Original subtitles

-I'll take one more bite. -Yes, Chef.

He took a bite and then tilted his head.

So I figured I was doomed.

What's that crunchiness I'm tasting?

I've added some water chestnuts for extra crunchiness.

Wow.

She got a "wow!" A "wow!"

So...

-The dongpo rou inside. -Yes?

-The dongpo rou inside... -Yes?

It retained its juicy quality.

Yes.

Just wow.

You have passed.

You've passed.

Oh! Thank you so much.

You have survived.

GODDESS OF CHINESE CUISINE SURVIVES

Wow!

Ooh-hoo!

Wow.

Wow!

When I'm going around looking for dumplings,

I'm always hoping for one where the juices just come gushing out.

These dongpo rou dumplings have far exceeded my expectations.

As if the juices inside the dumpling weren't enough,

there was also the juices from the dongpo rou,

which mixed together for an explosion of flavor.

And just like that, bam! She's in.

Ooh-hoo!

Goddess of Chinese Cuisine has survived.

-So she's the first contestant to make it? -Yeah.

You've got this, Eun-young!

I've got this!

They've got it on the screen. One out of 20 survivors.

This is insane.

-This guy right here... -Yeah.

He's showing some serious hustle.

COOKING MANIAC

-He seems so relaxed. -Oh, you mean him?

-Oh... -He's the Cooking...

He's making a big show out of everything.

I'm not saying that's a good thing or a bad thing.

That's just his way of doing things. If the food's good, it becomes his charm.

But his flashiness is gonna look silly if the food's bad.

He just tossed it in there.

-The, uh, way he flourishes... -Right.

He said he's been called a maniac a lot.

Personally, I like maniacs.

I thought up my nickname in one second.

I only become a maniac when I'm working, after all.

I believe in going a little crazy when you're in the zone,

so as to not leave any regrets.

I'd much rather put the pedal to the metal

than stand around worrying.

All good chefs

are a little crazy.

I agree.

If you're not at least a little crazy, the food suffers.

I'm gonna get a little crazy again.

I've prepared cod milt and curry butter sauce.

Curry's my secret to giving it a little kick. Curry powder.

The butter sauce by itself would taste a bit too heavy.

Adding curry powder enhances the flavor

and turns the sauce into a paste.

My next dish is tilefish uroko-yaki.

Uroko-yaki is a cooking technique

where you fry the fish whole, scales and all,

which results in a crispy surface, and a cooked but juicy interior.

As for the sauce, I've prepared some saffron velouté.

*SAFFRON A SPICE

I've never once gotten a complaint after serving someone this dish.

After this, they'll understand why I'm a maniac.

-Allow me to explain the menu. -Go ahead.

I've used some milt, which is best served during winter.

In trying to decide which flavor to go with,

I found out that adding curry gives it a wonderful scent,

so that's what I went with.

As for the tilefish, I've prepared it in an uroko-yaki style.

The sauce on the bottom is saffron velouté,

and I'm serving it with white asparagus, Romanesco broccoli,

and topped it off with some trout eggs.

Trout eggs, huh?

Which one should I begin with?

I believe both dishes are kind of like me, since they leave a strong impression.

But I personally would start out with this bad boy right here.

Okay. All right, then.

I'm sure this'll taste better with a good scoop of butter.

Yeah, absolutely.

So the thing I think is the most important is, hmm...

how much the vegetables have been cooked.

You've cooked them very well. It's delicious.

Uh, as for the other factors here,

the sauce is delicious and all, but... hmm.

I do find the seasoning on the fish a bit lacking, though not by much.

So I'll make my rounds and consider you a bit more before I make my decision.

You're on hold for now.

Yes.

If he's gonna be that picky, I feel like no one's gonna make the cut.

He's the grim reaper of seasoning.

If you don't season your food right, you're as good as dead.

Ugh, shit.

Of all things, it was the sodium chloride. Salt.

Salt, salt, the salt, it...

See, that right there is how he managed to receive the three star.

His tongue is built different.

The butter curry sauce, it was just flawless.

It was so delicious,

so I thought to myself he would definitely end up passing.

But when I tried his fish, I realized that it was a little under-seasoned.

The thing is, it was only off by a little bit.

I had a very clear set of standards for judging all the contestants.

So I decided that he needed to be put on hold for now.

Oh, the other judge is trying the dishes on hold.

I guess they're swapping.

THE OTHER JUDGE TASTES THE DISHES ON HOLD TO REACH THE FINAL DECISION

Mm.

Ugh, this is killing me, seriously.

IF THERE AREN'T 20 SURVIVORS BY THE TIME ALL DISHES HAVE BEEN TASTED,

SURVIVORS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM THE CONTESTANTS ON HOLD

Man, I really wanted to just go and take a seat at the table, I really did.

Damn it...

Come over here.

Huh? Yeah?

So many plates.

Apparently, this contestant's working on a three-course meal.

Whoa.

And they prepared a lot too. I mean, four dishes?

This person here prepared a full-course meal.

That contestant set up a buffet table.

BUFFET GIRL

None of them are preparing just one dish. They're all preparing multiple dishes.

I think they're too proud to settle for one dish.

UNDERESTIMATED

Hold on.

That one over there, is that all he's doing?

Some might think I didn't go above and beyond.

I decided to go with a simple dish.

Everyone else looked like they were overcomplicating things.

-Others are preparing five, six dishes. -I'd like to know what that tastes like.

But they're sticking to their guns with just one.

Some might say they're just being lazy.

I'm guessing they'll either think that I've got guts,

or that I'm not in this to win.

I was confident as far as my dish was concerned.

I guess they're confident.

So when they go, "What's the name of your dish?"

It's an aglio e olio.

Whoa, what? Is he just grilling beef?

Nothing else?

A well-grilled cut of meat. That's it.

Underestimated?

I guess he's a good chef whose food gets looked down on a lot by others.

UNDERESTIMATED

I've chosen the name Underestimated.

I run a wine bar in Hannam-dong,

and I've been cooking for about nine years.

Because I was on a dating show in the past and people know me from that,

I think some of them tend to doubt my food,

or question the amount of time

that I've fully committed to improving my cooking skills.

I wanted to challenge the public's perception of me,

which is why I'm participating with the title Underestimated.

What kind of food have you prepared?

I'm preparing a rump steak grilled over a charcoal fire.

-Using Hanwoo beef. -Mm.

-So no garnish, no sauce, just meat? -Yep.

Correct.

You're thinking, "I'm gonna let the meat, and the meat alone, do the talking"?

-Yes, that's right. -Oh!

Not even a garnish?

He's putting all his eggs in one basket.

That means he's confident in his skills.

Thing is, I feel like you could have used the 100 minutes you've been given

to show off some of your other skills as well.

-Sure, I could've prepared another dish. -Mm-hmm?

But I believe this is the best dish I can serve you

within the 100-minute time limit.

Okay, that's confident. I'll give you that.

I wanted to do something that anyone can do,

but most rarely excel at.

I'll be doing everything using a charcoal fire, and nothing else.

It may look simple, but it's actually quite complicated.

If the temperature's off by even a little bit,

the meat will most likely end up tough and dry.

I'm carefully heating the meat evenly using the charcoal,

and whenever I think the surface has gotten too hot,

I let it rest for a bit, then put it back on the charcoal,

then let it rest again.

I'll repeat that until the innermost parts of the meat are heated evenly.

Oh, he's smoking it. He's using the charcoal smoke for flavor.

It's standing up.

-That one's intriguing. -Which one?

-The meat one? -I wonder how they're gonna rate it.

-I'm interested in the aglio e olio. -Ah, me too.

I'm very confident in my aglio e olio.

There's no telling how rich the flavor's gonna be.

You can only hope it ends up tasting great.

It's a classic that tastes different in my hands.

I've chosen the name Hidden Genius.

My genius has yet to be seen.

I make my aglio e olio a little differently.

It's special.

It all comes down to the noodles.

I'm using linguine right now,

which takes a bit longer to cook than you would think.

Six to seven minutes, give or take,

but I finish boiling mine within three minutes.

Then I put them into a strainer,

I oil them while the heat's still there,

then lay them all out meticulously on an aluminum tray.

Once they've cooled down,

I put a lid on top to seal off the not fully-cooked noodles.

They finish cooking in there over a long period of time,

and the noodles are still al dente once they're cool.

Cooking the noodles slowly like this allows them to be ideally textured.

If you make pasta like this,

it retains the al dente texture while not overcooking the noodles,

so I've been sticking to this method.

Those who try my dish often say

they're tasting a proper aglio e olio for the first time.

AGLIO E OLIO

-Wow, it's, uh, very simple. -Correct.

Ooh-ooh-ooh! Okay, now this over here I need to see.

I'm curious as well. Let's go.

Simple is best.

Wow, I've never seen anyone cook meat like that before.

He's put it down here, put a lid on it,

rested it, then put it back on the grill multiple times...

I think he's smoking the meat,

and preserving the smokiness as much as possible, something like that.

It must be his signature method.

It looks like he's roasting the salt over charcoal right now.

-But there's nothing else. -Yup, no sauce, no nothing.

Just salt and oil. I guess that's it.

But man, his resting process does seem to be very precise.

-He's not even using a thermometer? -Nope, no thermometer.

-He's only using a pin. -Whoa, that's also badass.

No thermometer, he's using a pin instead.

I need to see this up close.

Wait so that's all he's doing?

Whoa, he's been cooking it forever,

but the insides are just... looks beautiful, beautiful.

The color of the meat is perfect.

What will the judge think?

He's letting everything ride on just salt. Now, that takes guts.

Man, this Underestimated guy sure is confident.

-Wow, he's already done. -Guess he's finished.

Whoa.

-So, uh, beef and salt. -Meat. Salt. Period.

-Very brave. -Mm.

This must be the rump that you mentioned earlier.

Yes, it's the rump.

I flipped the meat multiple times over charcoal made of oak.

I also kept basting it with oil and its own juices

so as to keep it from going dry.

I smoked the Maldon sea salt you see on the side

that accompanies the steak.

I see. Okay.

RUMP STEAK

Are you satisfied with it?

-I have no regrets. -Hmm.

He's basically trying to win over a Michelin three-star chef

with nothing but a slab of meat.

-If he passes, that would be insane. -Right? Yeah.

I wanted him to evaluate my food

and tell me that I had what it takes to be a chef.

-So... tell me. -Yes?

What would the most perfect, flawless steak entail, in your own terms?

I'd say it's a steak that's been cooked using the simplest of methods.

Adding butter or herbs to the steak not only kills the meat's original flavor

but it also doesn't quite click with my personal cooking methods.

I think I get what you're saying.

This rump is, uh...

Please mix it well before you dig in.

-Still no survivors from this side. -Mm-hmm.

-He's just that hard to please. -He's only eliminated people.

It's like you said earlier on.

-The noodles are different. -Right.

-They feel different. -Yes, Chef.

Aglio e olio

is just...

well-known.

-Right. -Both to chefs and the public.

We're no strangers to this dish.

However, every aglio e olio, as simple as the dish may be,

has its signature charm.

You went to great lengths

to really... accentuate that,

starting with the way you cooked these noodles.

Right.

It's very delicious.

-No way! -Thank you.

-Hidden Genius... -Yes?

Congratulations. You pass.

-Wow. -Thank you!

You've survived. Sorry about that. Let me try this again.

Hidden Genius, you have survived.

Thank you.

Hidden Genius has survived.

-Mad skills. -That's great.

Phew!

-Congratulations. -No way!

Aglio e olio is actually one of the hardest dishes to make.

I think that the best aglio e olio has to strike the perfect balance.

Flawless balance.

When you combine that with good fundamentals,

and a signature touch...

When I realized that he had leveraged

the kind of knowledge and experience that he alone was privy to,

I knew without a doubt I had to give him the pass.

Wow!

Wow, no freaking way.

-I can't believe this. -I'm so nervous. I can't believe it.

This is unbelievable.

This rump is, uh...

for my standards, it hasn't been cooked that well.

I see.

Wait. Why though?

The meat hasn't been cooked evenly.

-It's not cooked in all of its parts. -Okay.

I believe it should've been rested for a bit longer,

and I don't think the heat quite made it all the way into the meat.

Sure, the characteristic taste of the meat here is great and all,

but I do think your knowledge of what it takes to bring it out

might be a bit lacking.

Therefore, I'm afraid this is it for you, Underestimated.

Understood.

-Thank you for your hard work. -Thank you.

-You have been eliminated. -Bummer.

He wasn't quite up to the three-star standards.

Man, would've been so cool if he made it.

With food, the possibilities are endless.

Do try to keep an open mind.

Thank you.

Underestimated has been eliminated.

I'm satisfied, and I have no regrets.

I'm confident in my skills and know what I'm capable of.

What's his highness working on?

Apparently, he likes bibimbap so much that his name is "bibim."

Are you serious?

His nickname is "King Bibim." So that's why he's wearing a dragon robe.

KING BIBIM RUNS "BIBIM SORI"

Hello there!

I'm the man who was born to mix the world,

Jeonju's very own king of bibim,

Yoo Bibim, that's me.

Bibim!

He's cooking on that cymbal-looking thing.

I know, right?

I honestly can't tell if he's actually cooking on a cymbal for real

or if it's for show

That's a cymbal. It's got a hole in the middle.

-He's, uh, doing something. -He seems to be writing.

-What is he making? -King.

-Is he cooking for a king? -King.

A feast for a king.

He's the master of bibimbap.

-Oh yeah? -Yeah.

Oh.

It's the real bibimbap. The real deal.

"Bibim" in Bibimglyphics.

It's one of a kind.

-You can't find this anywhere else. -"Bibim"?

Yup, "bibim."

-English, B-I-B-I. -"Bim." "Bibim," yep.

-Isn't that an "ieung" though? -Bibimglyphics, "mieum, mieum."

The bottom consonants are in Korean. So are the vowels.

So what you've done here is mix English with Korean?

-I even got these characters patented. -You really got them patented?

-I did. It's a universal writing system. -Are you pulling my leg?

-No! -Isn't that a cymbal?

Oh, the cymbal is the same deal.

It's a bibimbap plate where all the magic happens.

-D'you clean it properly? -Same material.

Of course, always! Dozens, hundreds of times!

Why did Mr. Bibim decide to show up today of all days?

I'm making bibimbap as well.

That man has dedicated his entire life to bibimbap.

He's been making them for a really long time

I was worried I would pale in comparison

since I was also making bibimbap.

What's this? Are they diced clams?

Diced clams and diced shrimp for the base.

I'm using them to season the wild vegetables,

and will be stir-frying them.

This is the base. I'm making it in the Tongyeong style.

Did you learn this from someone?

So I tried this in Tongyeong.

It was the first time I'd ever seen white bibimbap.

It was so delicious, I went back just to learn...

Genius restaurateur indeed. You have a lot of knowledge.

-Thank you -Wow, you're really quick on your feet.

I'm the kind of person who cooks based on their memory and experiences.

I found that in Tongyeong, they eat white bibimbap.

At first, I thought, "How do you eat this without any gochujang?"

Tongyeong's a coastal city with an abundance of seafood.

They stir-fry their seafood in sesame oil,

and use that instead of gochujang.

And since it's a seafood-based seasoning, it's got great umami as well.

Oh, so you're reducing it, then using that to...

-I'll use this to season the dish. Yeah. -You use that as seasoning?

Ooh!

Nine seasoned wild veggies go into the dish.

I'll be mixing and stir-frying them with the seafood base.

MUNG BEAN SPROUTS

With Tongyeong-style bibimbap,

you have to eat it with soup that's been reduced quite a bit.

That's why I'm making a fish stew.

You mix the stew in

as you would normally do with the tofu from a soybean paste soup.

But I wasn't sure as to what King Bibim would be making.

This is a one-of-a-kind bibimbap,

with nothing else like it in the entire world.

Since it's a true bibimbap, made with bibimglyphics,

I'm sure he's going to be impressed.

If he's got an eye for the value of bibim, that is.

I think the colors are gonna be quite different.

He's making a Jeolla-style dish,

while I'm making a variant that's unique to seaside towns in Gyeongsang.

The food needs to move me.

And whenever I try my dishes, they make me go, "Man, I'm a great cook."

Bibimbap's the only thing he ever thinks about.

But I'm staking my life on this. I'm ready.

REAL BIBIMBAP

It's complicated.

You're not supposed to just eat it.

It's supposed to be a mix of music and food.

-Wait. So we're not done yet? -Here.

-I can't just eat it like this? -No. Now, if you would hold this.

Think of your chopsticks as a conductor's baton.

I'll start. Once I go "start mixing," you can start mixing to the music.

Oh, okay.

Now then!

-Next... -Whoo!

The lyrics are "bibim, bibim."

-You just need to keep saying "bibim." -Oh.

So you just need to keep mixing it. One, two, three, four.

-♪ Bibim, bi-bi-bim ♪ -♪ Bibim, bibim ♪

-♪ Bibim, bibim ♪ -♪ Bi-bi-bim, bi-bi-bim ♪

-♪ Bibim ♪ -♪ Bi-bi, bi... ♪

Mix it!

-♪ Bi-bi, bi-bi ♪ -♪ Bibim ♪

-♪ Bi, bi, bi, bi-bi-bi ♪ -♪ Bibim, bibim ♪

-Mix with more passion! -Oh, okay.

-Let me really know that you're mixing it! -Right.

We're going global!

♪ Bi, bi, bi-bi-bi ♪

-♪ Bi, bi, bi, bi-bi-bi ♪ -♪ Bi, bi, bi-bi ♪

-♪ Bi, bi, bi, bi-bi-bi ♪ -♪ Bi, bi, bi-bi-bi ♪

♪ Bi, bi-bi-bi-bi, bi, bi-bi-bi ♪

-One, two, three, four! -Here we go.

-One, two, three, four, and done! -♪ Bi! ♪

-Do I stop now? -Yep, you're all set.

Man, that song really stays with you.

The music is important.

You have been eliminated.

Way too salty!

I need some coffee.

How embarrassing.

This is so salty!

You've seasoned this way too much.

We got a little too carried away while mixing.

Maybe if you'd written the B-I-B-I a bit bigger...

But you're a really cool guy for doing this.

-Oh, thank you. -Korea's national dish.

-Thank you. -I really respect what you're doing.

Thank you so much.

That's it for his highness.

The king has been dethroned.

-It's pretty. -Thank you.

It makes me wanna grab my chopsticks and spoon right away.

Take a spoon of tofu and eat it with the soup.

-And crush it like this? -Yes. Please crush it and mix it.

-Feel free to add some soup as well. -Really?

It'll be a little soupy,

like how they serve it in Gyeongsang for memorial service meals.

He ate it and went, "This is..." and then just paused.

I mean...

I mean...

How did someone so young

make food that tastes like it was made by a grandmother?

There's not much that needs saying.

You have survived.

Oh my goodness. Thank you!

Genius Restaurateur has survived.

Thank you so much

It was

the kind of flavor that made long-lost memories come flooding back.

The fact that she incorporated the regional masters' methods

of using a seafood base infused with soy sauce...

I mean, sure, it's important to recreate a dish that's fading away,

but what I really loved about it was that she had recreated it so deliciously.

I was grateful. Truly, it was delicious.

The memories of all the time that I spent in that restaurant by the sea

flashed through my mind.

I almost teared up a bit, seriously.

I've prepared three dishes.

Mixed grain rice with perilla seaweed soup,

braised Spanish mackerel, and seasoned wild vegetables.

I may be serving restaurant-level food,

but I made it a hearty meal with a homemade touch.

There's an elegant, nuanced flavor here that may be lost on the general public.

Side Dish Chef,

you pass.

Thank you so much.

-Side Dish Chef, you have survived. -Congratulations!

-I knew from his reaction you would. -You flatter me.

I run a wood-fire whole chicken restaurant

called "Namyeong Chicken."

YEONG CHICKEN

I mostly cook using chicken,

so I've created a menu with a focus on chicken.

Here you can see the breast, the tenderloin, and the fascia.

These are the drumsticks,

and the first cut you'll be having is this fella over here, the hind portion.

I've grilled it after seasoning it with sake and glasswort salt.

This is delicious.

You have survived.

Thank you.

YEONG CHICKEN SURVIVES

You have survived.

Great work out there! Stellar performance as expected!

CHEF-OWNER OF "EDAMAME"

I'm sure you've all heard about Agwi of Gyeongsang,

Jjakgwi of Jeolla,

and me, God of Seasoning, of Namyeong-dong, Seoul.

GOD OF SEASONING

I season my food so well that some find it spooky.

I'm making mapo tofu.

Not too salty, and not too sweet,

I'm good at keeping a nice balance.

GOLDEN-RATIO MAPO TOFU

Pass. The God of Seasoning indeed.

You've seasoned this perfectly. It's uncanny.

Yeah, congratulations!

-God of Seasoning has survived. -Great job.

I did it!

God of Seasoning has survived.

When chef Anh Sung-jae was introduced as the judge,

I honestly thought I was going to get eliminated.

I know his personality all too well, after all. I...

Ah, One Two Three.

ONE TWO THREE

Nice to see you, Chef.

-We've met before. -Right, yes we have.

So, what does One Two Three mean?

I'm embarrassed but... they represent the Michelin stars.

-Oh, Michelin, okay. -Though I still have a ways to go.

So, uh, is my restaurant included in the One Two Three?

-Well.....yeah, of course it is. -Hey.

Try to relax

Yes, Chef.

-Don't worry. We're not at Mosu right now. -Right.

I used to work at a restaurant named Mosu three years ago.

He was my chef in charge back then.

We used to work in close proximity like this all the time.

-Two judges. -There's two?

-Who is it? It's chef Anh Sung-jae. -Are you kidding?

I'm in trouble. I used to work with him.

Oh man, I'm in trouble.

I'm even more nervous now. What am I gonna do?

I wish it was someone else. I really need to do well, now he's here.

I'm sure he's gonna be a harsh critic, so my focus is on not making any mistakes,

and just making warm, delicious food to the best of my abilities.

Apparently, this contestant used to work for Chef Anh. Triple Star.

So he's the one that used to work at Mosu, huh?

TRIPLE STAR

I went with "Triple Star,"

since I've worked at three different three-Michelin-star restaurants.

I have experience working at Benu and Atelier Crenn in the US,

and Mosu in Korea.

That makes three three-star restaurants, which is why I went with this name.

-So you know Chef Anh personally? -I do.

Then you should've let him evaluate you.

Now, where might Chef Anh be?

Does he know you're competing in the show today?

I think he saw me earlier.

-Oh, so are you Chef Anh's student? -Yeah, I am.

-It'd be embarrassing to get eliminated. -Yep.Very embarrassing.

So you know, I don't care about any of that.

I know that.

-I look forward to your dish. -Thank you.

To be honest, I wanted to get evaluated by Chef Anh Sung-jae,

but I got Judge Paik Jong-won instead.

I did worry that I was gonna get eliminated.

From what I've heard, Judge Paik Jong-won likes easy-to-understand flavors

and food that caters to the general public.

You pass.

A lot of intricate, detailed prep work went into my cooking,

but I was a little worried that one bite wasn't going to be enough

for him to notice the immense care that I had put into preparing my dish.

I tried to incorporate more fine dining techniques into my dish

to set myself apart from the others.

I even took a lot of care in chopping vegetables.

He sure does have a lot of discipline. Don't you think?

Look at everything he's chopped up.

As for the sauce,

I used a kitchen scale to try to minimize any discrepancies,

so that I could recreate

the exact same flavor I got during my trial runs.

He's neat, and he's good.

Apparently, he's Chef Anh's student.

He cooked very neatly.

That fella's on a whole different level.

He even organized his supplies by size. That's neat to a fault.

He's really doing this like he's working in an actual restaurant.

That one over there's just doing his own thing quietly.

Yeah, him.

He seems to be working on just duck.

I chose to prepare Bonghwa duck today.

People don't often cook duck over a charcoal fire.

A lot of the fat drips down,

which makes it hard to cook over a charcoal fire.

But I decided to give it a go anyway since it's really delicious.

Duck?

That's an interesting choice.

I personally think it's hard to cook duck over a charcoal grill like that.

He's heated up the charcoal to a nice level.

I agree.

Yeah, he handles it really well too.

He's seared the strawberries in the charcoal.

What's that over there?

Over there, he's cooking lobster.

He's also pouring butter on top of it.

-I heard he used to work in Mosu. -Oh yeah?

That contestant's got insane technique, from what I've seen.

I want to prepare lobster for my dish.

So we have lobster,

and lobster kinilaw, which is a Filipino version of ceviche.

That's what sets the Michelin chefs apart.

The level of detail that goes into each and every one of their dishes.

The precision.

I'm excited to show them what I can do.

No frills, none of that.

I just focused on making a balanced, delicious dish.

TRIPLE STAR

Oof.

All right.

Let me move this...

Allow me to explain my dish.

I've prepared the Bonghwa duck by slow-grilling it over a charcoal fire.

And what you see on the left is a red cabbage

that's been pickled in Korean blackberry extract.

On the right, you'll see a strawberry which has been lightly seared on charcoal.

I've also added some green onion salad here.

Hmm.

The Bonghwa duck, it...

You've got...

-Oh, sorry about that. -It's fine. Just wipe it off.

You trying to show me how hard you've worked?

Mm.

-The sauce wasn't on purpose? -No, Chef.

All right.

You're supposed to have that with the duck.

Yeah.

Caraway?

CARAWAY PLANT SEED USED AS A SPICE

Yes, it's caraway, Chef.

A great combination.

Thank you.

He scraped it all up.

So the moment I tried his dish,

I went through the countless duck dishes that I had tried in France in my head

and compared this to them.

I know the guy, so I had high standards for him.

Hmm.

-One Two Three. -Yes?

Your cooking has improved a lot.

Thank you.

Wow, seriously.

The way you've seared this duck

and the kind of attention to detail you showed

so as to get the right thickness when you were cutting the meat

is commendable in and of itself.

I believe a lot of thought also went into considering

the individual components which might further elevate the dish,

like Korean blackberries and the strawberries.

What stood out to me most was the temperature of the duck.

You've absolutely nailed the cuisson.

CUISSON HOW MUCH SOMETHING IS COOKED

One Two Three, you have survived.

Thank you, Chef.

It was good.

Whoo!

-He passed. I had a feeling he would. -He passed? Wow.

One Two Three has survived.

You scared me for a second there.

You got us good.

-I almost cried. -Great job.

-The Chef Anh just acknowledged you. -That was just...

-Now you're gonna make me cry. -Seriously, though, I almost cried.

Congratulations.

He got his teacher to acknowledge his skills.

-I like our members. -First fine dining dish to make it.

I wonder how that lobster's gonna taste.

It may look simple,

but an insane amount of finesse went into that one dish.

I thought Judge Paik Jong-won hated fine dining?

You might think Paik Jong-won's only into cheap food,

but you'd be wrong.

I also enjoy the finer things.

I've tried plenty and done my research.

It might be different with Paik Jong-won judging.

The dish I've chosen to prepare for you today

is a lobster kinilaw.

Kinilaw is essentially a Filipino version of ceviche.

As for the dish on the right,

I kept pouring butter on it to make it tender.

For the sauce, I made a black pepper sauce with the lobster's head and innards.

-That's the sauce for this? -Yes.

-Can I pour that for you? -Please.

Wow, this sauce is great.

Thank you.

In a dish this small...

Yes?

...you've managed to capture so many flavors.

-You pass. -Thank you.

Whoa!

-Triple Star has survived. -I knew it! Just wow!

Congratulations.

The fact that he managed to work so much flavor

into such a tiny piece of lobster was just...

I've been to a lot of restaurants,

and I've been to ones abroad as well,

and I was shocked to find the flavor which his dish achieved

was on par with the anything I'd tried.

I gave him the pass right away.

So you made it. Congratulations.

-Who evaluated your dish? -My dish? The chef.

-Chef Anh? -Yeah.

I haven't seen him yet.

The crème de la crème, wouldn't you agree?

Right, a lot of folks up there have a fine dining background.

Yeah, I do fine dining as well.

COMING UP IN ROUND 2

Black Spoons who wish to go up against Choi Hyun-seok,

the White Spoon,

please step forward.

I'm screwed.

There's definitely a lot of hidden masters amongst the skilled chefs out there.

We're seeing a lot of dishes incorporating state-of-the-art techniques,

since there are so many new chefs.

I'm a little worried because of how plain my dishes are.

Everyone's making these elaborate, refined dishes.

Most people here are making western food.

These chefs are intimidating.

What if the judges think my food is too bland, too plain?

-Ah. -She's cooking in a hanbok.

That's sick. Cooking in a hanbok? That's so cool.

I'm Auntie Omakase #1,

and my specialty is creating delicious, full-course Korean meals.

RUNS "DRINKS AND MERRIMENT"

We serve home-style food on the fly to our patrons,

and all they need to do is come in and enjoy the food,

without racking their brains over what to order.

That's how I became Auntie Omakase #1.

I'm serving what I know best. A hearty home-made meal.

There's gonna be grilled fish, parboiled longarm octopus,

meat, and some bossam.

five types of side dishes...

a variety of Korean pancakes, steamed scallops, and steamed shrimp.

A warm, comforting meal

that busy people of the modern world long for.

MASTER OF SCHOOL MEALS

I've prepared a full-table meal.

She specializes in catering for large groups.

-Judging by that tray at least. -Ah.

I'm Master of School Meals,

and I work at an elementary school in Yangsan City, Gyeongnam.

I've been in charge of the children's cafeteria food for 15 years,

so I chose the name Master of School Meals.

My food is popular with the children, and the school staff as well.

What's at the cafeteria today?

Fresh kimchi made with Korean cabbage,

boiled pork with some veggie wraps,

dipping sauce,

anchovies stir-fried in gochujang,

spicy beef soup, and a sauce made with plum syrup

that goes well with the boiled pork if it tastes too heavy.

I'm assuming you went with this sauce

because children don't tend to be huge fans of fermented shrimp sauce.

She's serving rice with the sides,

so I'm sure he won't say it's too salty this time.

I was a little nervous.

But my son kept saying, "Mom, hold your head high."

He won't stop eating. It must be delicious.

Ah.

This food is for kids.

But man, it was delicious, I couldn't stop eating it.

Eating your food,

it, um,

brought back memories of childhood.

I had some cafeteria food in Korea back when I was little,

right before I moved abroad,

and the taste of that cafeteria meal has stuck with me through all these years.

Uh...

The food was fantastic.

But one thing bugged me.

-Ooh, it's Auntie Omakase! -The legendary Auntie Omakase!

I'm sure she's a force to be reckoned with.

Her hands have so much precision. A chef's hands.

-You made all this yourself? -Correct.

-Is this brown rice? -It's barley.

The reason I decided to go with barley

is so that if you have any leftover side dishes or dishes at the end,

you can just dunk them all in the barley bowl and mix it up.

Meat, octopus, sides with the barley?

You can dunk the side dishes in.

If you're left with lettuce or cabbage wraps,

you can also mix them into the barley bowl so there aren't any leftovers.

And you always have a dish to go with your drink.

Hm.

What's really impressive is that the dishes are all identically salty.

If I try one of her bossams, and it tastes exactly like I'm expecting it to,

then she definitely passes.

Hm!

She's not only a jack-of-all-trades, but also somewhat a master of all.

You pass.

Thank you.

-It's winter now, so you should try... -That, uh... that won't be necessary.

-Thank you so much. -The moment I tried this, I knew.

You made all this in such a short time, and still...

Auntie Omakase #1 has survived.

Oh! The hanbok lady made it.

Ah.

It's gonna taste different

from when you have it with the spicy vinegar sauce.

Wow! Whoa!

That should've been the last dish. You could have just taken it slow!

-Thank you. -Congratulations.

Thank you so much, Chef.

-Hello. -Hi, everyone.

-Congratulations. -I honestly didn't think I'd make it.

Man, Auntie Omakase.

-Intimidating. -Can't mess with Auntie Omakase.

Wow. Judge Paik Jong-won's had

more than his fair share of delicious Korean food,

and he gave her the pass after just one bite.

Right.

Every single one of the dishes you prepared...

-Yeah? -Tastes delicious.

And to, uh, prepare a meal that satisfies everyone's palate,

the palate of children, no less, who are known to be picky eaters...

-Young children are the hardest to please. -It's no easy feat.

-They really do seem hard to please. -Yes.

But as far as the smaller details are concerned,

I'm going to need a second opinion.

-So I'll be postponing your evaluation. -I understand.

MASTER OF SCHOOL MEALS ON HOLD

Thank you very much.

Seeing someone who puts so much love and care

into preparing meals for children,

it really warmed my heart.

It was just so touching.

As for why I postponed her,

I wasn't sure

if I had let my emotions get in the way of making an objective ruling.

I made dishes popular with children.

Kids in elementary? They enjoy eating veggie wraps?

Yes. They always eat every bite.

-Really? -Yes.

You've conditioned them well.

-Hmm. Thank you for the meal. -Thank you.

She makes these lovely, simple home-style meals.

I'm really rooting for her.

IF LESS THAN 20 PASS, ADDITIONAL SURVIVORS CHOSEN FROM CONTESTANTS ON HOLD

I didn't have anyone to teach me,

so I just kept conducting experiments, to find out if something worked or not.

COMIC BOOK CHEF

-Ooh, Oishinbo. Iron Wok Jan? -Yes.

-Did you read all of these? -More times than my school books.

-You're using a recipe from these? -My recipes are inspired by these books.

Whoa, that's awesome. How did you end up getting inspired by comic books?

I used to run a comic book café with a friend.

A comic book rental store?

Yes, I used to sell tteokbokki there, It's how I got into the world of cooking.

So I made this tteokbokki dish that was introduced in Chūka Ichiban!

which became a smash hit.

That's when I realized how fun cooking could be.

I was just inspired a lot by comic books.

What's the name of the dish on your menu?

"Dongpo rou from Oishinbo Volume 2, Page 25."

That's the name?

Then, uh, how about that one?

"Crab Spring Roll from Iron Wok Jan, Page 19."

You've memorized them!

Is the name always the page of the comics and...

Yes. I always match them.

What a fun idea.

-And you've no formal culinary education? -Nope.

I've never had any sort of formal training.

Everything I know, I taught to myself.

I just kept studying dishes inside books and stuff.

I wanted to see for myself whether my cooking was actually any good,

so I decided to join this show.

Aren't there two people preparing Chinese food today?

Who's the other one?

I didn't go to any famous culinary schools,

and I never studied under any famous chefs either.

I started from the bottom,

and I think that's what really drove me to push myself harder than others.

SELF-MADE CHEF

I started delivering food because life was hard for me at the time.

I started out when I was a high school freshman,

and in the process, I learned a thing or two about Chinese food,

while working for many different stores.

I cooked, I delivered, and I even went around handing out flyers.

And that's how I got all the way here.

-That there, that's minced meat. -That's minced meat?

Oh, over the onion?

-It's so round, isn't it? -Yeah.

So perfectly round.

How's he gonna cook a meatball that large?

I've never seen anything like that. Have you?

-No. -Me neither.

You, of all people, shouldn't be saying that.

Wow.

Sure this is the right show for your food?

I wanted to try something that no one else has tried before.

I haven't seen this before. I'm excited to give it a try.

-Thank you. -Sure.

My signature dish is the babao meatball.

It's a meatball with a babaocai inside.

Once I'm done frying the onions,

I'll be removing the onion skins inside.

I stir-fry the babaocai,

and pour it into the meatball.

No one ever taught me how to make this babao meatball.

I read an article about it,

and I knew right away how to make the dish.

So I took that knowledge

not to recreate the original,

but to prepare a signature babaowanzi that's unique to me,

Self-Made Chef.

I take pride in that.

That's one smart young man.

"There's a Chinese cuisine chef in Korea

that can make something like this?" I hope he says something like that.

BABAO MEATBALL

So there's two ways to go about this.

You can either cut it down to size or crush it.

Can I cut it for you?

That would be great. I'm not sure I know how to do it.

There are a lot of ingredients inside.

Take the squid...

the bok choy, and the meatball,

which you're supposed to crush into small bits.

Hmm.

-You can eat it like this. Here. -Okay.

-I wonder how he'll rate Chinese cuisine. -Mm.

Koutake mushroom.

Ooh, that's a good sign!

Self-Made Chef...

Yes?

DONGPO PORK FROM OISHINBO VOLUME 2, PAGE 25

CRAB SPRING ROLL FROM IRON WOK JAN VOLUME 8, PAGE 19

There weren't any opportunities for me outside here

to know if I'm a good chef.

Since Judge Paik Jong-won was going to be here,

this was my opportunity.

Wait. What? What's this you've sprinkled on top?

A light sprinkle of powdered sugar.

And this?

That's just dongpo rou.

Man, it's pretty.

He made dongpo rou?

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

Why does everyone love Chinese cuisine?

And you say you've never been trained?

No.

If you cut it, and eat it with the bok choy, that would be easier.

-Nope. -Oh, okay.

It should be cooked in a way

that I can easily cut through it with a fork, like this.

It's definitely been cooked that way.

When it comes to dongpo rou,

I've been all around China and have eaten some of the very best.

It's not a dish you learn to make on your own.

-And you're self-taught? -That's right.

Self-Made Chef.

Yes?

You have survived.

Thank you!

Thank you!

Yes.

-It's so delicious. -Thank you, Chef!

-So delicious. -Thank you.

I believe there's certain flavor profiles

that set themselves apart from the originals from China.

Flavors that are unique to Korea, and Korean Chinese-cuisine chefs.

-I see. Thank you. -That was the crux of this dish.

I finished my tasting with a whole piece of bok choy at the very end,

and I care a lot about how well bok choy has been cooked.

And you cooked that bok choy to perfection.

-Everything else was delicious as well. -Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Great work.

Thank you! I think I'm gonna cry.

I'm seriously gonna cry.

Just cry.

-Just cry it all out. -No, I can't do that.

-And you're self-taught? -That's right.

You have passed.

You have passed.

How does a self-taught chef manage to nail the flavor like this?

-Are you sure you didn't study anywhere? -Yes.

-Thank you so much. -Wow!

Congratulations.

Comic Book Chef has survived.

-Did you make Chinese food? -I did.

-Dongpo rou? -Sichuanese food.

-Dongpo rou and spring rolls. -Spring rolls, I see.

-You made dong po rou that quickly? -Yeah.

A lot of competition there.

Right, the Chinese cuisine group is getting crowded.

Things are heating up for Chinese cuisine.

-It's gonna be a tight race. -Oh yeah, this ought to be fun.

Chef Jung Ji-sun?

I think I can take her.

I want to take on Chef Lu Chinglai.

Things are about to get ugly.

Everyone likes meat.

SILVER SPOON COOKING YOUTUBER

I guess I got my hopes up too much.

SILVER SPOON ELIMINATED

THE BUTCHER MEAT INDUSTRY WORKER

The Butcher, you have been eliminated.

THE BUTCHER ELIMINATED

Thank you.

You have been eliminated.

You've been eliminated.

I've never once lost my confidence.

MEAT MASTER

The ribs over there look incredible

Meat Master indeed.

Whoa, he's cutting them into short ribs.

He's cutting the bone himself.

-What's he making? -Galbi. He's the Meat Master.

I like meat a lot, and I'm good at cooking meat,

which is why I've been dubbed the Meat Master.

ONION

PEAR - SUGAR

SOY SAUCE

Looks like he's making galbi seasoning.

-Totally. Galbi-jjim. -He's got a pressure cooker.

Aah.

I've decided to make galbi-jjim. Well my take on galbi-jjim, that is.

I've incorporated the French techniques involved in making beef bourguignon...

and infused it with the taste of galbi-jjim, from Korean cuisine.

And I've dubbed this dish

"The Galbuignon."

-The galbi-jjim work is very nice. -Mm.

I think the galbi-jjim has to be probably, like, really, really good

because everybody knows how to make galbi-jjim.

Yeah, yeah.

It is a special dish,

but it is very hard to be a special dish to be on a competition like this.

It may look like a western dish at first,

but once you put it in your mouth,

it's gonna make you go, "Whoa, what's that flavor doing here?"

Wait.

He made all of that from the ribs?

-Hmm. -That's insane.

GARBUIGNON (GALBI BOURGUIGNON)

I've prepared an entrée dish of galbi-jjim

with a butternut squash purée...

Aah.

...topped with mini cabbages or "brussels sprouts."

The visuals are certainly impressive.

Thank you.

-You made this without stock? -2Correct.

Pass. I don't want to swallow it!

It's so soft that I don't want to swallow it,

but it goes down so naturally while I'm chewing.

It's retained a bit of the meat's fragrance,

with a powerful kick from the seasoning, and that's just... Oh!

-Congratulations. -Thank you.

Love it.

-Wow, congratulations. -Meat Master!

Congratulations!

Meat Master has survived.

He's a master! A real master.

You really are the master of meat!

I can see why he goes by "Meat Master."

The meat was so tender, it melted right in my mouth.

What on earth did he do to that meat? It's incredible.

What's that? It kind of looks like sashimi.

Once the world gets a look at this dish,

they're gonna wanna come all the way to Korea just to try it.

CELEBRITIES' CHEF

It's a one-of-a-kind dish.

-He keeps working on the vegetables. -Hmm.

It's way too simple.

Yeah, he has nothing.

CHOI HYUN-SEOK "NO MAIN INGREDIENTS"

If you're just looking at the ingredients,

you might say, "Hmm. I don't know..."

After all, I'm just using things like beets, avocado,

kohlrabi,

shiitake mushrooms,

lotus roots, and so on.

They're accessible ingredients that you can find at any supermarket.

Is that Japanese? Are those shiso leaves?

Yeah, shiso. I think he's going with Japanese.

-This one? -Yeah, the vegetables...

I thought they were abalones at first.

Yeah, the second ones he just put down are shiitake mushrooms.

I guess they're not abalones.

-They all look like vegetables. -Right, vegetables.

I think he's preparing a vegan sashimi dish.

My dish today is a vegetarian sashimi,

and a vegetarian futomaki.

Everyone's doing stuff with protein, you know, like, meat, fish and everything.

I'm the only one doing a plant-based dish.

I'm in this alone.

So one thing that's key in my dish is "palate deception."

Dishes that make you go, "Huh?" because they taste like tuna,

or make you go, "This kinda tastes like abalone," and so on.

My menu is comprised of simple combinations

that play tricks on the senses.

Vegetables are simultaneously

the simplest, yet trickiest ingredients to work with.

I'll be steaming them to perfection.

Smoking them in some cases.

Frying them as well.

And, at times, reducing them.

The devil's in the details.

And the key factor here is perfect time allocation.

If I get held up by even one thing,

it'll result in everything else falling behind.

Since they're just vegetables, the texture's gonna be key in that dish.

Chef Anh Sung-jae was very strict

about how long the vegetables had been cooked

when he was trying them out earlier on, so I hope he's gotten it right.

The thing I think is most important

is how much the vegetables have been cooked.

...how long the vegetables have been cooked...

...and I care a lot about how well bok choy has been cooked.

What even is the perfect amount of cooking for a vegetable?

For him, I mean.

Chef Anh Sung-jae is here and he's got an eye for the finer details,

so I just know he's going to know my menu's worth.

He's done.

I'm excited for this one. The vegan sushi.

If somehow he's managed to get the right taste,

I'd like to pay for a plate myself.

Oh...

Ah.

This here

looks somewhat like sashimi.

That kind of looks like tuna. Yeah.

The dish I've prepared for you today is a vegetarian sashimi.

I've also prepared a vegetarian futomaki to go with it.

There are a lot of components.

First, the lotus roots pickled in magnolia berries, with gold kiwis,

braised sweet shiitake mushrooms,

kohlrabi,

and last but not least, there's the smoked beets and avocado.

If I can make a recommendation, I think you'll find this one to your liking.

-I'll eat this one. -After that, please try this.

I see.

Okay, the lotus root.

-That one's... -And a bit of the wasabi.

Then seaweed. Dip it in soy sauce.

I see.

-It really is like tuna. -That's right.

-Please have it with your eyes closed. -Okay.

He's served the cooked beets with avocado first, it seems.

Unlike toro, beets don't taste all that fatty,

so it makes a lot of sense.

That's really smart of him.

-That's super smart. -Avocado has fat, after all.

-Celebrities' Chef. -Yes?