Original subtitles

I want to find that chef.

NARRATOR: Michel Roux Jr, legendary chef at The Langham,

is offering a life-changing opportunity...

There's 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.

Oh, shit.

Head chef in the Palm Court at The Langham,

it is an opportunity that could start their empire

and be worth millions.

I need finesse, man. I need finesse.

Oh!

It's a mess.

This is about more than cooking skills.

A successful restaurateur needs vision, charisma.

Do I have to dish it out? LAUGHTER

And above all, they need to make money.

It's beautiful. Yes!

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

I have to make the right choice.

Who will triumph in the five-star kitchen?

RAVNEET GILL: Running a restaurant in a five-star hotel

is different to anywhere else.

Good afternoon, ladies. How are you today?

And that's because of the VIPs staying there who spend big money.

These guests have high standards, and they want everything right now.

The six remaining chefs have been summoned to the Sterling Suite.

Wow!

At £25,000 a night, it comes with its own butler and team of chefs.

Look at that.

I'm getting further in the competition now

and I feel like this is definitely the point

where I should not let my guard down.

Wow, wow.

I'm just glad I'm here to fight another day.

I think, you know, I want to bring that passion,

I want to bring that energy.

Ooh! There's some more doors next door.

You're only as good as your last plate,

so I need to make today great.

How the other half live, eh?

Morning, chefs. Come on.

We have got a VIP coming in to this suite in four hours.

In room service for these suites,

it's a never-say-no attitude.

These suites very often come with a rider.

A bespoke menu made to order to the guests' liking.

And our VIP has put in his own set of requests for today.

We need that menu done, cooked, served up on time.

You cannot afford to be late,

so I'm going to split you up into two brigades.

This is all about teamwork.

Brigade one - Jordan, Igor, and Adria.

Brigade two - Dom, Raquel, and Lara.

The best menu will be served here in the suite.

The one that doesn't make it, staff at The Langham will get to eat.

The rider is waiting for you in the kitchens.

Off you go. Whoo! Let's go. Yes.

Checking into the VIP suite today is London socialite Tom Chamberlin,

editor-in-chief of a style and elegance magazine.

What I expect from five-star hotels,

and frankly, if they want to call themselves five-star hotels,

they need to be the best. My expectations of this rider,

I want something that I love made by the best chefs in the world

in the best possible way.

The request that I put in feels simple,

but actually, the hotel needs to deliver something special.

This is The Langham Hotel, perfection is expected.

Are we ready, chefs? Yes.

For his rider, Tom has requested a platter of

elevated American classics.

On it, he wants five-star burgers, luxury mac and cheese,

and a tower of sweet treats.

Please focus. Get cracking, because time is ticking.

Time is ticking, OK. Plating.

Working in two brigades, the chefs have four hours

to deliver the VIP's menu.

At the heart of a successful kitchen is teamwork.

A brigade needs to work as one,

but it also needs somebody to take the lead,

define roles and delegate jobs.

We should probably ultimately put somebody in the position of kind of

making sure that jobs are being done.

Dom? Just kind of taking lead.

I'm happy to lead, I'm happy to lead.

I think we'll attack each element as a group

so there's no kind of like, "I'm doing this, you're doing that."

Like, we're doing all aspects together.

I've managed teams of up to kind of, like, 15 people.

Managing people I often say is the hardest bit of any job,

because people have a range of personalities

and sometimes in the kitchen, it can be really hard

to cater to everybody's individual needs.

Dom is the leader.

I'm not sure I'm head of the team,

but they've allowed me to kind of, erm, coordinate.

There's a part of me that's got a bit of a kind of

people-pleasing type of energy,

which doesn't always serve me well.

Hey, Dom, come wash your hands.

I did just wash them, though. Oh, I didn't see you, sorry.

I think my best traits are is I'm a natural leader.

But if I respect your opinion, I'll listen.

Blacken the red pepper. Yeah. Make a puree.

When I know that I have something that works,

I can be pretty stubborn.

So, this is going to be the world's best burger

because we're using great meat. So, we've got some Wagyu in here,

a bacon and red onion jam,

and we're doing morel mushrooms filled with mac and cheese.

And then we're doing a dessert tower of apple pie doughnuts,

milk chocolate brownies, the ice cream.

The other one is brownie. OK, yeah.

OK, guys, the other guys are prepping, let's get this down.

That's OK, I'd rather be a bit more organised.

NARRATOR: On the other side of the kitchen,

Jordan and Igor have chosen cafe owner Adria to take the lead.

I think what makes a good team leader is

putting all the pieces together.

I don't believe in forcing people into specific roles

if that's not what is going to make them happy.

But the one thing you do need is

that desire to work together as a team.

I think we all bring different things to the table

and I like to be organised. I like to have process in place.

Chef Igor is going to be really strong on presentation, creativity,

and I think Chef Jordan's going to be really strong on

flavours and techniques.

I like to think I'm a good leader. You know, I like to lead by example.

I-I cannot make buns.

I can try. Yeah?

But if it (BLEEP) up, guys... That won't be great.

I really just don't like baking, but, look, at the end of the day

I think we live and die as a team.

When you've got a VIP guest, you have to pull out the magic tricks,

pull out all the stops.

Our burger is going to be a chopped Wagyu burger

with extra crispy bacon and black truffle mayonnaise.

We're going to do mac and cheese balls.

We're doing a tower of profiteroles with basil and strawberry cream.

So, I'm just getting our ingredients for the choux pastry.

So we're... Obviously we need a bit of flour, a bit of sugar.

Because I made such a big career change in my thirties,

erm, you know, once I finished working as an engineer,

it's kind of like this feeling of I'm behind somehow,

not as well-practiced as a lot of the chefs.

Careful. whoa!

That's it. Thank you, chef.

I think it is this, like, imposter syndrome feeling.

I am very insecure when I'm comparing myself against

other chefs who are real chefs.

This could be the end of me unfortunately, so...

On Dom's team, Lara is making the dough for two of their dishes.

I'm doing a doughnut dough, which is going to be one of our elements

for the dessert tower, and also, we're going to use it

as our brioche buns.

Timing wise, we're a little bit tight.

I would love to give him another different dough

but we've got to work with what we've got.

Are you using the same doughnut mix to make doughnuts... Yes.

...fried, and for making the burger bun?

The buns, yes. That you're going to bake? Yes.

So the same recipe for both. Have you tried this, it works?

No, we haven't tried it, but we're trying it now. We like a challenge.

I know it's a little bit different...

It's very different. But I had a look through the recipe,

and I believe it's going to work.

Because you can make doughnuts out of brioche dough,

but can you make brioche out of doughnut dough?

Dom, your pasta's sitting right here on the stove top.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

NARRATOR: Raquel is cooking her own recipe for tomato ketchup.

Tomato paste, shallots, garlic, olive oil,

clove, maple syrup, sugar, and red wine vinegar.

Dom, the ketchup is done, it just needs to cook down.

Did you hear me? Dominic, did you hear me?!

Yes, chef. OK.

I grew up in Manhattan with a single mother.

I now live in Los Angeles, California.

I have a nine-year-old, an eight-year-old,

a five-year-old and a two-year-old.

My culinary career started with my grandmother

at four years old in the kitchen.

She got tired of kicking me out.

They built me a stool so I could reach the counters,

and it has been a love affair ever since.

My mother doesn't cook, so by eight, I was already cooking

for both me and her.

I think my biggest success in life is being able to own

a catering company.

I don't believe in giving up.

I think that you've only failed when you stop trying.

So, do you want to start thinking about morels?

Do you want me to cut them in half? Yeah, please.

Morel mushrooms, if you want to stuff them,

you have to cut them exactly in half.

You've got to be precise, otherwise you just won't be able to

get any filling in.

Oh, no, we doing in half? Why are we doing in half?

No. One, two... Well, we had...

But after discussing it with Lara, Raquel cuts the tops off instead.

I don't think we can pipe into that.

I thought we were cutting them in half? That's what I thought.

She's saying to pipe... When did we change?

She said that's what we were doing, so I cut the top off.

Just cut it in half, then? These are the half ones that I have started.

I feel like we made decisions and then we kind of, like... Look.

How much mac and cheese are we going to get inside that? Nothing.

We made decisions, I don't know why we haven't just stuck with them.

You can bitch at her when we're finished. You can't do everything.

Right now, the energy's just going to stop us from finishing,

but I need you to get it together.

Dom, if you send me home, I'm going to find you.

Jesus Christ.

Come on, guys. At The Langham, we do not do late.

Yes, chef! Got it. Yes, chef.

NARRATOR: The chefs are working in teams

to produce a menu of American classics

for a VIP guest who arrives in two hours.

Meeting the requirements of VIP guests,

is not just part of the job. It's a business requirement.

You just can't say no, or you'll end up losing thousands of pounds.

Only the winning team's menu will be served to the client.

How many minutes do you want to set it for?

I'd go for four. Four?

But team leader Adria still hasn't started the choux pastry

for her profiterole tower.

I'm readjusting the recipe one more time,

of eight bars instead of ten, so 720 divided by 225.

But when I'm...I'm nervous, you know,

you just to really have a clear head.

I get this feeling that there's a lot of movement,

a lot of movement,

but you're not working really, really together and to a plan.

And then, when I look at my watch and I see the time ticking,

I am seriously worried that you guys are going to be able to

deliver on time.

NARRATOR: On Dom's side of the kitchen,

the mac and cheese is underway.

Don't waste too much, don't spend too much time.

That's mine, that's mine! OK, chef, sorry.

MICHEL ROUX JR: Communication is vital in the kitchen.

A good head chef has to get their message across quickly and clearly.

It's their job to have everybody on board

and working as a team, or service will be an absolute disaster.

I'm waiting for it to cool down.

Taste the ketchup, Dom. I tasted it, it's good.

DOM SIGHS I feel bullied.

Dom?

Dom? The mac and cheese just needs folded, yeah?

Yeah, I've got the mac and cheese under control.

No, I'm just asking. Yeah, I've got it under control.

We need to know. This is just going inside, pane and deep fry.

Yeah, yeah. I've got it under control.

I prefer a little bit more communication, to be honest.

I think it's a bit... Between all of us, I think it's quite chaotic,

and I don't think the kitchen will run properly without communication.

It's very frustrating.

Is the actual pasta cooked, yeah?

I promise, Lara, I've got it under control. I promise.

Oh, no, no, I thought you just told me... I promise, promise, promise.

MICHEL ROUX JR: It is, it is.

Dom, I think, wanted to kind of take the lead,

but he's not asserted himself enough.

I think Raquel is a bit annoyed

that she isn't allowed to take that role of head chef.

But why didn't Raquel take over and say,

"I'm going to lead this team today"? I don't know. I really don't know.

It's very important not to undermine the person in charge in the kitchen,

because if the leader is being undermined,

that will affect the entire team.

If one succeeds, you all succeed. If one fails, you all fail.

There's not enough mayonnaise. Where's your bacon jam?

So, no, mayonnaise is cold. Where's your bacon jam?

Bacon jam on the bottom, blue cheese on the top.

You've just done it... Where is your bacon jam, Dominic?

There in the pan in front of you. Thank you, sir!

Sometimes, being a Nuyorican, I can have a pretty fiery tongue,

so I tend to just kind of keep it back, and then...

But then when I explode, it's pretty bad.

Oh, what's going on?

It seems frustrated in that corner. Exactly that.

I mean, I've seen their buns, and to me, they look quite deflated.

They're using the same doughnut recipe.

And it's risky to do that.

Do you want to check the buns? It needs more.

Shall I turn it up? A bit heavy, aren't they? Yeah. What shall I do?

Erm... I'll put it down a little bit. Yes, please.

Right, guys. One hour, yes? Yes, chef!

On time, on time! All right, we need to push ourselves here.

Come on, push, push, push!

Strawberry compote's on. Yes, chef.

I'll keep an eye on the, er, chocolate, yeah.

Our strongest point here is going to be that we gel as a team.

Let's go, let's go. Maybe you can deep fry.

You mix this and I will roll, OK? Yeah.

NARRATOR: On Adria's team, Jordan is helping Igor

to bread his mac and cheese balls ready for frying.

So, I've got four, chef. Four?

Thank you for signing, and everything.

You understand sign language. Yeah, yeah. Brilliant.

Where is the choux pastry, by the way?

Oh, my goodness.

The choux pastry should've been one of the priorities,

especially if they wanted to get it perfect.

They don't have a lot of time left.

The VIP's rider is due to be served in 45 minutes,

and Adria still hasn't baked her choux pastry.

Adria, what are you doing?

Do the choux, chef. We can do the cream.

I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared!

RAVNEET GILL: Consistency of the dough is everything with choux.

You need to judge by look and feel.

Get the proportions wrong and it won't pipe or cook properly.

I have one here, chef. I'll be done in five minutes.

Get that choux in.

Choux going in the oven.

RAQUEL: How do we know if these things are done, Lara?

On the other side of the kitchen,

Raquel is checking on the doughnuts.

OK, so, we got to start thinking about plating. What's going on?

Yeah, I've thought about plating, Dom. Everything is sorted out there.

What are we doing now? She's got it, she's got the...

No, doughnuts I'm concerned about.

Yeah, we're looking at the doughnuts...

Yeah, but we need to cook them. Worst-case scenario, why don't we...

Do that. Work on that. We got it, I promise.

Jesus, how can two of us be stood on doughnuts? They're done.

Look, done. But burnt.

They're burnt.

Listen up, guys. VIP has arrived.

Ten minutes, come on.

Yes, chef.

So, brioche burger buns. Done. we have 147 Yeah.

Yeah. The truffle mayo. Mac and cheese?

Done. I'm gonna set a timer.

Dom. Here you go, chef.

Chef!

Smells amazing here.

There's not enough bacon jam. We have to make it enough.

We can't make more.

Chef? The buns, chef.

What we really need now... It is... Doughnut, tower.

It needs to cool down. Don't worry about it.

One minute. Yes, chef. Yes, chef.

Put it in there straightaway! Let's go, let's go!

Come on, Jordan, you got it.

Quick, quick, quick, quick, quick!

OK...time's up.

Well done, well done.

Just one of the riders will be sent to the suite

for the VIP and his guests.

Cheers. Cheers.

First up, Adria's team.

MIKE REID: The burger was really nice, it was juicy,

very well seasoned.

I like the almost dirty American cheese in there as well.

The mac and cheese balls, oh, my goodness,

I could've eaten ten. They were fantastic!

Choux buns, | thought they were great. well done.

Next, Dom's team.

I'm struggling, because I'm trying to find something positive.

You've just got to make sure with a burger,

it's got to be moist, juicy, dripping, messy, it's dirty.

If you refine it, it still has to have kept those elements in there.

Yeah? And it just...it wasn't.

I had gristle in mine, yeah? Which is not right.

The bun itself, you guys weren't sure if it was going to work,

it's too dense.

Your take on the little macaroni cheese

stuffed in a morel mushroom.

Sadly, you don't really taste the morel mushroom.

For me, the doughnut, the texture was quite tight.

They needed to have lots of air in them

so you could really get lots of filling in there.

But I do like that you tried to accomplish making a dough

in the time you had. I know you know flavour,

I just think perhaps as a team,

you couldn't knock all of those ideas together

to get the most out of you.

Jordan, Adria, Igor...

...your rider's going up.

Yes!

Hmm. Dom, Raquel, Lara...

...yours is going down to the canteen.

Nick, come and collect.

Adria, brilliant to see you step up the mark and become head chef.

You three, you get the day off.

All right, you guys, head off please.

Bye, enjoy your day off.

So, erm, yeah.

I just want to say thank you to both of you. Well done, well done.

I think we rocked it today, and I just...I couldn't be more proud.

Thank you so much, that was the best...

Good, smooth service. Really happy.

I'm happy. We won.

Well, welcome, gents. Please, sit, sit, sit.

What a lovely treat. This looks amazing.

I always find with room service that it's a real opportunity

for gluttony.

Dispensing with dignity here, so do forgive me, gentleman.

This is bang on the money.

It tastes absolutely amazing.

Really good.

This is pretty spectacular.

This challenge was all about working as a team,

and each and every one of you had a responsibility

to one another to bring what you're good at to the table.

What the hell went wrong?

I needed a little bit more, like, attention from Dom.

Like, just, like, when I call, like, listen.

I didn't feel comfortable with kind of

over-riding and saying, "I don't think that that's a good idea".

I prefer to have two minutes,

everyone stop what we're doing, let's all collaborate,

team and team, and let get our jobs done better.

If you're not happy with how things are going,

you need to then speak up and communicate that to your team.

I've learnt a lot from this. A heck of a lot.

Possibly one of you guys will be running a restaurant here.

I can't make a mistake.

You three, you're back in the kitchen with me tomorrow morning,

bright and early.

We've got another tough day ahead.

Yes, chef. Yes, chef.

Congratulations, guys. Good job.

Well done, man, smashed it.

Yeah, I saw, I was checking around a little bit, no communication.

I'm not sure that's fully true.

There's some strong energies on my team.

We had a list, there was allocated jobs,

and then we started to overlap jobs.

Did you feel undermined?

There was times when I felt a bit kind of like,

"That's not what we agreed on."

I think none of us were perfect. Exactly.

You have to remember what you're here for and you

want to be the last man standing.

Sometimes you got to get a little nasty,

gets your little hands a little dirty.

It's a little bit soul destroying and a little bit heart breaking.

It's only what you let it be, man, it's only what you let it be.

You can't even blame the guy.

There were...too many cooks in the kitchen.

I feel like every day I'm fighting for my life.

Morning, how are you?

You all right? Hello.

I definitely lost sleep last night. Oh, my god.

You've got to learn how to shut your brain off.

NARRATOR: Today, Dom, Raquel and Lara face a cook-off

which will see one of them sent home.

Morning, chef. Morning, chef. Morning, guys.

The last challenge wasn't your greatest.

You need to make sure that you show us

why you deserve to be here.

I want you to create a signature breakfast tray

which reflects who you are as a chef

and what your restaurant will be.

It is so important that we get this right today.

To cook a five-star breakfast is incredibly difficult.

To make something really special, memorable, is an art.

And I want to see that today from all of you.

Yes, chef. Yes, chef. Yes, chef.

So, if ever you've been saving it,

whatever you've still got in reserve,

I want from you today.

You have three hours to come up with a breakfast tray.

All right, let's go to the kitchen.

Breakfast is probably the most important meal in a hotel like this.

It's that lasting memory, the last plate of food

that you get to serve to your guest.

If you get it wrong, then they may go elsewhere.

And that's a lot of money walking out the door.

Yesterday was definitely chaotic, but that's the kitchen,

and it's what we signed up for, right?

Sometimes stuff goes crazy in the kitchen

and you just keep your calm and keep going.

So, the last challenge was a big disaster,

big chaos, but we're coming back strong.

I'm going to let the food do most of the talking today.

Which I believe it will do.

It's a new day and I'm fighting to stay here. I can't leave now.

I feel like the fight is in me today,

I think I definitely want to win, I always want to win. We're chefs,

we're a little self-centred, I think.

So, what are you looking for today from the chefs?

Er, creativity, something personal to them.

Something that represents their concept,

maybe brings us something completely new. Mm.

You can have so much fun at breakfast time.

Oh, absolutely. People that stay in five-star luxury hotels,

they're looking for something special, something different.

NARRATOR: The chefs have three hours to create a signature breakfast tray

in line with their restaurant concept.

My dish is called Break The Genie's Fast.

So, I got inspired to create this breakfast

with a mythological genie story of it.

For Lara, that's theatrical fine dining.

We're going to cook sourdough flatbread,

and then with that, we're going to serve beetroot hummus.

In our little genie lamp, we're going to serve a melon gazpacho,

and then we're got deconstructed shakshuka with scorpion powder.

Shakshuka is a Middle Eastern breakfast of eggs poached in tomatoes

and spices. Lara is putting her own spin on it.

We got a little egg in our hand,

which is going to be poached egg yolk,

with shakshuka mix and parmesan and polenta.

I love shakshuka, but it has to be perfect.

It shouldn't be too spiced, it should be so, er, comforting

that you want to just keep going and mop it all up

with that gorgeous bread. If there's anyone who's going to convert us

to scorpion powder, it's Lara.

With Lara, there's always a sting in the tail.

Am I reading this right? Scorpion power.

You are indeed, chef.

So, scorpion powder is made out of the armoured-tail scorpions,

because they have a really beautiful, earthy flavour.

Scorpion powder? Yes, chef. I'm going to dust it on top of my egg.

It's trying to introduce insects into fine dining.

For me, a kitchen is a playground.

You open the doors to create.

I do want to win this competition, because I feel like fine dining

is missing the fun.

So, this dish today I am quite confident in.

To show off his Caribbean concept,

Dom's rethinking a well-known breakfast favourite.

The main part of my breakfast tray

is a take on a classic eggs Benedict.

However, I'm using pork belly instead of ham,

with a rum-and-raisin glaze.

I'm making a homemade muffin and a Jamaican style carrot juice.

Rum-and-raisin-glazed pork belly.

Ah, yes, now we're talking.

English muffins are not the easiest of things to make

in a short time period.

For me, the English muffin has got to be light and crisp

on the outside, and really gorgeous.

It cannot be dense.

So Dom is going to have to keep his timings very tight

in order to execute this dish really well.

It would feel amazing to have a Caribbean restaurant

here at The Langham. It would be unreal.

I think there'd be a whole community

that would be clapping if that happened.

So the pressure's on. You know, I feel like there's a huge,

huge amount on my shoulders.

This is what I used to have for breakfast, um, in New York.

Coming into this competition and being the underdog,

not classically trained, self-taught.

I definitely feel like the time is now to showcase what I can do.

Raquel is elevating a traditional Puerto Rican breakfast.

I'm going to do a mangy,

which is green plantains and, like, a mashed potato.

I'm going to do a crispy Serrano ham...

...and a fried egg, with pan de agua,

which is a traditional Puerto Rican bread.

Traditionally, you have it with breakfast as toast

and you dip it in, like, a cross between a cappuccino and a latte.

The judges have definitely never had Raquel's breakfast before.

Raquel's menu reads well.

I think it's a great demonstration of her concept

working in a breakfast setting.

Yeah, I think so. It's a window onto Puerto Rico.

My only little worry is if you're trying something for the first time,

it's got to be recognisable. So there has to be kind of

a gentle entry into Puerto Rican flavours.

I'm actually basing it on the town where my grandmother

and my grandfather were from.

My grandma, she taught me, like, the basics

of all the Spanish food I know.

She's watching. She's like, "You better not make me look bad."

The mangu, which is, um, just basically a mash, you would say.

There's garlic, cilantro, chicken stock.

If you like garlic, you like Puerto Rican food.

If you don't like garlic, you most likely won't like it.

You're actually going to probably hate it.

MIKE REID: Garlic, that's a very strong flavour for breakfast.

It's bold, but it's about balance, because you want to taste it,

but you can't have it overpower the rest of your dish.

DOM: So, this pork belly is going to be going with

a dark rum-and-raisin glaze. OK.

Erm, I've got some nice, lovely flame jumbo sultanas.

Not too sweet for breakfast? It is sweet,

but I feel like pork lends itself to sweetness.

So, I'm putting my beetroots for my beetroot hummus,

which I've roasted to get a nice little roasting flavour.

RAVNEET GILL: Hi, chefs.

Oh, smells so good in here.

English muffin time? Yeah, so, I'm making English muffins.

Did you cut them all the same size?

No. So, I did two smaller ones and two bigger ones.

I could probably just let them slow cook. Yeah.

I'm in no rush for them, you know. Yeah.

Erm, because the last thing I want is burnt ones.

That would be... No, we don't want that. We want a nice fluffy...

Yes, indeed. ..texture.

I felt worried about those English muffins,

because he's done two different sizes. Yeah.

And he was cooking them in the same pan.

That stove top is quite difficult to monitor.

Literally just putting it over one side for a second too long,

you're going to burn them.

Lara's got the scorpion powder out. She challenges you with her food,

which is great at times.

Whether it's what we want for breakfast, time will tell.

Raquel's got a lot of garlic in her dish,

that's a strong flavour for breakfast.

It could also be way too rich, it could overpower everything else.

Kitchen feels quite serene, but tense at the same time,

because someone is going home today.

Yeah, the pressure's on.

The pressure's on for each and every one of them.

OK, chefs, you got 25 minutes

to put your love and yourself into this plate of food. Let's go.

I'm working on my plating.

When you go to Puerto Rico and you go to the salt flats,

there's a long sand pathway.

DOM: Oh, lovely. Oh, yes.

LARA: I've seen everyone's bread and everyone's bread looks amazing.

Good. It's lovely and tender.

Adding my Jamaican flare.

It's all about cooking with love.

Guys, final touches. Two minutes to go, yes?

Scorpion powder dusted on top of my egg.

I never know what your eyes are saying.

Stop cooking!

Now breathe.

It's breakfast time at The Langham Hotel.

MICHEL ROUX JR: The Palm Court is famous for its breakfast.

And the chefs need to be able to deliver five-star luxury

that will be appealing and memorable to guests

whilst showing off their restaurant concept.

First up is Lara with her Break The Genie's Fast

breakfast tray.

Got a little bit of smoke today. Just a little bit.

If it was my restaurant, I would have the genie upside down

in a hoop sort of pouring it for you.

But I had to tone it down, so I might have to pour it myself.

As chefs, we're always looking for something a little bit new.

A new angle on breakfast, I like that.

I love the egg. Not sure that the scorpion powder did much

or added much to the flavour of that egg, but really tasty.

I'm not sure that the gazpacho is a breakfast dish,

but as a starter on a hot summer's day,

I think it's amazing.

Absolutely amazing. I love it.

The flatbread is so delicious.

It's got the perfect amount of salt in it.

And you can see all of the lovely air pockets in it

you've got a nice amount of colour.

I can't fault it, because I loved it so much.

The gazpacho flavour, beautiful.

Use of the scorpion powder was fun.

It's something that people are going to walk away from

and talk about for a while, which helps make you memorable.

It is a memorable plate of food.

Thank you, chefs. Thank you so much. Thanks, Lara.

Hello, judges.

Today's dish is inspired by where my grandmother and my grandfather are

in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.

They have salt flats, and those salt flats have pink salt

and white salt, and they naturally separate.

And it's absolutely breath-taking.

I like the collection of dishes together.

They're pretty, they're inviting, you've got pops of colour,

it looks beautiful. Looks gorgeous.

I love the salt story. I love it.

I really, really, really want to try it.

Thank you.

The egg element is clever.

The bread, amazing.

The flavour is right up there.

However, the mangu is way too garlicky for me.

I think garlic for breakfast,

even the French, and they consume a lot of garlic,

I think is pushing it a bit too much.

It is a good dish, though.

Well, I'm Indian, so we love dosa, sambar.

We love fenugreek. All of those flavours in the morning

and I have no problem with it at all. Love it.

The bread dipped in the coffee, it just reminds me of France.

We do the same in France. Ah, it's delicious.

And then you slurp and... Yeah, it's good.

Thank you. Thank you. Well done, Raquel. Thank you.

I'm going to be honest. This is more of a weekend type of breakfast.

You know? Like you're going back upstairs to chill for a bit

before you go out. LAUGHTER

Visually, you've made such a comeback here.

It is beautiful and it's inviting,

and you want to get stuck in straight away.

I must say, I enjoyed that. Thank you.

The pork was juicy. I find it too sweet.

And stewing the raisins in with the sauce is not a good idea.

They go really hard, like this one.

I mean, it's just like con fit.

I love the English muffin, I thought it was fantastic.

Thank you. I was watching you cook it in the kitchen,

and I was quite nervous for you, because I thought you were

going to burn them. But here, the muffin was light

and it was able to carry the rest of the dish, and I really liked that.

This is one of those times when I'm so annoyed...

...because I want this entire plate of food to myself right now.

For me, I would order this every day.

I really appreciate, chefs. I mean, yeah, it ticks all of the boxes

that you expect to have for breakfast.

Is it five-star luxury?

There's a little bit of work still to be done, I think.

There's a lot to think about here, I tell you. A lot of stuff.

Thank you very much. Well done, Dom

I feel like that was a really smart choice.

Hey. How are you? Good, good, good, good.

Yeah, yeah, I thought so. You know, as always, it's kind of like...

I know! ..really great stuff and then stuff you could've improved.

But overall, they liked it, which is good. Oh, man, proud of you.

It's just, it's always nerve-racking when somebody else makes

a decision in your life. Yes.

HE SIGHS

I like the way Lara is cooking.

I like her style, I like her panache.

I really enjoyed that. The genie idea was beautiful.

The presentation was gorgeous and memorable.

I think what Lara delivered today is fine-dining.

Now, let's talk about Raquel.

I've got no issue with the garlic for breakfast,

as long as it's balanced, you know?

And I just don't think the balance of that dish was right.

I loved it, and I think for some palates,

people would rave about that dish.

Raquel gets flavour like no-one else in this competition.

I would prefer to eat a Raquel breakfast than a Dom breakfast.

No! Rav! Sorry to say it. No! Yes!

I just found that Dom's pork was way too sweet.

What he's starting to show us is British Caribbean cuisine.

His food is clearly definable,

it's clearly recognisable, and it's full of flavour.

It could be seriously industry leading.

At this stage of the competition,

they can cook, we know that. But I'm not looking for just that.

I'm looking for somebody that can lead a brigade,

and can learn, can grow.

We saw that the other day in the challenge.

Raquel, you know, she didn't take orders well.

She wasn't a team player.

I felt like she was a little bit sneaky with Dom.

You know, she almost set him up to fail a bit.

The issue I've got with Dom is that when he had

the opportunity to present himself as a leader,

he didn't do it.

And really, one of the biggest reasons as to why

that team failed yesterday,

was because no-one took a leadership approach.

I think the flavours are amazing of both of them.

That's what breaks my heart,

because they're both bloody good cooks.

But for me, only one of them is taking on board what we're saying.

Wow, that was tough, huh?

Really tough. You impressed all three of us. Thank you. Thank you, chef.

Yeah. But sadly, somebody has to leave us.

Lara, what you delivered today was as near as we have seen

five-star luxury. You wowed us today.

You really did.

Which leaves us...

...with Raquel and Dom.

You two understand flavours and you two understand

what makes people's palate happy.

It's tough.

But I've come to a decision.

And I tell you, it's not been easy.

Dom...

...we want to see more of you. So congratulations.

Raquel, I am so sorry. Thank you. I knew.

But we have to part company here today.

Thank you.

Good luck, you guys.

Thank you. It was such an honour, just because I'm, like,

I felt...I spent my whole career trying to prove myself.

It was in the best experiences of my life.

I'm so proud of myself for getting this far.

I got such an example to show to my kids,

and thank you so much. You guys have amazing chefs here.

You've been amazing. Thank you so much. Truly amazing.

And a joy to cook with and to taste your food.

Thank you. Thank you. Time to go.

Bye, guys. Thank you. Thank you.

That's really sad. Shut up, Dom!

LAUGHTER

We all cross paths for a reason.

I just appreciate, like, the opportunity.

I do think there's a place for Puerto Rican food in London.

It might not be at The Langham yet.

This will not be the last time you see me.

I feel like I only just beat Raquel.

I just feel truly blessed that I'm still here

and I get to cook yet again.

I have to give more flavour and more finesse

and just more Chef Dom in there.

I feel like everyone has to raise their game to another level

to stay in this playground.

I'm not ready to leave the playground yet,

so I want to keep playing, and let's see what's next.

I'm looking forward for the next challenge.

The pressure's on. Yeah.

Next time on Five Star Kitchen...

Did somebody say Mad Hatter?

...five remaining chefs take on The Langham's iconic afternoon tea.

I'm having a nightmare.

Does anyone know how to rescue a butter cream?

Oh, gosh.

I feel offended looking at this.

And have to impress Chef Roux's guests with their showmanship...

Na-na-na-na-na! Has anyone seen my blow torch?

...and live cooking skills.

We are ready.

Where am I off to, Jordan? Flavour Town, chef.

Yes, please.

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