy.
It looks and smells beautiful. Thank you.
Smells amazing.
Everything is all right? How is the spice for you?
Lovely, yeah, not too spiced, but really tasty.
We're both not great with spice, but it was tasty spice tonight.
It was a nice, tasty... It wasn't like... Yeah, it was lovely.
Oh, my mouth's burning. Yeah, because then it's pointless. You don't taste the dish, do you?
The cauliflower.. I could turn vegan, absolutely. That is just stunning.
I didn't get the same...wow factor
from the cauliflower as you guys did.
Too many flavours then killed...a different dish.
Some may think it's clashing each other,
but that's what India is all about.
It's loads of different things in one bowl.
Back with the group, and Rachael's probing.
So Ganga, where does Amma's Canteen come from?
Amma's means something like mum, so that's what it is, exactly,
when you miss your mum's food, and you can enjoy.
You must have got really well fed as a kid, then.
It really makes it feel like family orientated.
How did you meet? It's a proper arranged marriage.
How old were you then, sorry? I was 20... Six.
That's what you're thinking, that's what you're thinking.
I know what you're thinking.
Child marriage. So I was 22.
And did you say you'd been together 30 years?
20 years. Yeah, yeah. You really thought I got married when I was six.?
How did everything go down? It went really well, Stefano.
Saju did a very good job. Brilliant, Saju.
The plates are all clear, though. All clean. They look very hungry.
Better feed them some more then. For the main,
Saju poaches the sea bass in coconut broth, before frying veg.
The cassava is plated and on goes the fish.
Saju's skills are just coming out now.
The more and more he concentrates, the more and more it comes out.
There you go, there you go. Yes, baby.
A drizzle of sauce, and Alleppey fish curry
with smashed cassava and greens is served.
Service on. Thank you very much.
Is this potato? No, that's cassava. You know what cassava is?
No.
If I show you how it... Look...
Hari.
This is it. Pass it around like...
So everyone can get a good feel. Yeah, a feel of it.
And then you know what you're eating like, you know.
It's like stroking a cow, you know, before you eat it.
Before you have a fillet. Yeah.
Unusual consistency, isn't it? It's very hard.
Just a little bit heavy for me. Yeah, I understand that.
We weren't keen on that, were we? Thought it was a bit tasteless. Stodgy.
It was a bit tasteless, and a little bit hard to get through.
Cassava is a very heavy dish, I know,
but this is what the labourers of India will have,
so I just want to bring poor people's food to the palate here.
Slightly disappointed in that it was...
In the presentation of it. The fish was nice.
It was cooked perfectly, but it didn't give it that punch.
It didn't give it that wow factor.
At the table, Ganga's got a question.
If you guys have to describe your partners,
each other, related to food, which food?
I'd probably describe Rachael as sauteed prawns.
Oh, I wouldn't. Quite delicate.
OK... Beautiful.
Yes...
There's a little bit of an edge to it, as always with Rachael.
Yeah. You see, I did warn you.
So you are comparing me to a prawn?
Yeah, beautiful and succulent.
To describe his wife as a prawn, where are we going here?
Then he said beautiful, and I was like, "You've got it back a little bit."
Yeah, he just did actually, yeah.
Did he? Maybe Mike's a little more tactful.
Jo's like a coconut. Like, hard on the outside,
hard as nails...
but soft and sweet in the middle.
Aw! Oh, yes, well played Mike.
I mean I wasn't going down the hairy route, I was going down,
I was going down like the hard, and soft in the middle. Rather than hairy.
Just when it was going so well.
God.
We haven't figured out what Jo's all about. Like, let's see tomorrow.
I think Ganga is a jackfruit,
particularly on the outside, soft-centred, sweet.
I let him go for this one. Well, that's a relief.
So I'm pretty outside? You look pretty.
I look pretty. You can be like, you know...
That's not helping. OK, let's change that. Shaved jackfruit.
No you lost it now, you already said that, so you can't change it.
How about a plantain? Which Saju prepares for the pud.
How long they are going to be ready? As long as it takes.
Oh, ho. Who's prickly now?
Into the syrup goes the plantain, before a quick taste, and...
That is Heaven, actually.
Good. Finally it's topped with palm sugar and torched.
Good, Saju, good. Don't fall into the pot.
Yes. Be careful.
Here it is - Golden plantain with vanilla ice-cream.
Thank you very much.
How is it, guys?
I think it's a bit of a mix between bananas and custard, and a banana fritter.
I wasn't overly keen on the plantain.
It was a bit tasteless. I would have loved that dessert with banana.
Plantain got everything.
It's got the fibre, so it will be, you know, like crunchy, and to cook,
it goes through the pounding of the cooking process.
If you don't want to use plantain, use jackfruit.
Really?
I thought it was quite heavy to finish off the meal.
Yeah, maybe. It's a bit too much stodge.
Time for some scores.
20.
I like her positivity. That's why she likes me.
Always aim for the best. Yeah, she aims for me.
Elements could have been better.
Probably expected a little bit more from Saju.
And on that basis, we have scored...
14.
The food was fab. The only criticism - maybe the cassava
was a little bit bland and a bit stodgy.
And for me the plantain was a little bit tasteless, and that's why...
Yeah, all in all I think it was a good night, so we're going to score...
16.
And with that, Amma's Canteen scored
a very respectable 30 points, putting them second.
It's the final day, and Mike and Jo are feeling confident
about welcoming the competition to the Waterside.
We're not fazed whatsoever.
Everything we've got here and we've worked so hard on
is just going to shine through tonight.
Mike and Jo are our competition tonight.
Yeah, I kind of take that as well.
Mike and Jo, we will be watching you.
And someone else who will be watching is head chef Gary.
Morning, Chef. Morning, Gary. You OK?
Morning. I think so, yeah. Confident? Yeah, yeah.
They are going to pull all the stops out.
That's what I think, like, you know.
It's going to be really, they're trying...
They will showcase something extraordinary on the plate.
Well, their first extraordinary offering is a starter of...
Easy dish, easy... Easy and quite simple dish.
Chicken nuggets with some salt and pepper in it. McDonalds.
No.
Mike begins by chopping the chicken,
and Jo gets creative with the garnish.
Pretty. On goes seasoning.
We've got Gary's secret recipe, with his salt and pepper seasoning mix.
Can't tell you what goes in that. Trade secret.
Understood, but I'm guessing it involves salt and pepper for a kick off.
With the mysterious rub applied,
the chicken will be coated and deep fried tonight.
So it's on to the main...
This is me, this dish, isn't it? Absolutely.
Yeah, so, Mike, it had better be good.
Saju always cooks, and he cooks really well, so I need to be comparing this.
The pork belly should be very soft everywhere,
and very crispy crackling-ike skin on the top.
Right, Mike, let's get tackling that crackling.
The key to a good crackling, plenty of salt.
It dries it out, gives it a real crisp finish.
It's got to have that crackling.
If there's no crackling, it's not the dish, is it?
Out the water. Out the water.
Pressure's on. Once weighted down, it's into the oven.
The rest of the meat is covered in stock and left to cook,
so Mike moves on to the fondant potatoes.
They're going to get one each on the plate, and then we've done
an extra one there just in case anyone's hungry.
Or we drop one. Which is more likely.
A quick fry and go on herbs.
The rosemary and thyme just give that extra little kick.
Followed by stock.
Oh, that smell, amazing.
I wonder if it's going to be buttery,
buttery, loads of butter in there,
because with mine it was full buttery, wasn't it?
I'm not sure it's (IN YORKSHIRE ACCENT) full buttery,
but a bit of butter's added, and the fondants go in to bake.
How's that pork getting on?
Oh.
Wow, looking good.
Happy days. Next they make the apple bonbons,
by dipping apple balls in flour, egg and panko breadcrumbs.
Right come on, guys, stop milking it.
These are panko, now they're done.
Finally Mike braises the cabbage, and makes an accompanying cider sauce.
On to pud...
If I was to have a dessert, it would be cheesecake.
I change the cheesecake every week,
they're all different flavours, so this had better be on the bar.
Mike has made three in the last week to make sure he does it completely right. Been practising.
Mike begins by whipping mascarpone and creme fraiche with sugar,
while Jo blitzes biscuits for the base.
Use the back of the spoon there, press down.
Next, creme de menthe is poured into the cheese mixture.
That smells amazing.
In goes a dash of vanilla followed by broken chocolates.
Oh, what's this?
You have to do this, shimmy shimmy, and it slides down your head.
Oh!
Oh, you've had a shocker there, Mike, not even close.
On goes the topping.
That can go in the fridge. Where it will set.
Finally they whip up a chocolate ganache.
The chocolate mint is just a classic combination,
and in a cheesecake it just...yeah, really works.
I'm not looking forward to it, because mint and...
She don't like mint and dark chocolate.
I don't like mint in my desserts.
Ah.
All finished. Let's go smash this. Yes, chef.
First to sample the Waterside's ambience are Saju and Ganga.
Hi!
ALL GREET EACH OTHER
It's a really amazing, good-looking place, like, loads, like...
Yeah, it feels like a wow. Wow factor.
What is this drink, sir? So it's a lychee sour, one of our special cocktails.
It tastes really good, it's really nice.
Not too many of them for you tonight though,
Saju, them dance moves again.
Tonight, I can have...
And strutting their stuff, here come current leaders David and Rachael.
Hi.
Have you had a good day? She only threatened me a few times.
The knives have been out in the kitchen.
Just a dangerous work space. Did you threaten Jo?
I wouldn't dream of it.
I'm not nervous. We've got this in the bag, haven't we?
We've got it. Shall we do this? Great food, great service.
Shall we do this, chef? Oh, we missed.
Slick.
Here's to a great night, last night of the week. Yeah, excited.
ALL: Cheers.
Coming up, a divisive dessert.
Mint is not my kind of dessert.
It's disaster for us, personally.
And someone bags the big bucks.
It's the final night in Manchester, and Jo and Mike from the Waterside
are hoping their best-selling dishes
will see them pocket the £1,000 prize.
While they get the starter going,
the rest of the gang take in the surroundings.
I think Jo is the lady behind this. I think she's the one.
What do you reckon? Yeah, yeah.
We knew Jo was going to have something special.
And she's working her magic on the salad too.
Stop, stop, put it away. You're dressing the salad way too early.
Wait till the chicken's plated, or it's going to be wilted.
Oh, it's going to be a long night.
Deep breaths, Gary.
Mike deep-fries his battered chicken...
You might have to clean your fryer tonight.
..before tossing in the secret salt and pepper mix.
I think it looks all right.
Et voila... Salt and pepper chicken bites with a hoisin and plum sauce.
Oh, wow. Tuck in, guys.
Smells amazing. Enjoy.
Looks amazing, yeah. Just going for it.
So, what's the dipping sauce then, Mike?
The sauce is our signature, like, hoisin and plum sauce.
Great flavour there, Mike.
I think I was being a bit polite, but the flavour,
I was getting more from the actual garnish,
so I had to put some of the spring onion
and the chilli onto the chicken to enhance it a bit more.
It just lacked the kick for me.
You know the best thing about the whole dish is I love the sauce.
And it goes really well with the whole dish.
The starter was good. There's no wow factor to it.
They were fab, exactly how we'd send it every other table,
every one that goes out, and without a doubt it's our best-seller.
Oh, God, yeah, it's just a winner for us.
Back with the group, Saju has a question.
We are intrigued to find more about you, like,
you are a mystic person, you know.
Mystery Jo, Mystery Jo.
I'm not very mystery, really, so, yeah,
started the restaurant 23 years ago.
My business partner was my mum. We love the decor.
What stands out, the corrugated roof in the bar.
Three days of my life are in that ceiling. It's... Honestly...
Stop being dramatic. No, honestly, three full days
of my life looking up, on my own, trying to do it.
I first saw that idea, which you've probably seen it as well
in Barbados, we bought it from a farm.
So you didn't pinch it from any farm, then?
Well, we did a little bit. So you heard?
It was up in Rochdale.
I wondered why the cows were wet.
Poor Mike, he's been on the roof for months.
I bet he's got arm ache or back ache, or you know, neck ache.
He'll have pork belly ache if he doesn't nail this main.
The meat goes in to fry.
Just a real good stir on the top of the pork.
It's cooked in stock,
reunited with the crackling, and with the extras added,
it's ready...
Pork belly with fondant potatoes,
panko apple bonbons and braised red cabbage.
Thank you. Thank you, Lydia.
Tuck in, everyone. Enjoy. Yeah, enjoy.
Very crispy, salty. The crackling is the best bit for me.
My crackling's a little bit overcooked.
Probably the only piece that could have gone out wrongly, probably did to David.
How long did you cook the belly pork for, then, Mike?
The belly pork was in for about two hours, two and a half hours.
I would have kept the crackling on the top,
I would have pressed it down,
then in a pan I invert it, and make the crackling.
It will come with the pork.
The questions came thick and fast about the food tonight.
Typical chef. Two chefs. Trying to pick it apart, I think.
60 years of experience in two chefs. Yeah.
Compared to my pork belly, it just wasn't in the same league, no.
I was quite disappointed with it, to be honest.
I definitely think Saju's belly pork is much more better than...
She was served by the best, so she can't like the rest.
Oh, dear, come on, Ganga, change the subject.
Do you guys have any embarrassing stories which has happened in the restaurant?
There's a few, but the one that I love about Mike was
the time that I've clocked that he's seen this girl,
and he's got a bit of a thing for this girl,
so he's saying, "Hi, are you OK?
Do you want to go through to the bar, I'll be with you
in five minutes, and I'll get you to a table."
He starts walking backwards, he turns round, falls over a stool...
In front of the whole restaurant. She's not come back since.
Thanks again for reminding not just me,
but telling everyone about all my embarrassing stories.
You're welcome.
So, just dessert to go, and it needs to be a belter.
With the cheesecake set, Jo pours the Irish cream liqueur.
Would you portion this now or just cut a slice out of it?
I'd put your finger on the plate...
No, the sauce on the plate.
You definitely don't put your finger on the plate.
You said put your finger on the plate. What's that supposed to achieve?
Everything plated, it's ready.
Mint and dark chocolate cheesecake with a shot of Irish cream liqueur.
Thank you.
Mint is not something I would want in my dark chocolate. Not my kind of dessert.
That's the only reason, not because you've chosen it.
It's disaster for us personally.
I like mint but I don't like mint and chocolate.
I like both of them separate. I like mint in biryani.
For me, it's a bit too cloggy.
Really?
It's not as light as it could be.
I think there was too much gelatine in it.
Maybe it was a little bit more gelatine in it than his.
Who's to say that that's right and that's wrong?
It is a very, very fine line with something like that.
I think Rachael and David are really out to get it now. Quite competitive tonight.
To play out the evening, it's resident Waterside warbler, Tony.
# Twist and shout...
The atmosphere tonight was really good.
It's cracking, more than the crackling.
# You twist so fine... # Twist so fine!
The music at the end of the night, I think it was a bit of fun
and getting us all into a relaxed mode. Yeah, really nice.
It's been stressful, hasn't it?
I think live music in any venue just adds to it,
where you've got a bar that looks as amazing as ours,
you put live music in, you're going to have a good time.
It's a win-win, isn't it?
# Ah...
The singing was really good, like the "ahhh" bit.
# Ah.... #
ALL CHEER
Right, who's going to be a grand better off?
Tonight, great host, great venue.
The food is not for us.
Little bit things which we didn't like, but we give the score of...
15.
Wey!
Mike and Jo need 19 from David and Rachael
for a share of victory, or 15 to avoid coming outright last.
Tonight the chicken didn't have enough salt and pepper seasoning on it,
the main course of belly pork wasn't cooked enough for us,
and the cheesecake was quite gelatinous
and was more mousse-y,
so for that reason we are scoring Mike and Jo...
Hold it. As hosts, it's Mike and Jo's job to reveal the winners.
ALL CHEER
Moment of truth, everyone. ALL GASP
All right, let's see who it is.
Good luck, everybody. Good luck.
In third place, we have Jo and Mike from the Waterside.
David and Rachael scored Mike and Jo 12.
In second place, Amma's Canteen, Saju and Ganga. Well done.
Which means in first place we've got David and Rachael at the Gallows.
CHEERING
See you later, guys, enjoy your taxi ride home.
So what won it for us, dear? My food, obviously, Rach, come on.
Excuse me! What about my hosting?
Yeah, I'll give you that one. Hostess with the mostest. Cheers.
ALL: Cheers.
Thank you, Jo, for tonight. I still think it was a fix.
I second that.
SHOUTS COMMENT
We've had an amazing experience, it's just been fabulous.
Absolute ball, like, a great few days. I mean definitely a fix.
Robbed.
We would love to do this again, and we have made great friends.
And we love it. Bring it on, baby.
# Whoa, I'm going to Barbados
# Whoa
# Back to the palm trees
# I'm going to see my girlfriend
# Whoa, in the sunny Caribbean sea
# Whoa, I'm going to Barbados
# Whoa... #
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