Congrats team, you’ve made it to the second batch of kitchen hopefuls and it’s something to be proud of. It also means you have to learn a whole new bunch of names. I miss Tyson.
Anyway we’re off and running with Albert and Dave, they’re brothers from Sydney who love to cook Cantonese food. Albert is a self-described nerdy accountant, while Dave is a ‘gangster’ – who runs an online retail shop. Just like all the classic gangsters did.
Their menu pays homage to their Hong Kong background and their restaurant is called “Laughing Out Lau” because their last name is Lau. These guys are the new front-runners.
Ding dong the doorbell goes and in come the guests and on comes the “meet the teams” montage. First up, Kelsey and Amanda – AHHHH they’re sisters from Sydney and AHHHHH they’re so loud. They’re very screechy and I don’t like them.
Then there’s Della and Tully, friends from Queensland – sorry “extrovert” friends from Queensland.
Next up, Court and Duncan – the married hipsters – we see them near some graffiti so they must be hipsters. Plus Duncan has a beard…ooh edgy. We learn they’re very in love and aren’t afraid of PDAs. Court explains they have a game called “credit card” where they swipe on each other. Or something. It’s weird, I don’t know. Court speaks like she’s floating on a cloud.
Onto Josh and Amy, they are not brother and sister – even though they look alike. They’re from Broome and love seafood. Josh could be the next Tyson.
NEXT….newlyweds Alyse and Matt from Brisbane, he loves the gym and his arms have their own postcode. Alyse loves Matt.
So that’s the crew for this round, get to know them and get to love them. Pete and Manu arrive – thank god for some familiar faces – and it’s game on. The entrée is a fortune bag with scallops and the boys are struggling in the kitchen. More like misfortune bags, am I right? I’m sorry, let’s move on.
They get the food out and you can tell they’re a bit gutted with the result. Pete and Manu are unimpressed and so are the rest of the contestants. Everything seems pretty normal until Courtney starts crying. No-one is sure what’s going on. She’s not even crying normally, it’s really more of a weep. Then she says she is a recovering vegan and vegetarian and eating meat makes her cry. COME ON.
Back in the kitchen the brothers are making their skinless Hainan chicken and I’ve got my concerns. It looks very grey and dull – much like Duncan’s hipster beard. While waiting for the mains, Kelsey and Amanda do their best to burst everyone’s ear drums.
Mains arrive and the skinless chicken is immediately divisive. Pete points out that they dropped the ball on the experimentation front – they should’ve kept the skin on.
The take home message? Don’t mess with the classics, yo! PS. Courtney is crying again.
OK boys, time to pull a rabbit (not an actual one Courtney) out of the hat for dessert. They’re doing an egg tart with custard and warm banana – at least none of those ingredients will upset Courtney.
Pete and Manu sample and the dessert is a stunning success. All up they banked a score of 60 – not exactly a world beater but a strong start.
Up next, we’re off to Kelsey and Amanda’s place for a pitch-perfect dinner…
