“Please back your knives and go.”
This episode marks the last time Padma Lakshmi will ever say the trademark Top Chef phrase, delivering the brutal news to our boy Ali.
It’s a double-heartbreaking episode for your hoddler-in-chief, who not only saw his favourite miss out on the finale, but the day after Lakshmi announced her departure from the programme.
But the show must go on. It really must because Buddha, Sara and Gabri are all heading to the finale in Paris.
After the Quickfire challenge – which Ali won – our cheftestants were tasked to create a dish celebrating Champignon de Paris – button mushrooms! And what better location to feature one of the most humble ingredients than on Alain Ducasse’s restaurant boat ??
Your hoddler-in-chief loves mushrooms, and came to love them while he lived in England because they were only £1. What a deal!
After they toured the caverns in which these mushrooms are harvested, our chefs foraged their own selection of mushrooms before heading to a fancy supermarket.
Would it be a surprise that the humblest looking dish of the three one a challenge that celebrates such a humble ingrediant? Probably not, and Sara’s mushroom soup with pears, beef leg marmalade and pickled mushrooms wowed our Micheln Star-laden table.
And Buddha, who knows fine dining quite unlike any other contestant we’ve seen, also eased into the finale with his mushroom wellington looking thing with a mushroom lattice cookie cut in the shape of a leaf.
Buddha’s in the finale, and will win probably, but this was the second and third time he’s done the same trick.
That leaves Gabri and Ali, and it wasn’t close I think. Why? Because while one (Gabri) dish was a bit more chicken focused, it didn’t have as many technical complaints as the other (Ali) did.
Ali served a vegetarian dish, which the judges loved this year. But one found his mushroom ‘steak’ to be a little boring the more he ate it, and all complained about the texture of his mushroom croquette which had the misfortune of containing a pomegranate seed.
And so Gabri also enters the finale with his nest-looking dish, an egg, some mushrooms and other bits that’s so good that one of the Michelin Star chefs wants him to join his restaurant.
It’s a heartbreaking way to exit. So close to the finale. But I guess that’s part of the competition, isn’t it?
There’s only one episode – and one recap – left! And with this being Padma’s last, it’s going to be a doozy.
Fitzie’s track of the day: Color of Autumn, by Nujabes
And now for your links:
Dan KP: Why Tottenham believe Ange Postecoglou can be their next Mauricio Pochettino
David Hytner: Postecoglou has steeliness to handle Tottenham reboot
Brazil and Spain plan 2024 friendly to combat racism
