Original subtitles

Only a handful of chefs in every generation have what it takes to get to the top.

Somewhere out there, there's an extraordinary, unknown chef.

A hidden gem.

I want to find that chef.

NARRATOR: Michel Roux Jr,

legendary chef at the Langham,

is offering a life-changing opportunity...

There is so much on the line here for me.

My reputation as a person, as a chef.

...the chance to win the hotel's iconic Palm Court restaurant.

MICHEL: The Langham is the epitome of luxury five-star hotels.

The best of the best.

I have to make the right choice.

Oh, shit.

Come on. Push, push, push.

Working with Michel are industry experts Ravneet Gill and Mike Reid.

Head chef in the Palm Court at the Langham.

It is an opportunity that could start their empire

and be worth millions.

This is definitely the most expensive thing I will ever make.

I need finesse, man. I need finesse.

Up and coming chefs from around the world

will be put through the toughest job interview of their lives.

Do you trust the fishmonger? Mate, five-star.

Get your hake on the bench and check it.

It's a mess.

This is about more than cooking skills.

This is the tree of life.

A successful restaurateur needs vision, charisma.

Do I have to dish it out?

And above all, they need to make money.

This has no place in a five-star establishment.

This is below what I was expecting.

This is the Langham Hotel.

Perfection is expected.

It is an outstanding plate of food.

I would pay big money for this. It's beautiful.

It's cooking of the highest order.

Do I know what I'm doing?

I ask myself this question every day.

It's not going to be enough time. Don't worry.

I've let you down terribly and I'm not going to be ready.

And I feel awful.

Who will triumph

in the five-star kitchen?

It would be a dream to have a restaurant in a five-star hotel.

How we see luxury fine dining should be relearned.

Get out of your comfort zone and don't take yourself seriously.

I am going to bring the best Caribbean food

that the UK has seen.

It's not five-star, it's ten.

Rising stars of the restaurant industry are gathering at the Langham Hotel

to compete for the biggest prize in culinary history.

MICHEL: The Palm Court is the restaurant at the heart of the Langham Hotel.

Running it is a dream for any chef.

It will catapult their name worldwide.

The Langham is one of Britain's oldest and finest five-star hotels,

headed up by Michelin-star chef Michel Roux Jr.

My family brought gastronomy to the UK.

Now I want to bring something brand-new to the London dining scene,

and I've asked the best brains in the business

and I've asked the best brains to help me in my search.

To help me in my search.

My restaurants have generated hundreds of millions of pounds worth of revenue.

I have everyone from Beyonce, Madonna, Idris Elba,

royalty from around the world, you name it.

They've been to my venues.

I know what it takes to run a successful restaurant.

I'm looking for someone with raw talent who needs a bit of nurturing.

This is about finding the next concept

that's really going to blow up in London.

You want people to be talking about it all around the world.

Today, each chef will pitch their vision

for the Palm Court restaurant...

Good luck, everyone.

Thank you.

...along with a signature dish that represents their concept.

Oh...very nervous.

Very nervous.

Panicking, in fact.

I don't think the judges have ever tried lamb like this.

I'm bringing a lot of new flavours.

I feel like that's exactly what they want.

They want to see something different, something unique.

The pitch is open to all professional chefs.

It doesn't matter what background you have.

Any chef with talent and passion can present their food to me.

But only those who are truly exceptional will make it through.

I'm all about experiences, being playful.

So I want you to... I want to tell a story throughout my food.

At 24, Lara from Ibiza is the youngest chef

in the competition.

I'm not intimidated.

I know the value of my creativity because I bring something

different and unique.

My restaurant concept is an immersive and theatrical experience.

It's not just about the food.

It's about enhancing all of your senses.

To illustrate her theatrical fine-dining concept,

Lara is making a fairy tale-inspired edible artwork.

Yuzu meringue white rabbit... coming to life.

I think my brain is...

...is an abstract...abstract puzzle.

I like to not fit in and I like to think outside the box.

So here we've got an apple mousse with balsamic vinegar.

This is creamy panna cotta to give it that creaminess.

And then there's strawberry rhubarb sorbet

and a little white rabbit that's made out of yuzu meringue.

I've had the honour to work in incredible places, but like,

no-one was really having fun.

And that's when I decided to start my own business.

Lara's theatrical supper clubs combine fine dining with performance

and sell out at £550 a head.

So this strawberry powder, as soon as it hits your palate,

it will turn back to liquid.

So it's kind of like playing, teaching your senses a little bit.

I'm going to try to blow the judges away,

but I feel like they will see something different.

I'm just ballotining up my rabbit at the moment,

wrapping it in bacon,

getting it ready to put into the water bath.

It's an ingredient that means a lot to me.

My qualifications for cooking are chopping coleslaw with my nan,

and that's it.

Completely self-taught,

and now I own my own restaurant.

I'm award-winning.

My concept is three. Three good things.

Not overcomplicating the plate,

just working with key flavours that work together.

Jordan has named his signature dish Rabbit In The Woods.

My Rabbit In The Woods dish with a wild mushroom fricassee

and some black truffle.

I got into a lot of trouble when I was younger.

I left school at the age of 11.

I would get arrested three or four times a week, stealing cars, drugs.

I think I was 12, I took 13 ecstasy tablets in one night.

Yeah...not good.

Essentially my own fault.

I made the wrong decisions.

Watch that pan handle.

My early twenties,

me and my partner broke up, which left me homeless,

miles away from anybody.

My only option was to build a shelter in some woods.

I managed to get a job as a chef.

I'd sleep in the bushes at night.

It wasn't an easy six months, but I got through it.

Cooking 100% saved my life.

Just taking the rabbit out.

I've just finished it on the Japanese grill.

Leave it to rest and then we'll play.

It would mean the world to me to win this.

Leicestershire-born Jordan

will now present his concept and signature dish

to chef Roux, Rav and Mike

in the Palm Court restaurant.

What I'm looking for is culinary excellence,

of course, goes without saying,

but I'm also looking for a clear concept.

It has to be something special.

With space for just seven chefs in the next round,

those that fall short will be sent home.

Hi, chefs. My name is Jordan Brady.

My concept would be "three" at the Langham.

Three key ingredients for my dishes.

The dish is called Rabbit In The Woods.

Ten years ago, I was homeless, sleeping rough.

I used to catch wild rabbits and cook them in the ground.

This is something that means a lot to me, as a chef.

You now have a roof over your head and a job.

I now have a roof over my head.

I own my own restaurant. Well done. Thank you.

I think we need to taste.

Rabbit loin.

Lovely and moist. Strong dish, that.

Really enjoyed it.

Jordan, I really respect you because your story is incredible,

and it just shows that you have such resilience.

You're a very strong contender.

Three ingredients. Can you market that?

The concept from a business perspective, I'm frothing over it.

Needs tuning, but I can help him with that.

And I think that "three" package

is also very easy to sell to other people.

We like your food.

Love the concept.

See you again, Jordan.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Well done, chef.

Yes!

I'm so happy right now.

That's good cooking, huh?

Mm. Yeah.

It's not the finished article.

No, it doesn't need to be.

Lara is putting the finishing touches to her panna cotta,

a classic Italian dessert of thickened cream.

I did a panna cotta and it felt like I put too much gelatine in it.

Worst thing you want to do is serve a hard panna cotta.

So I've tried to make another batch,

and now we're just going to wait and see.

Here, I'm going to start

just playing through some of the elements.

We've got an apple gel that has been infused with Marigold.

The panna cottas look all right.

Strawberry and rhubarb sorbet.

They're good to go.

Lara is hoping her theatrical dining concept is enough

to get her through to the next round.

Hi, I'm Lara Norman,

and I'm here to introduce you to my theatrical and immersive perfect world of nonsense,

exploring all of your senses.

But before you go ahead and taste it,

I must call out for my assistant... White Rabbit!

Ahh! Hello, Laura.

These must be the little lunatics you told me about.

I know. They're a tough crowd to please, as well.

Ah, they don't look so bad.

I'm mad, you're mad.

They're all completely mad.

Hoping to shake up the five-star world

with her theatrical dining experience

is 24-year-old Lara.

Can you please assist this bunch of characters? Oh, yes. Now, would you do me a favour?

Would you take a little pin?

Certainly. Give it a little prick,

and then we create a taste sensation.

RAVNEET SQUEALS Yay!

So in here, we've got popping candy

and then we've got strawberry powder.

Back to the rabbit hole. See you, bye. See you later.

Wow.

THEY LAUGH

What the BLEEP just happened?

It's ridiculous.

I love a bit of ridiculous.

Normally, I don't like gimmicks, but this was so fun,

and now I'm more excited to try it.

Tell me, are you a pastry chef?

I'm a main chef,

so for me, it was a bit of a risk.

I like challenging myself.

On a practical point of view, that really is not great for a busy kitchen,

and coming out with a balloon and with rabbit...

Have you tried this concept out elsewhere?

Well, yeah, I've got my own business.

I do pop-up events and we take a maximum booking of 24 guests.

Six courses, a price of 550.

And you're successful?

It's been going great.

I think we need to taste this.

If you hit the technical elements,

it would have been outstanding.

The presentation was wow,

but the flavour profile didn't live up to that.

The sorbet, I thought, was mind-blowing.

Delicious. Let down by the other two.

Panna cotta, far too set,

and the other apple mousse was lacking in character.

Let down.

You're kind of a marketing person's dream... Absolutely.

...because you would never run out of things to say about you.

The fact that I have no idea what you're going to do next terrifies me,

but also makes me really want to see what you're going to do next.

How do you feel, Michel?

Because this is so far away

from the normal five-star restaurant concept.

You know what scares me?

The rabbit.

And...I'm not convinced about your cooking.

Not convinced.

I think it would be taking a big risk to say yes to you.

But we haven't seen enough here.

I need a little bit of convincing.

So it's a maybe.

Lara has divided the judges with her eccentric idea...

Whew! That was a little bit intense.

...and is sent to the locker room until all the pitches have been heard.

Oh, hello! Oh, my God. Are you in?

Maybe. I had such a dry mouth.

I tried not to have a cardiac arrest.

I'm like... I need some water!

London is an over saturated market.

You can find any type of food, which is brilliant,

but also difficult,

because what it means is that people are spoilt for choice.

You've got to think about what makes you stand out.

What sets you apart from the rest?

I'm rooting for you!

Oh, thanks, babes. I'm rooting for YOU.

So my concept is British Tapas.

Small plates for sharing.

Concept has been done before.

To me, it's like when you go into the fridge

and you put whatever's in the fridge on a tray

and you go and sit down and you eat it.

I feel like this is a fridge raid.

My restaurant concept is Flavours Of The Orient.

I love Asian cuisine.

The concept, it's just not, "Wow".

My restaurant is an all-day afternoon tea concept.

I don't understand what the difference is

between this being a five-star concept or me just going to my local cake shop

and ordering a few cakes and sitting down.

I'm making a duck a I'orange.

Bringing up that classical tradition of French cuisine,

back again, you know?

Amazing technical ability, but concept,

all we're seeing is classic French right now.

You're great.

The food is fantastic.

But I just wonder about the concept.

There are so many other places doing this.

You, for example.

We have to let you go.

I'm afraid we're going to part company. OK.

We can't take you on.

No. OK.

The demands of a five-star guest are exacting.

If you're going to try and elevate humble food,

you have to elevate the cooking, the creativity and the presentation.

You've got no room for error.

My concept of being Tex-Mex,

I think when people hear Tex-Mex, they hear sloppy tacos

and I want to bring anything but.

My name is Travis Quinn Catfish.

We lived on Lake Travis, and most of the fish that you pull out of Lake Travis are catfish.

So that's why my legal middle name is Catfish.

So I've got a chicken tortilla soup,

tomato broth base with two whole chicken legs in it, pork empanadas.

And then I've got some crab legs going

and I'm going to do some crunchy, bitter greens.

I was raised in Texas as a kid.

I've been cooking for 20 plus years all over the planet

and I love Tex-Mex.

I'm just cooling off my second bit of tortilla.

I'd be very, very lucky to have my name on this hotel

and to be part of this team.

Second dish, pork empanadas.

I'm going to fill it with pork cheeks and some tomatillo relish.

I know that if I check into this beautiful hotel

and I was told there's a place doing 12-hour brisket and handmade corn tortillas,

I would drop my bag and be down there in about ten minutes.

Five-star guests can be anybody and everybody.

But I know everybody likes comfort food.

Fryer is up.

It's quite high.

Like Travis, 39-year-old Londoner Dom

is hoping to elevate his heritage food from the Caribbean.

My style can be quite rustic,

but because we've got a five-star environment going on here,

I'm going to bring a little bit of precision,

but not lose me in the dish.

I feel like I've been preparing for this my whole life,

starting in my mum’s kitchen.

I grew up one of five kids to a single parent, Mum,

I grew up one of five kids and she worked quite a lot

and she worked quite a lot

so I was kind of the chef of the house.

So I'm making a little bit of jerk sauce here.

My mum said to me, "Don't cook with too much spice.”

And if he says that it's too spicy,

she'll be like, "I told you, son."

So I've got some boneless jerk chicken,

now some plantain crisps and jam

and the mac and cheese arancini balls.

The sweetcorn is for my dressing.

So this is my plantain jam, some sugar in there.

We need that sweetness and that acidity to balance the heat of the jerk chicken.

I'm running...going to be running to the end,

but I wouldn't have it any other way.

So these are tortilla... That one's come apart on me.

I'll have to make another one.

Oh, Dominic!

Lost all my sauce.

It was in a plastic jug.

Jug melted on there.

You don't want to fall down in front of Chef Roux.

I'm a little bit sad about that.

A little bit of creme fraiche, lime...

Argh...

MICHEL: Hmm.

Hi, guys.

My name is Travis.

I want to change the conception of Tex-Mex

with some slow-smoked barbecue and Latin American flavours.

I really want to bring approachable food to luxury.

It's comforting. It's inviting.

I think the star of all of this was the soup,

like, the depth of flavour in that soup,

when I ate it, my shoulders just dropped.

So I do think you've really got something.

General ingredients, not too expensive.

So then you can really dial it up with lobster.

The cuts of pork, in terms of profitability, it could work.

I love the colour.

I like your crab salad, as well.

The concept, I'm OK with,

but I'm not 100% sold that it would work here.

The empanada, I found very dry. OK.

Doesn't taste good... and it doesn't look good.

For me, this is almost unforgivable.

I understand.

I'm really struggling with this.

Travis...

...the story ends here.

Fair enough. Thank you, Travis.

Thanks, Travis.

I got to take the good with the bad.

I'm going to perfect empanadas.

Do them again and again and again until they're perfect.

Until I bring them back to them.

I'm not scared of a challenge.

Looking good. Looking good.

Slice it down and we're good to go.

I think that Caribbean food can do this.

To finally be kind of cooking food that I love

from my heart and soul on this stage...

...I haven't come to just take part,

I've come here to win.

My name is Dom and my concept

is reimagined and elevated Caribbean food.

My concept is authentic.

It's the kind of food that my grandmother would still recognise.

But it's also trendy enough that my little sister

will want to Instagram it.

Hmm.

This whole presentation, it's not five-star.

Making it five-star,

you know, that's not a step,

that's a leap.

It's got a real punch to it.

It looks delicious.

I can see this slotting quite easily into a five-star dining environment already.

I think Caribbean food on the London food scene has kind of done a lot in the last ten years,

and I think we're in the perfect time now.

I would like to see a little bit more finesse.

It was a good plate of food.

It wasn't amazing for me,

but I really want to see what else you have in your locker.

And Dom, you're so likeable.

You've got a great story.

You have an incredible background.

You've proven yourself in terms of skill set.

But is it five-star? In terms of a business,

like, absolute no-brainer.

I'm not sure... Michel,

I liken Caribbean cuisine to traditional French.

It's very homely, but you can take those concepts and then refine it.

Can this be refined and can Dom take it to that level?

Pitching his elevated Caribbean concept to Chef Roux, Ray, and Mike, is 39-year-old Dom.

I'm kind of getting the vibe that you two really enjoyed this.

I personally...would travel to the other side of London.

I'd probably go even to the other side of the UK...

...just for the chicken

Wow. That alone.

But it certainly wasn't five-star luxury dining.

However...we want to see a lot more of you, Dom.

You're through.

Amazing.

Oh, wow.

Good chicken.

I'm still...

I was going to be a gentleman, but not with this one.

Oh, man...

It's crazy.

Next to pitch is Russian-born Igor with his Nordic-inspired concept.

All I do is by my passion.

It's simple as that.

If I don't have any passion,

I shouldn't be a chef.

Now I'm doing the fillet of the char fish.

I'm going to smoke it later with a caviar.

And for that, we're going to have a skewer with the carrots and potatoes

and egg and asparagus salad.

Who am I?

My name is Igor Sapega.

I became deaf when I was eight months old

because I became sick in my lungs.

Doctor gave me antibiotic.

But that antibiotic was banned in Europe,

and in Russia. they still had it.

And that antibiotic destroyed my both ears.

My mum, she was looking for some way how to raise me in the correct way.

So she left everything in Russia.

We moved to Sweden.

I have been told that for my first years as a chef, I should go and work in McDonald's

because I doesn't fit for the kitchen.

But after I understood, now I need to step up.

Don't show your weakness.

Keep pushing yourself until the top.

Carrots and potatoes...

...caviar.

Always plating up, I'm shaking.

Just very normal. Egg and asparagus salad.

The main point is, let the food work for you

because it's all the quality of the food.

And then I will just take care of it with my technical skill

and then plate it up.

Hello. My name is Igor Sapega.

I'm a deaf chef.

How would you explain your style of cuisine?

It's very Nordic, and it's all about the flavours.

Because me, as a deaf, I have so much strong senses,

which is great for you to taste.

I really want to try this.

Visually, it's stunning.

It's the most five-star luxury dish we've seen yet.

Very, very tasty.

You seem so determined and I'm impressed.

I'm 100% yes.

We want to see you again.

Yes.

Over half of restaurants in the UK close their doors in the first year.

So if you're going to open a restaurant of five-star level,

it has to be unique and profitable.

Otherwise, your chances of survival are zero.

Hi. It's nice to meet you guys.

I've come all the way from California.

My concept is Puerto Rican food, simple ingredients.

But with my background as a chef,

I've been able to elevate that, kind of make it five stars.

I just had my head down and I was eating and I was enjoying it.

I mean, there are Puerto Rican places to eat in London.

However, they haven't broken out yet into mainstream.

But I think if anyone tried that, they'd love it.

I am Adria Wu,

and I want to become the trailblazer

of making vegetables the star

in fine dining, and downsizing the meat.

I love it. The concepts,

it's very much on trend.

Strong dish. Chicken of the wood, as well, a play on words, too.

Strong cooking.

Hello. My name is Anne

and my concept of my restaurant is nose-to-tail, root-to-leaf,

fine and glamorous dining.

People are turning towards nose-to-tail eating much more,

but we could have had something a little bit more edgy

to make it really stand out. But love the concept.

We definitely need to taste more of your food. Thank you.

Well done. We want to see a lot more of you.

I'm bringing it.

With six out of seven chefs through to the next round,

just one pitch remains.

I feel very confident.

I haven't seen anyone that I'm like, is a threat to me, per se.

I am making smoked lamb cutlets with a cassava puree

stack with aubergines.

I'll have aubergines

that have been lightly fried in my fragranced oil

and is, like, perfect.

So right now, I'm making my wood-smoked lamb cutlets.

For, like, Congolese food,

it is completely underrepresented and we don't know much about it.

And right now in the food industry, everyone just wants to discover new things.

So my concept is like a Congolese fusion.

The story that I want to tell with my food

is about cultures coming together.

Being born in England,

and having parents that migrated from Congo to the United Kingdom,

it's always been combining different flavours.

For me, it's just, like, really introducing people to new things.

My cassava chips. So this is what it looks like.

It's just like a crisp.

This will just sit on top. It's very savoury.

It's like parsnips, potatoes...

I feel like it's really underrated.

It's really good for me to actually represent and put this out there.

To be able to turn any food from any continent

into a five-star luxury,

is very hard.

You have to know the cuisine inside-out,

and approach the ingredients and presentation

in a way that's never been done before.

You see? Still pink.

Perfect. This has come out exactly how I wanted it.

Literally melted in my mouth. It's a winner, I'm not going to lie.

It's a winner, it's a winner.

This is different from how I usually plate,

but I thought, I'm going to Chef Michel Roux,

I'm going to challenge myself.

And that's what I'm going to do.

My name is Joyce Kudia.

My concept is modern Congolese cooking.

It's all about discovery, history and culture.

Good. OK.

Well, I think it looks genuinely appetising and it looks delicious.

For me, it is just a little bit too simple, too rustic.

It eats really well.

The spices, the flavour.

I definitely think you need some help with the finessing.

It wasn't an elegant plate of food.

I agree with Mike. You clearly understand flavour

because the lamb was so beautiful,

and African food is really having its moment,

in London, especially.

So I think there is a place.

You really understand flavours.

Serious lack of elegance in the dish, though...

...and little things like throwing a few micro leaves on top at the end

is not going to embellish it.

You would need a lot of guidance and a lot of help.

I think a plate of food with this much flavour in it,

we've got an incredible opportunity to be able to refine it.

MICHEL SIGHS

I think, you know, what we're going to say is maybe, OK? Just maybe.

Thank you so much.

So I'm a maybe, but I'm taking 100% more positives

because they didn't doubt my food. To have Michel Roux,

like, the top of the top, tell you that you have flavours...

My mind is just racing right now because I'm just like, I need to deliver.

The flavour that she got into it was incredible.

It needs massive refinement. Yeah.

Joyce joins Lara in the locker room to await a final decision.

He goes, "The flavour is crazy."

He's like, you need some help with your elegance in terms of your plating, to refine it.

This looks good. Why can't my food look like this?

With just one place left in the next round,

they're summoned back to the kitchen.

Hmm.

Right.

Lara, your concept has potential, but your food let you down.

Joyce. The amazing flavours you packed into your last dish,

BUT just a little bit too simple.

To make it any further, I need convincing.

I want to see you cook again.

Unconvinced by their performance in the pitch,

Chef Roux has asked Lara and Joyce to cook again.

MICHEL: I want you to prove that you have the vision and the ability

to cook at five-star luxury level.

For me, the litmus test is knowing how to cook a steak

that has the potential to become a signature dish.

You've got 75 minutes to deliver a steak, a side

and a complimentary sauce.

Just one of you is going to make it through.

Off you go. Thank you, chef.

Every great hotel anywhere in the world serves a perfect steak,

and we are no different here.

What are you thinking?

This looks so good.

I think fillet, for me, cos I feel like it's in line with my concept.

Yeah, I'm going for this one.

Joyce has opted for a fillet, widely regarded as the premium cut,

while Lara has chosen a Galician rib-eye from northern Spain.

Cooking a steak is the ultimate test.

I want them to cook the steak

where I can see and understand their concept.

Good luck. Good luck, good luck.

Let's go.

I used to live in Galicia, so it's all about the flavours of Galicia,

trying to keep it simple.

Serve it with a potato roulade, roasted red peppers,

because in Galicia you have usually roasted red peppers as a garnish,

so I'm going to make a sauce out of it.

I put my whole soul into whatever I do, and I cook with a good energy.

I feel like if you're angry and you cook,

you're disrespecting the products that you have

and you're going to taste that.

How are you doing, Joyce? Rushing. I look crazy right now,

but that's what I want. You have to put pressure on yourself.

It is what it is.

I'm making spiced beef fillet.

I'm making yam dauphinoise with truffles.

And I'm also making spinach that has been fried in panko

with a spinach puree.

Obviously, everyone knows potato dauphinoise.

To make it with yam,

it's like a Congolese potato, it works.

It's really nice and so different from what Chef Roux knows,

probably. I just need to actually execute this differently,

like, on another level.

I never thought a steak would give me so much stress.

So you've gone for the rib?

Yes. In honour to Galicia.

I used to live there as a kid, for a while.

I've noticed you've salted the beef, as well.

Yes.

Are you not worried it's going to extract some of the moisture?

No, because I won't cook it, hopefully, that long.

Let me move on to...my spice mix.

Whoa... And is that the flavour of Congo?

Yes. Are you smoking it, as well?

Yeah. Again, using the wood pieces,

because that's how we cook in Congo. We don't use charcoal.

We use wood. What have we got here?

So this is spinach with garlic and shallots, nothing else.

Oh, here we go.

We use Dijon mustard a lot.

It's such a great marinade.

I'm competing with chefs who are classically trained,

who have gone to culinary school. But I know that all of the talent I have, with the hard work I have,

the judges wouldn't to tell the difference.

At the end of the day, it's about seeing the end result.

Good food, good-quality presentation.

You've got 45 minutes left. Time is literally flying.

It's not running, it's flying.

This is the place that makes me the most happy.

Sweating, make-up falling off my face.

I don't care. I'm here to... I'm here to win.

So I don't care what I look like. If I look a hot mess,

I don't care.

When I was young girl, I was a big rebel,

even on my yearbook,

it said the most likely to go to prison, it was me.

I think a lot of people underestimated me in my career

and they gave me that push, that push to prove them wrong.

So with my cooking, I like to be very precise.

I like to be very organised.

There's so much chaos in my mind that I need to see all straight,

have everything in order, have my timings right.

It's definitely like a military operation.

If you want to see what a chef is made of,

you have to see them in the kitchen.

People think it's all about passion, flair and vision.

You also need to be calm, organised and incredibly disciplined

to be able to deliver to the highest standards.

Oh!

We're good. We're good. We're good.

Oh, my God...

So right now, I'm making my yam dauphinoise.

I just like making noises and doing them most when I'm cooking.

It makes me feel like I'm doing something.

Potato roulade...

...getting some colour.

Wow, wow, wow. Nerves are getting to me.

Just wasting truffle...

Joyce's workbench is pandemonium.

You know, you can't run a kitchen like that.

You have ten minutes to go, chefs. Yes, chef.

Steak, this is perfect. This is how I wanted it.

I'm really happy with this.

Muy bien. Bit salty, chef.

We're good. We're good. We're good.

JOYCE SQUEALS

How many more minutes have I got? One minute?

You've got a minute, chefs. A minute.

Yes, chef.

I need to meditate.

Oh...

I'm definitely going to finish.

That's one thing about me.

It'll look crazy. It'll look crazy.

But...we'll finish.

Ooh...wait, wait! Wait, wait, where's the sieve?

Careful, careful, Joyce.

Careful.

30 seconds, chefs.

Well done. Yeah, that's good.

Come on. Oh, my gosh.

Well done. That was seriously hard. That's amazing.

Well done.

Joyce, tell us what you've cooked.

I've made a beef fillet,

which has been wood-smoked with spices,

and I made yam into, like, a dauphinoise,

with truffle infused inside it.

I've got a spinach croquette, as well as a puree of spinach.

Thank you.

All right. So, here we go.

Galician-cooked.

Little red pepper sauce...

...a potato roulade...

and then we've got a fire element.

I'm a little bit scared. Are you going to get the tablecloth?

Well done, guys.

RAV: Well done.

Whatever happens, it happens.

Oh, God.

First impressions?

Lara's theatrics,

it's her on a plate again.

Funnily enough, this is appealing to me more.

More refined than earlier.

So she's definitely listened to us.

Interesting, this is appealing to me way more.

Looks like she still managed to make a good steak

but still bring the theatre.

If you get ten of them on order, take you down.

Yeah, forget it. You're gone.

So are we going to try Lara's first?

I find it quite salty.

So Lara seasoned it almost like a cure,

and hasn't dried the meat out, thankfully.

The edge of mine is quite salty,

but the flavours are great.

I think the sweet pepper sauce works beautifully with the beef.

Take it with the sauce, it's super sweet - works well.

We asked Joyce to up her game.

A sweet sauce with smoky, spicy food.

Yeah, I get it. It kind of works.

What she's done with it is quite clever.

She's introducing lots of flavour.

The pinkness of the fillet is good.

Like, it's really well cooked. It's well rested.

The sauce is really flavoursome,

but the smokiness of her spice rub

added on to how she's cooked the beef, then,

is really in your face.

The steak was nice and it was heavily spiced, very smoky.

But the croquette was like, kind of watery, VERY garlicky spinach.

Very. It was not tasty.

I still think it's an improvement on what she did earlier.

I don't. No?

Oh, I do. I absolutely don't.

But would you come back for that? Versus this one?

Which one are you coming back for and bringing all of your friends?

I don't think we should give up on her just yet.

It was still true to her concept, which I think is an amazing concept,

Congolese food.

What is THIS concept?

Theatre and fun! It's a crazy rabbit.

It's a crazy rabbit running around your restaurant.

It's just so difficult.

Well done, both of you.

Seriously. Yeah, we could taste the love.

Both of your concepts and your character in the plate of food,

which is what we asked for.

Joyce...

...Lara...

...it's a tough decision.

Really, really tough.

One of those steaks could have the potential

to be a signature steak dish...

...in a five-star establishment.

Lara...

...| want to see you again tomorrow.

Which means, Joyce,

I'm sorry, but it's the end of the road.

Thank you.

Guys, thank you, both of you.

Well done.

I'd say I'm super-resilient.

I literally do not give up.

I feel like I've always believed, like, if something's for me,

I just need to go at it 100% and just not give up until... until it's yours, basically.

I'm really happy.

I'm absolutely honoured.

It's tough to see people go,

but it's one of the most special days in my life.

Hey! I loved it!

The pitch is just the first step.

If you think the pitch is hard, it compares to nothing

when you're in there every day,

trying to bring that concept to life.

That's when the real work begins.

Time to switch off, reset, ready for the next.

Coming up on Five Star Kitchen...

MICHEL WINCES

...the chefs are tested to their limits.

I'm having a nightmare.

Peel some potatoes, man!

This is inexcusable.

What the hell went wrong?

Can they handle the pressure of life service?

That's overcooked.

This is definitely below what I was expecting.

Where am I off to, Jordan? Flavour-town, chef.

Turn a profit?

If this was on your menu for £400,

your restaurant would be shut within three months. Three WEEKS.

Meet the exacting demands of VIP guests?

Adria, what are you doing?

Quick, quick, quick, quick, quick!

This is pretty spectacular.

And cook up the finest food money can buy...

This is five-star cooking.

Not a taste in this dish.

I would come back again and again for this.

...in the battle to win the keys to the Palm Court?

You are fighting for a place in the final.

Dress the friggin' plate.

There you go, chef. Chef! Think like a chef, come on!

You can do better.

I have to say, this is a first. Not the last, I hope.

And the winner is...

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