MasterChef Australia is back for its 16th season. And we’re giving you an inside scoop into the life of a MasterChef judge. Oh, and we’re also sharing secrets from your favourite contestants.
Hungry for the details? Thought so. Let’s dive in.
MASTERCHEF JUDGE ANDY ALLEN
What’s your favourite takeaway? Andy, the laid-back foodie and chef, reveals, “I’ve been known to enjoy a takeaway tub of ice cream on the couch post-work while watching footy.”
Favourite place to go out to eat? His top-rated eatery isn’t a Michelin-starred restaurant but a cosy Italian place called Capitano in Carlton, Melbourne. “[It’s] my go-to comfort restaurant to have a great meal. The pizzas and the general vibe of the place just keeps me coming back,” says the 36-year-old.
Tell us about the worst meal you ever made… Cooking up a not-so-appetising round of lambs’ testicles (yep, you read that right!), has to be the most unexpected answer! The foodie told Woman’s Day, “In Spain while making my TV show Eat The World, Ben Milbourne and I prepared and shallow-fried some sliced lambs’ testicles, under the watchful eye of the owners of the bed and breakfast we were staying. They wanted the slithers to be the opposite of well-done – needless to say, the eating texture was not desirable.”
MASTERCHEF JUDGE POH LING LEOW
What’s your standing takeaway order? “I honestly never get takeaway!” she insists. “If I’m desperado, it’s instant noodles or I call my Great Aunty Kim who lives around the corner from me.”
What’s your room service order? The comfort food queen, 50, confesses, “I get all the sides. Wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce. Yes, I do! Then the salad and steamed veg. I know. Weird.”
Where is your favourite place to go out to eat? “I’m not one for new places. I’m a creature of habit and strangely, I like predictability when I’m paying for food. One of my fave spots is Le Souk at the Adelaide Central Market. After ‘a date’ with delightful owner/operator Azou – he always greets you with dates and the warmest smile – I always go for the lamb and cous cous with extra harissa. It’s divinely comforting.”
What do you cook for a dinner party? “I used to be all show-offy, fancy pants but now I’m all for the one-pot comfort soupy noodles, simple curries, congee or one of my faves is moussaka. Because it pleases everyone and I can actually sit and enjoy the company rather than being MIA, slaving over the stove.”
MASTERCHEF JUDGE JEAN-CHRISTOPHE NOVELLI
What’s the last thing you ordered on a food delivery app? The French culinary genius never orders takeaway. He shares, “But once I sadly lost a bet with my kids and I had to get the full McDonald’s offering. I remember this very well as I had to discreetly keep the windows open for hours afterwards!”
What would you say is the worst meal you’ve ever made? “It’s never happened, and it will never happen, but the worst disaster I have had was to run out of gas right in the middle of serving up at a wedding. That was way back in the past in my early career,” says the 63-year-old. “This was always done by the maintenance man who I had recently sacked. Cheeky of him but then again, I’m still glad I sacked him!”
Where is your favourite place to dine out? “My daily appetite always follows my mood, and at this moment it’s the French bistro Les 2 Garçons in the heart of Crouch End in North London.”
Would you rather eat something over-salted or under-salted? “I will definitely have unsalted and if there are no options, I would choose not to eat anything.”
MASTERCHEF JUDGE SOFIA LEVIN
Can you recall a bad meal you’ve made? ”No disasters come to mind.
I tend to cook simple, flavourful food so there’s little room for error and maximal time for enjoying the company of others,” Sofia, 34, says.
What’s your takeaway order? “I almost always prefer to dine in, but when I order takeaway it’s from either Co Thu Quan or Tom Toon, both on Victoria Street [Melbourne].”
Where do you love to eat out? Sofia has a few favourites, but says,“The places I go back to are those that are close to home and consistently comforting, whether it’s a rich ramen from Tamura Izakaya on a lazy Sunday night… freshly piped Paris-Brest at Napier Quarter in Fitzroy or taking visitors to Footscray.”
What do you like to cook for guests? “I love attempting new dishes. Inspiration can come from a particular cuisine, condiment or cookbook. It’s a real treat for me to spend a whole day sourcing ingredients and cooking for people as I rarely have the time. It can be anything from a Korean banquet to a Mexican DIY feast centred around slow-cooked carnitas,” the critic shares.
SOME MASTERCHEF CONTESTANTS
SAVINDRI PERERA:
What’s your takeaway order? “I am a sucker for a well-made honey chicken with special fried rice (caveat: if the fried rice has peas, corn or carrot, I’m out. It’s a no-go), prawn toasts on the side if I am feeling a little extra hungry OR a pulled pork burrito with extra beans and sour cream. “
What’s your room service order? “I can’t remember the last time I ordered room service! Maybe a classic Eggs Benny and a glass of Veuve (in my mind this is all happening in a bougie hotel).”
Where is your favourite place to go out to eat? “This is like asking me to pick a favourite child (I don’t have children). One of my favourite places in Adelaide is a restaurant called Concubine who serve higher-end South East Asian food. For fried chicken and ripper cocktails + whiskey, it’s NOLA. For the most affordable Chinese and the best shallot cakes, East Taste. Bottega Bandito for sangas and Shibui for a sweet fix. Honestly, the list goes on, there are so many great places in SA.”
What do you like to cook at home when you have friends and family come over for a meal: “A proper Sri Lankan banquet with a minimum of 7-8 dishes included.”
Tell us about the worst meal you ever made. “The worst meal I ever made was this one time I forgot the kung pao chicken in the wok and went outside to answer a phone call and came back into the house to see billows of smoke and all the chicken completely turned to soot – that was hilarious.”
What’s the last thing you ordered on a food delivery app? “Japanese Katsu curry, Takoyaki and a small miso soup.”
Would you rather eat something over-salted or under-salted? “Under salted! You can always add more salt, it’s almost impossible to take salt away.”
MIMI WONG:
What’s your takeaway order? “Unashamedly, my favourite takeaway order is soft tofu and seafood Kimchi Jiggae with a serving of bone-in soy garlic fried chicken. Pickled radishes on the side.”
What’s your room service order? “Who has time or money for room service?! Go to the locals, speak to the man in the corner joint still serving tables in his sixties.”
Where is your favourite place to go out to eat? “There is a hole-in-the-wall sushi joint in Surry Hills that forever has my heart. But I am currently loving Baba’s place in Marrickville. “
What do you like to cook at home when you have friends and family come over for a meal? “Noodles and broth! Congee bar! Duck tacos and margies!”
Tell us about the worst meal you ever made. “I baked a birthday tart for an ex-boyfriend once. It was an absolute disaster, amongst one of the first tarts I ever attempted, a chasm of chocolate and cherry, was basically falling apart when delivered. Let’s just say it was deeply metaphorical.”
What’s the last thing you ordered on a food delivery app? “Okay as a Sydneysider, I am going to confess that ordering poke on a weeknight should be acceptable. Mushroom bowl at Fishbowl, highly underrated.”
Would you rather eat something over-salted or under-salted? “Absolutely over. Heavy-handed salter over here. That’s what the Margherita is for.”
JOSH PERRY:
What’s your takeaway order? “My takeaway order in our small town, there’s not much to choose from, so it would probably be BBQ Meatlovers pizza with double pineapple.”
What’s your room service order? “My room service order would probably be a burger and fries.”
Where is your favourite place to go out to eat? “My favourite place to eat is a Chinese restaurant in Hobart called Kwan Ho.”
What do you like to cook at home when you have friends and family come over for a meal? “My favourite thing to cook when family and friends come for tea is definitely my homegrown beef probably Brisket or a big Rib-Eye.”
Tell us about the worst meal you ever made. Not sure what the worst meal I’ve ever made is – there would of been a few! But, I really don’t like spaghetti bog.
What’s the last thing you ordered on a food delivery app? I really am not a big lover of pasta, so that is what I wouldn’t order from food delivery.
Would you rather eat something over-salted or under-salted? I would definitely rather under salted then over salted.
NAT THAIPUN:
What’s your takeaway order?“I’m not a massive takeaway gal, but if I’m indulging, it’s gotta be something I can’t make cleanly at home. Wings with a side of fun (looking at you, Darrsh!) or some drool-worthy Korean fried chicken!”
What’s your room service order? “Believe it or not, I’ve never ordered room service! But if I did, I’d totally go for a sundae or something hilariously childish to contrast the whole room service vibe. Or maybe a cheese toastie, just for giggles!”
Where is your favourite place to go out to eat? “This one’s tricky because it totally depends on my mood. Udom Cafe in North Melbourne is my go-to for nostalgic Thai vibes, while Dessous in the city has me hooked with the way Dan spins Thai cuisine into something spectacular.”
What do you like to cook at home when you have friends and family come over for a meal? “Definitely a spread of a variety of types of larb or a khao khua [toasted rice dip], sticky rice, and grilled meats or veggies. I love showing off Thai dishes that my friends have never tried before. Watching their faces light up with new flavours is my ultimate energy boost! Or if it was my family, like my parents, it would be to make something wearer palatable to them like a chicken parma with a twist [large dose of chilli]!”
Tell us about the worst meal you ever made.“Get ready to laugh: 2-minute noodles. My best friends Bronte and Clancy can vouch for this—I somehow manage to mess them up every time!”
What’s the last thing you ordered on a food delivery app? “Two raw pork roast rolls. I was craving a roast so badly, but no shop or butcher had any available. Desperate times, hilarious measures!”
Would you rather eat something over-salted or under-salted? “If I can tweak it myself, definitely under-salted. But if there’s a chance to balance the over-salted with some acidity, then I’m all in for the salty side!”
DARRSH CLARKE:
What’s your takeaway order? “A juicy beef burger with fries, and a Coke Zero. That makes it healthy, right?”
What’s your room service order? “Whatever is on the dessert menu! It’s almost always a brownie or creme brulee.”
Where is your favourite place to go out to eat? “We have a wine bar in Perth called Besk. It has the best-shared plates, an amazing wine selection and really amazing atmosphere no matter the time. “
What do you like to cook at home when you have friends and family come over for a meal? “Usually a lamb shoulder, with couscous, flatbreads and roasted vegetables. It’s a super simple with maximum wow factor!”
Tell us about the worst meal you ever made. “I don’t know where to begin, there have been so many burnt or undercooked cakes over the years. I’ll say a burnt Basque cheesecake that I forgot to add eggs to. It was essentially melted cream cheese.”
What’s the last thing you ordered on a food delivery app? “The last thing I ordered was fried chicken. And the time before that… and the time before that.”
Would you rather eat something over-salted or under-salted? “Under-salted, because you can always add but you can’t take away!”
HARRY BUTTERFIELD:
What’s your takeaway order? “Normally takeaway for me is coffee! So, either a double shot flat white in a 6oz cup, an iced-latte 3/4 full, or a piccolo depending on time of day and my mood.”
What’s your room service order? “A juicy steak, medium rare, with chips, salad and probably some greens. Oh, and a glass of red wine of course! “
Where is your favourite place to go out to eat? “My wife and I don’t eat out much when we are at home, so tend to go to the same places. We love eating out when we travel! Our most recent trips have been to the USA, Fiji and New Zealand. Later this year we are doing a food tour through Europe.”
What do you like to cook at home when you have friends and family come over for a meal? “When we host family and friends I have usually caught or speared some impressive seafood. Maybe a whole fish, fresh sashimi, a haul of crabs or crayfish. No better way to share a fresh catch than with friends and family.”
Tell us about the worst meal you ever made. “Probably the almost raw lamb I served to the MasterChef judges and Andy Allen’s beautiful mum Maree!”
What’s the last thing you ordered on a food delivery app? “The last thing I ordered was a Red Tonkotsu Ramen from Taros Ramen! The best Ramen in Brisbane. Their Tonkotsu broth is made with Bangalow Pork and is super rich, creamy and a little bit sweet – perfect winter warmer.”
Would you rather eat something over-salted or under-salted? “Over-salted for sure! I used to carry an emergency saltshaker on me at all times. I even had one in my car.”
